Meogeossda

Meogeossda is the past tense form of the Korean verb 먹다 (to eat). In Hangul, the form is 먹었다, and in common romanization it is rendered as meogeossda, though variations such as meogeotda may appear depending on the romanization scheme. The form conveys that the eating action has been completed in the past.

Formation and pronunciation: To form the past tense, the verb stem 먹- takes the past tense suffix -었- before adding the declarative ending -다, yielding 먹었다. In standard romanization this is often presented as meogeossda, reflecting the pronunciation of 어 (eo) and the tense cluster that follows. The exact romanization can vary with different systems, but the meaning remains the same.

Usage: Meogeossda is used in narrative and formal writing to indicate that someone ate. In everyday speech, speakers commonly use informal or polite past forms such as 먹었어 or 먹었어요, but 먹었다 appears in written prose, news, or contexts that call for a plain, declarative past tense.

Example: 나는 어제 밥을 먹었다. (I ate a meal yesterday.)

Related terms: The base verb 먹다 (to eat); other past tense forms in Korean include 먹었다, 먹었고, 먹었습니다, and related conjugations across politeness levels. See also Korean grammar, past tense, and verb conjugation in Korean.