KoreanSum

Verbs · Regular

배우다 conjugation

to learn · baeuda · sounds like [배우다]

Short answer: “To learn” in Korean is 배우다 (baeuda). Polite present: 배워요 (baewoyo); past: 배웠어요 (baewosseoyo); future: 배울 거예요. It is regular.

배우다 in sentences

All forms of 배우다

Present
Polite (해요) is the everyday safe choice; formal (합니다) is for news, announcements and work; casual (반말) is for close friends and younger people.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-아/어요배워요[배워요]baewoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다배웁니다[배움니다]baeumnida
casual-아/어배워[배워]baewo
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다배운다[배운다]baeunda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?배웁니까?[배움니까]baeumnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요배우고 있어요[배우고 이써요]baeugo isseoyo
Past
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-았/었어요배웠어요[배워써요]baewosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다배웠습니다[배웓씀니다]baewotseumnida
casual-았/었어배웠어[배워써]baewosseo
plain (written)-았/었다배웠다[배웓따]baewotda
Future
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요배울 거예요[배울 꺼예요]baeul geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다배울 겁니다[배울 껌니다]baeul geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야배울 거야[배울 꺼야]baeul geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다배우겠습니다[배우겓씀니다]baeugetseumnida
Negative
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
not (short)안 …안 배워요[안 배워요]an baewoyo
did not안 …았/었어요안 배웠어요[안 배워써요]an baewosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요배우지 않아요[배우지 아나요]baeuji anayo
cannot못 …못 배워요[몯 빼워요]mot baewoyo
Honorific
Add -(으)시- when the subject is someone you respect (a teacher, a customer, an older person) — not yourself.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
honorific — present-(으)세요배우세요[배우세요]baeuseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요배우셨어요[배우셔써요]baeusyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다배우십니다[배우심니다]baeusimnida
Requests
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
please …-(으)세요배우세요[배우세요]baeuseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요배워 주세요[배워 주세요]baewo juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요배우지 마세요[배우지 마세요]baeuji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다배웁시다[배웁씨다]baeupsida
let’s … (casual)-자배우자[배우자]baeuja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라배워라[배워라]baewora
Connecting
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
… and-고배우고[배우고]baeugo
… so / and then-아/어서배워서[배워서]baewoseo
if …-(으)면배우면[배우면]baeumyeon
… but-지만배우지만[배우지만]baeujiman
because …-(으)니까배우니까[배우니까]baeunikka
… and / but (background)-는데배우는데[배우는데]baeuneunde
even if …-아/어도배워도[배워도]baewodo
while …-(으)면서배우면서[배우면서]baeumyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고배우려고[배우려고]baeuryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러배우러[배우러]baeureo
before …-기 전에배우기 전에[배우기 저네]baeugi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에배운 후에[배운 후에]baeun hue
Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
(that) … now-는배우는[배우는]baeuneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ배운[배운]baeun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ배울[배울]baeul
Useful patterns
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
I want to …-고 싶어요배우고 싶어요[배우고 시퍼요]baeugo sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요배울 수 있어요[배울 쑤 이써요]baeul su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요배울 수 없어요[배울 쑤 업써요]baeul su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요배워야 해요[배워야 해요]baewoya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요배워도 돼요[배워도 돼요]baewodo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요배우면 안 돼요[배우면 안 돼요]baeumyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기배우기[배우기]baeugi

How 배우다 changes

배우 ends in a vowel, so 배우 + 아/어 becomes 배워 → 배워요, 배웠어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 배우면, 배울. 배우다 is regular.

How every verb type works → · Why it sounds like that →

Questions

How do you say “learn” in Korean?

“To learn” is 배우다 (baeuda), pronounced [배우다]. In a sentence: 요즘 한국어를 배워요. — I’m learning Korean these days.

What is the past tense of 배우다?

배웠어요 (baewosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 배우다 (“to learn”). Formal: 배웠습니다; casual: 배웠어.

How do you say 배우다 politely?

Everyday polite: 배워요 (baewoyo). Formal: 배웁니다. Casual, with close friends: 배워.

How do you say “I want to learn” in Korean?

배우고 싶어요 (baeugo sipeoyo), pronounced [배우고 시퍼요].

Is 배우다 irregular?

No. 배우 ends in a vowel, so 배우 + 아/어 becomes 배워 → 배워요, 배웠어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 배우면, 배울. 배우다 is regular.

More regular words like 배우다

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Forms follow 한글 맞춤법 (Korean spelling rules); pronunciation follows 표준 발음법 and romanization follows 국어의 로마자 표기법 (Revised Romanization). Last updated October 16, 2026. How we check