Unit 20: Have to, Should (-아/어/여야 되다/하다)

In Easy Korean, to express an obligation—saying you "have to," "should," or "must" do something—you use -아/어/여야 되다 or -아/어/여야 하다.

Structure

This grammar point combines the present tense form with 야 되다 or 야 하다. They mean the exact same thing, but 되다 is more common in spoken Korean.

• 가다 (to go) -> 가야 되다 (have to go)
• 먹다 (to eat) -> 먹어야 되다 (have to eat)
• 공부하다 (to study) -> 공부해야 되다 (have to study)

Conjugation for Politeness

When speaking, you conjugate the ending (되다/하다) to make it polite: - 되다 -> 돼요 (가야 돼요 = I have to go) - 하다 -> 해요 (가야 해요 = I have to go)

Examples

• 내일 일찍 일어나야 돼요. (I have to wake up early tomorrow.)
• 지금 숙제를 해야 돼요. (I have to do my homework now.)
• 약을 먹어야 해요. (You must take medicine.)