Even though there are thousands of languages in the world with all kinds of grammar rules, pronunciation, and different alphabets, there is one thing that is critical for understanding any language.  I am talking about VERBS.  Verbs are the heart of language.  They help us to describe events.  They allow us to tell stories.  We can use verbs to talk about all kinds of actions.  Without verbs, language is nothing.  So today, let’s talk about verbs!
   When my students learn new verbs, I notice that many times they just translate the verb into Korean.  This is a horrible way to learn language!  In English, each verb has a pattern of forms, depending on the tense that you want to use.  Whenever you learn a new verb, it’s a good idea to learn the basic parts of every verb.   First, decide if the verb is “regular” or “irregular”.  Most verbs in English change to the past by adding “-ed” at the end.  But there are thousands of verbs that follow a different pattern.  If you can remember whether the verb is regular or irregular, it can help you use it properly.
   Once you know what kind of verb it is, you must practice the different forms of the verb.  If the verb is irregular, try to remember what the simple past form is.  For example, the verb “buy” is “bought” in the past.  When you learn a verb like this, use the past form in a sentence.  This will help you to remember the form.  For example, “Yesterday, I bought a new guitar.”  Try to think of real examples so that you are making true sentences.  If you don’t use the past form in a sentence, you’ll never be able to remember it! 
   The next part of the verb is the past participle.  We use this to make passive sentences and also present/past perfect sentences.  For example, the verb “drink” is “drunk” in the participle form.  Again, I use this verb in a true sentence: “I’ve drunk too much coffee today!” 
   If you can practice these basic parts of verbs, it will really help you to remember the different forms.  Don’t just translate the meaning into Korean!  That’s the lazy student’s strategy!  Use all the verb forms in real sentences, just like a native speaker.