As I already mentioned, verbs almost always appear at the end of a sentence. There are two verb forms -- dictionary form and sentence form.
We'll start with the dictionary form. A verb would show up this way in the dictionary. All of the verbs in our Dictionary are shown this way. The dictionary form (also known as infinitive) consists of the verb root followed by '다'. The '다' means 'to' so '읽다' means 'to read'. In this example '읽' is the verb root. It is from the verb root that the different tenses (past, present, future, etc.) are made.
You can think of Korean grammar as something like algebra. You take the subject, add the subject marker, add an object and its marker, then drop a verb root at the end and combine it with an ending that tells you more about the verb. This verb root and ending together make the sentence form. A common verb ending is the formal (very polite) ending. And once again which formal ending you use depends on whether the verb root ends in a vowel or a consonant. If the root ends on a vowel, you add in 'ㅂ니다' and '습니다' (for declarative sentences) when it ends in a consonant.
Getting confused? Hopefully the next examples will help. Take the dictionary form of the verb '이다' which means 'to be' (it acts as an = sign). You want to say who you are, right? So take your name, and try to say it in Korean syllables. Like my name, Angela, might be written 앤젤라. Use '제' meaning 'I' and the correct subject marker '가'. Take the verb, drop '다' to get the root ('이') and combine the root with 'ㅂ니다' (because the root ends in a vowel) to make '입니다'. Put it all together and you get this:
- 제가 앤젤라 입니다.
- I am Angela.
- (I Angela am.)
- 제가 호주인 입니다.
- I am an Australian.
- (I Australian am.)
Whew! That was a lot packed into one paragraph. If you're a bit confused, slowly reread the paragraph again and carefully study all of the examples on this page. Further lessons will require an understanding of this material.