Verbs · Regular

갈아타다 conjugation

to transfer (bus, subway) · garatada · sounds like [가라타다]

Short answer: “To transfer (bus, subway)” in Korean is 갈아타다 (garatada). Polite present: 갈아타요 (garatayo); past: 갈아탔어요 (garatasseoyo); future: 갈아탈 거예요. It is regular.

Present갈아타요[가라타요] · garatayo
Past갈아탔어요[가라타써요] · garatasseoyo
Future갈아탈 거예요[가라탈 꺼예요] · garatal geoyeyo
Negative안 갈아타요[안 가라타요] · an garatayo

갈아타다 in sentences

시청역에서 2호선으로 갈아타세요.Change to Line 2 at City Hall Station.
버스를 두 번 갈아탔어요.I changed buses twice.

All forms of 갈아타다

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	갈아타요	[가라타요]	garatayo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	갈아탑니다	[가라탐니다]	garatamnida
casual-아/어	갈아타	[가라타]	garata
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	갈아탄다	[가라탄다]	garatanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	갈아탑니까?	[가라탐니까]	garatamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	갈아타고 있어요	[가라타고 이써요]	garatago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	갈아탔어요	[가라타써요]	garatasseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	갈아탔습니다	[가라탇씀니다]	garatatseumnida
casual-았/었어	갈아탔어	[가라타써]	garatasseo
plain (written)-았/었다	갈아탔다	[가라탇따]	garatatda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	갈아탈 거예요	[가라탈 꺼예요]	garatal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	갈아탈 겁니다	[가라탈 껌니다]	garatal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	갈아탈 거야	[가라탈 꺼야]	garatal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	갈아타겠습니다	[가라타겓씀니다]	garatagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 갈아타요	[안 가라타요]	an garatayo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 갈아탔어요	[안 가라타써요]	an garatasseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	갈아타지 않아요	[가라타지 아나요]	garataji anayo
cannot못 …	못 갈아타요	[몯 까라타요]	mot garatayo

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	갈아타세요	[가라타세요]	garataseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	갈아타셨어요	[가라타셔써요]	garatasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	갈아타십니다	[가라타심니다]	garatasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	갈아타세요	[가라타세요]	garataseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	갈아타 주세요	[가라타 주세요]	garata juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	갈아타지 마세요	[가라타지 마세요]	garataji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	갈아탑시다	[가라탑씨다]	garatapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	갈아타자	[가라타자]	garataja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	갈아타라	[가라타라]	garatara

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	갈아타고	[가라타고]	garatago
… so / and then-아/어서	갈아타서	[가라타서]	garataseo
if …-(으)면	갈아타면	[가라타면]	garatamyeon
… but-지만	갈아타지만	[가라타지만]	garatajiman
because …-(으)니까	갈아타니까	[가라타니까]	garatanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	갈아타는데	[가라타는데]	garataneunde
even if …-아/어도	갈아타도	[가라타도]	garatado
while …-(으)면서	갈아타면서	[가라타면서]	garatamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	갈아타려고	[가라타려고]	garataryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	갈아타러	[가라타러]	garatareo
before …-기 전에	갈아타기 전에	[가라타기 저네]	garatagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	갈아탄 후에	[가라탄 후에]	garatan hue

Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
(that) … now-는	갈아타는	[가라타는]	garataneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	갈아탄	[가라탄]	garatan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	갈아탈	[가라탈]	garatal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	갈아타고 싶어요	[가라타고 시퍼요]	garatago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	갈아탈 수 있어요	[가라탈 쑤 이써요]	garatal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	갈아탈 수 없어요	[가라탈 쑤 업써요]	garatal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	갈아타야 해요	[가라타야 해요]	garataya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	갈아타도 돼요	[가라타도 돼요]	garatado dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	갈아타면 안 돼요	[가라타면 안 돼요]	garatamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	갈아타기	[가라타기]	garatagi

How 갈아타다 changes

갈아타 ends in a vowel, so 갈아타 + 아/어 becomes 갈아타 → 갈아타요, 갈아탔어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 갈아타면, 갈아탈. 갈아타다 is regular.

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

Questions

How do you say “transfer” in Korean?

“To transfer (bus, subway)” is 갈아타다 (garatada), pronounced [가라타다]. In a sentence: 시청역에서 2호선으로 갈아타세요. — Change to Line 2 at City Hall Station.

What is the past tense of 갈아타다?

갈아탔어요 (garatasseoyo) is the polite past tense of 갈아타다 (“to transfer (bus, subway)”). Formal: 갈아탔습니다; casual: 갈아탔어.

How do you say 갈아타다 politely?

Everyday polite: 갈아타요 (garatayo). Formal: 갈아탑니다. Casual, with close friends: 갈아타.

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

갈아타고 싶어요 (garatago sipeoyo), pronounced [가라타고 시퍼요].

Is 갈아타다 irregular?

No. 갈아타 ends in a vowel, so 갈아타 + 아/어 becomes 갈아타 → 갈아타요, 갈아탔어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 갈아타면, 갈아탈. 갈아타다 is regular.

More regular words like 갈아타다

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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