Adjectives · 하다 word

간단하다 conjugation

to be simple · gandanhada · sounds like [간단하다]

Short answer: “Simple” in Korean is 간단하다 (gandanhada). Polite present: 간단해요 (gandanhaeyo); past: 간단했어요 (gandanhaesseoyo); future: 간단할 거예요. It is a 하다 adjective: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present간단해요[간단해요] · gandanhaeyo
Past간단했어요[간단해써요] · gandanhaesseoyo
Future간단할 거예요[간단할 꺼예요] · gandanhal geoyeyo
Negative안 간단해요[안 간단해요] · an gandanhaeyo

Opposite: 복잡하다 — to be complicated

간단하다 in sentences

방법이 간단해요.The method is simple.
간단한 질문이 있어요.I have a simple question.

All forms of 간단하다

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	간단해요	[간단해요]	gandanhaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	간단합니다	[간단함니다]	gandanhamnida
casual-아/어	간단해	[간단해]	gandanhae
plain (written)-다	간단하다	[간단하다]	gandanhada
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	간단합니까?	[간단함니까]	gandanhamnikka?

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	간단했어요	[간단해써요]	gandanhaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	간단했습니다	[간단핻씀니다]	gandanhaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	간단했어	[간단해써]	gandanhaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	간단했다	[간단핻따]	gandanhaetda

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

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 간단해요	[안 간단해요]	an gandanhaeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 간단했어요	[안 간단해써요]	an gandanhaesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	간단하지 않아요	[간단하지 아나요]	gandanhaji 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	간단하세요	[간단하세요]	gandanhaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	간단하셨어요	[간단하셔써요]	gandanhasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	간단하십니다	[간단하심니다]	gandanhasimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	간단하고	[간단하고]	gandanhago
… so / and then-아/어서	간단해서	[간단해서]	gandanhaeseo
if …-(으)면	간단하면	[간단하면]	gandanhamyeon
… but-지만	간단하지만	[간단하지만]	gandanhajiman
because …-(으)니까	간단하니까	[간단하니까]	gandanhanikka
… and / but (background)-(으)ㄴ데	간단한데	[간단한데]	gandanhande
even if …-아/어도	간단해도	[간단해도]	gandanhaedo
while …-(으)면서	간단하면서	[간단하면서]	gandanhamyeonseo

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	간단한	[간단한]	gandanhan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	간단할	[간단할]	gandanhal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
can be …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	간단할 수 있어요	[간단할 쑤 이써요]	gandanhal su isseoyo
cannot be …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	간단할 수 없어요	[간단할 쑤 업써요]	gandanhal su eopseoyo
have to be …-아/어야 해요	간단해야 해요	[간단해야 해요]	gandanhaeya haeyo
it’s OK if it’s …-아/어도 돼요	간단해도 돼요	[간단해도 돼요]	gandanhaedo dwaeyo
…ly (adverb)-게	간단하게	[간단하게]	gandanhage
becomes …-아/어지다	간단해져요	[간단해저요]	gandanhaejeoyo
…ing (noun)-기	간단하기	[간단하기]	gandanhagi

How 간단하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 간단해요, 간단했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 간단합니다, 간단하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “simple” in Korean?

“Simple” is 간단하다 (gandanhada), pronounced [간단하다]. In a sentence: 방법이 간단해요. — The method is simple.

What is the past tense of 간단하다?

간단했어요 (gandanhaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 간단하다 (“to be simple”). Formal: 간단했습니다; casual: 간단했어.

How do you say 간단하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 간단해요 (gandanhaeyo). Formal: 간단합니다. Casual, with close friends: 간단해.

How do you say “not simple” in Korean?

안 간단해요 or 간단하지 않아요. Both mean the same; the first is more common in speech.

Is 간단하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 간단해요, 간단했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 간단합니다, 간단하면.

More 하다 words like 간단하다

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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