Language Trip

Conjugation › Korean › Ida

Korean · Verb Tables · Advanced

Ida Conjugation

이다 (ida) means "to be" in Korean. Present, plain informal (반말): 나/저 / 너/당신 / 그/그녀 / 우리/저희 / 너희/당신들 / 그들 (na/jeo / neo/dangsin / geu/geunyeo / uri/jeohui / neohui/dangsindeul / geudeul) 이야 (iya). Below: all 38 tenses we teach, with examples.

Present, plain informal (반말) 반말 현재형

Verb stem + -아/어, chosen by the last vowel of the stem (아 after ㅏ/ㅗ, 어 otherwise); used with close friends, younger people, or talking to oneself.

Present, informal polite (해요체) 해요체 현재형

Plain informal form + 요; the default everyday polite style used with strangers, colleagues, and people who aren't close friends.

Present, formal polite (합쇼체) 합쇼체 현재형

Consonant stem + -습니다, vowel stem + -뭐니다; used in formal, public, or hierarchical settings (news, presentations, the military, customer service).

Present, plain written (해라체) 해라체 현재형

Consonant stem + -는다, vowel stem + -는다/다; the narrative style of novels, newspapers, essays and diaries — never spoken to a real addressee.

Past, informal polite 해요체 과거형

Stem + -았/었- (by vowel harmony) + -어요; the everyday past tense.

Past, formal polite 합쇼체 과거형

Stem + -았/었- + -습니다.

Future / prospective, informal polite (-겠-) 미래·추측형

Stem + -겠- + -어요; a firm intention, a prediction, or a polite guess about the present, depending on context.

Future, prospective (-(으)ㄹ 것이다) -(으)ㄹ 것이다

Adnominal future -(으)ㄹ + 것이다/것이에요; the more neutral, textbook future, stating a plan or a confident prediction.

Past presumptive (-았/었겠-) 과거 추측형

Past marker + -겠- + -어요; a guess about a completed past event ("must have done").

Question, informal polite 해요체 의문형

Same ending as the statement, -아/어요, marked by rising intonation and a question mark in writing.

Question, formal polite 합쇼체 의문형

Consonant stem + -습니까?, vowel stem + -뭐니까?; formal spoken questions.

Question, plain (반말) 반말 의문형

Stem + -니?/-냐?; used with close friends, children, or younger people.

Question, plain written (해라체) 해라체 의문형

Action-verb stem + -느냐?; used in narration and quoted questions in writing.

Coordinate "-고" (and) -고

Stem + -고; joins two clauses with no time relation implied ("does X and Y").

Sequential "-아서/어서" (and then / because) -아서/어서

Stem + -아서/어서; the first clause leads into or causes the second; cannot itself carry a past-tense marker.

Reason "-(으)니까" -(으)니까

Stem + -(으)니까; states a reason the speaker treats as obvious, often followed by a command or suggestion.

Contrast "-지만" (but) -지만

Stem + -지만; contrasts two clauses.

Background/contrast "-는데" -는데

Action-verb stem + -는데; sets up background information or a soft contrast before the main point.

Simultaneous "-면서" (while) -면서

Stem + -면서; two actions by the same subject happening at once.

Conditional "-(으)면" (if / when) -(으)면

Stem + -(으)면; the general conditional/temporal "if" or "when", covering both real and hypothetical conditions.

Counterfactual conditional "-았/었으면" -았/었으면

Past marker + -으면; a hypothetical or counterfactual condition contrary to fact ("if I had..."), often paired with -았/었을 텐데.

Literary conditional "-더라면" -더라면

Past retrospective -더- + -라면; a literary/formal counterfactual, more common in writing than speech.

Wish "-았/었으면 좋겠다" -았/었으면 좋겠다

Past marker + -으면 좋겠다; "I wish...", the standard way to state a wish or hope.

Doubt/possibility "-(으)ㄹ지도 모르다" -(으)ㄹ지도 모르다

Adnominal future -(으)ㄹ + 지도 모르다; "might, may" — a weak guess the speaker isn't sure about.

Inference/appearance "-는 것 같다" -는 것 같다

Present adnominal -는 (past -(으)니, future -(으)ㄹ) + 것 같다; "it seems/looks like" — a softened guess based on evidence, extremely common in everyday speech.

Retrospective evidential "-더라" -더라

Stem + -더라 (polite -더라고요); reports something the speaker personally witnessed or noticed in the past, with a fresh, recollected feel.

Inferential evidential "-나 보다" -나 보다

Verb stem + -나 보다 (adjectives: -(으)니가 보다); a conclusion drawn indirectly from evidence rather than witnessed directly.

Reported speech "-다고 하다" -다고 하다

Plain statement form + 고 하다 (declarative -다고, question -냐고, command -라고, suggestion -자고); Korean's equivalent of indirect/reported speech.

Unrealized expectation "-(으)ㄹ 텐데" -(으)ㄹ 텐데

Adnominal future -(으)ㄹ + 텐데; states a strong expectation, often contrasted with what actually happens.

Subject honorific, present statement (formal polite) -(으)시- + 합쇼체

Stem + -(으)시- + -뭐니다/습니다; the formal honorific present, used about a boss, teacher, or elder. 먹다's honorific is the suppletive verb 드시다, not 먹+으시-.

Subject honorific, past -(으)셔습니다

Stem + -(으)시- + -었- + -습니다; the honorific past.

Suppletive honorific verbs 특별존대어

A handful of extremely common verbs replace the plain root entirely instead of adding -시-: 먹다/마시다 → 드시다/잡수시다 (eat/drink), 있다 → 계시다 (be, for location), 자다 → 주무시다 (sleep), 죽다 → 돌아가시다 (die), 말하다 → 말씀하시다 (say); these must be memorized individually and don't apply to 가다 or 공부하다.

Humble/self-lowering forms 겸양어

A few verbs have humble equivalents used for the speaker's own action toward a superior: 주다 → 드리다 (give, to a superior), 묻다 → 여천다 (ask), 만나다 → 뿤다 (meet). Elsewhere, humility is shown through vocabulary choice and the addressee speech level rather than a general verb ending, so it doesn't apply to 먹다, 가다 or 공부하다.

Nominalizer "-기" -기

Stem + -기; turns the verb into an abstract noun, often the object of 좋아하다, 시작하다, 쉽다 ("the act of doing").

Nominalizer "-(으)ㅁ" -(으)ㅁ

Stem + -(으)ㅁ; a more formal, fact-like nominalization used in writing, notices and academic style.

Adnominal, past "-(으)니" -(으)니

Stem + -(으)니; "[the thing] that did".

Adnominal, future/prospective "-(으)ㄹ" -(으)ㄹ

Stem + -(으)ㄹ; "[the thing] that will do" or a hypothetical modifier.

Adnominal, past habitual/retrospective "-던" -던

Stem + -던; a modifier recalling a past action that was ongoing, habitual, or left unfinished, with a nostalgic or unresolved nuance.

Examples

Learn Korean Free

Practice Ida and every other verb with flashcards and verb drills in the Language Trip app and website. Free, no account needed, no ads.

All Korean verb tables · Basic Korean phrases