Verbs · 하다 word

걱정하다 conjugation

to worry · geokjeonghada · sounds like [걱쩡하다]

Short answer: “To worry” in Korean is 걱정하다 (geokjeonghada). Polite present: 걱정해요 (geokjeonghaeyo); past: 걱정했어요 (geokjeonghaesseoyo); future: 걱정할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present걱정해요[걱쩡해요] · geokjeonghaeyo
Past걱정했어요[걱쩡해써요] · geokjeonghaesseoyo
Future걱정할 거예요[걱쩡할 꺼예요] · geokjeonghal geoyeyo
Negative걱정 안 해요[걱쩡 안 해요] · geokjeong an haeyo

Note: with noun + 하다 verbs, 안 and 못 go before 하다 — 걱정 안 해요, not 안 걱정해요.

걱정하다 in sentences

걱정하지 마세요.Don’t worry.
시험 때문에 걱정했어요.I was worried about the exam.

All forms of 걱정하다

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	걱정해요	[걱쩡해요]	geokjeonghaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	걱정합니다	[걱쩡함니다]	geokjeonghamnida
casual-아/어	걱정해	[걱쩡해]	geokjeonghae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	걱정한다	[걱쩡한다]	geokjeonghanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	걱정합니까?	[걱쩡함니까]	geokjeonghamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	걱정하고 있어요	[걱쩡하고 이써요]	geokjeonghago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	걱정했어요	[걱쩡해써요]	geokjeonghaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	걱정했습니다	[걱쩡핻씀니다]	geokjeonghaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	걱정했어	[걱쩡해써]	geokjeonghaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	걱정했다	[걱쩡핻따]	geokjeonghaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	걱정할 거예요	[걱쩡할 꺼예요]	geokjeonghal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	걱정할 겁니다	[걱쩡할 껌니다]	geokjeonghal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	걱정할 거야	[걱쩡할 꺼야]	geokjeonghal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	걱정하겠습니다	[걱쩡하겓씀니다]	geokjeonghagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	걱정 안 해요	[걱쩡 안 해요]	geokjeong an haeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	걱정 안 했어요	[걱쩡 안 해써요]	geokjeong an haesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	걱정하지 않아요	[걱쩡하지 아나요]	geokjeonghaji anayo
cannot못 …	걱정 못 해요	[걱쩡 모태요]	geokjeong mot haeyo

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	걱정하세요	[걱쩡하세요]	geokjeonghaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	걱정하셨어요	[걱쩡하셔써요]	geokjeonghasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	걱정하십니다	[걱쩡하심니다]	geokjeonghasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	걱정하세요	[걱쩡하세요]	geokjeonghaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	걱정해 주세요	[걱쩡해 주세요]	geokjeonghae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	걱정하지 마세요	[걱쩡하지 마세요]	geokjeonghaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	걱정합시다	[걱쩡합씨다]	geokjeonghapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	걱정하자	[걱쩡하자]	geokjeonghaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	걱정해라	[걱쩡해라]	geokjeonghaera

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	걱정하고	[걱쩡하고]	geokjeonghago
… so / and then-아/어서	걱정해서	[걱쩡해서]	geokjeonghaeseo
if …-(으)면	걱정하면	[걱쩡하면]	geokjeonghamyeon
… but-지만	걱정하지만	[걱쩡하지만]	geokjeonghajiman
because …-(으)니까	걱정하니까	[걱쩡하니까]	geokjeonghanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	걱정하는데	[걱쩡하는데]	geokjeonghaneunde
even if …-아/어도	걱정해도	[걱쩡해도]	geokjeonghaedo
while …-(으)면서	걱정하면서	[걱쩡하면서]	geokjeonghamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	걱정하려고	[걱쩡하려고]	geokjeongharyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	걱정하러	[걱쩡하러]	geokjeonghareo
before …-기 전에	걱정하기 전에	[걱쩡하기 저네]	geokjeonghagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	걱정한 후에	[걱쩡한 후에]	geokjeonghan 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	걱정하는	[걱쩡하는]	geokjeonghaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	걱정한	[걱쩡한]	geokjeonghan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	걱정할	[걱쩡할]	geokjeonghal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	걱정하고 싶어요	[걱쩡하고 시퍼요]	geokjeonghago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	걱정할 수 있어요	[걱쩡할 쑤 이써요]	geokjeonghal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	걱정할 수 없어요	[걱쩡할 쑤 업써요]	geokjeonghal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	걱정해야 해요	[걱쩡해야 해요]	geokjeonghaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	걱정해도 돼요	[걱쩡해도 돼요]	geokjeonghaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	걱정하면 안 돼요	[걱쩡하면 안 돼요]	geokjeonghamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	걱정하기	[걱쩡하기]	geokjeonghagi

How 걱정하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 걱정해요, 걱정했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 걱정합니다, 걱정하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “worry” in Korean?

“To worry” is 걱정하다 (geokjeonghada), pronounced [걱쩡하다]. In a sentence: 걱정하지 마세요. — Don’t worry.

What is the past tense of 걱정하다?

걱정했어요 (geokjeonghaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 걱정하다 (“to worry”). Formal: 걱정했습니다; casual: 걱정했어.

How do you say 걱정하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 걱정해요 (geokjeonghaeyo). Formal: 걱정합니다. Casual, with close friends: 걱정해.

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

걱정하고 싶어요 (geokjeonghago sipeoyo), pronounced [걱쩡하고 시퍼요].

Is 걱정하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 걱정해요, 걱정했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 걱정합니다, 걱정하면.

More 하다 words like 걱정하다

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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