달다 conjugation

to be sweet · dalda · sounds like [달다]

Short answer: “Sweet” in Korean is 달다 (dalda). Polite present: 달아요 (darayo); past: 달았어요 (darasseoyo); future: 달 거예요. It is regular, but its ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ.

Present달아요[다라요] · darayo
Past달았어요[다라써요] · darasseoyo
Future달 거예요[달 꺼예요] · dal geoyeyo
Negative안 달아요[안 다라요] · an darayo

달다 in sentences

이 케이크는 너무 달아요.This cake is too sweet.
단 음식을 좋아해요.I like sweet food.

All forms of 달다

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.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-아/어요	달아요	[다라요]	darayo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	답니다	[담니다]	damnida
casual-아/어	달아	[다라]	dara
plain (written)-다	달다	[달다]	dalda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	답니까?	[담니까]	damnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	달았어요	[다라써요]	darasseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	달았습니다	[다랃씀니다]	daratseumnida
casual-았/었어	달았어	[다라써]	darasseo
plain (written)-았/었다	달았다	[다랃따]	daratda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will probably be-(으)ㄹ 거예요	달 거예요	[달 꺼예요]	dal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	달 겁니다	[달 껌니다]	dal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	달 거야	[달 꺼야]	dal geoya

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 달아요	[안 다라요]	an darayo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 달았어요	[안 다라써요]	an darasseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	달지 않아요	[달지 아나요]	dalji anayo

Honorific
Add -(으)시- when the subject is someone you respect (a teacher, a customer, an older person) — not yourself.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
honorific — present-(으)세요	다세요	[다세요]	daseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	다셨어요	[다셔써요]	dasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	다십니다	[다심니다]	dasimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	달고	[달고]	dalgo
… so / and then-아/어서	달아서	[다라서]	daraseo
if …-(으)면	달면	[달면]	dalmyeon
… but-지만	달지만	[달지만]	daljiman
because …-(으)니까	다니까	[다니까]	danikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	단데	[단데]	dande
even if …-아/어도	달아도	[다라도]	darado
while …-(으)면서	달면서	[달면서]	dalmyeonseo

Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
(that is) …-(으)ㄴ	단	[단]	dan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	달	[달]	dal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	달 수 있어요	[달 쑤 이써요]	dal su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	달 수 없어요	[달 쑤 업써요]	dal su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	달아야 해요	[다라야 해요]	daraya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	달아도 돼요	[다라도 돼요]	darado dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	달게	[달게]	dalge
becomes …-아/어지다	달아져요	[다라저요]	darajeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	달기	[달기]	dalgi

How 달다 changes

달다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 단, 답니다, 다세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 달면, 달. Everything else is regular: 달아요. (Grammar books count this as regular, but it trips up learners.)

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

Questions

How do you say “sweet” in Korean?

“Sweet” is 달다 (dalda), pronounced [달다]. In a sentence: 이 케이크는 너무 달아요. — This cake is too sweet.

What is the past tense of 달다?

달았어요 (darasseoyo) is the polite past tense of 달다 (“to be sweet”). Formal: 달았습니다; casual: 달았어.

How do you say 달다 politely?

Everyday polite: 달아요 (darayo). Formal: 답니다. Casual, with close friends: 달아.

How do you say “not sweet” in Korean?

안 달아요 or 달지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 달다 irregular?

No. 달다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 단, 답니다, 다세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 달면, 달. Everything else is regular: 달아요. (Grammar books count this as regular, but it trips up learners.)

More ㄹ-stem words like 달다

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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