Verbs · ㄹ stem
걸다 conjugation
to hang; to make (a phone call) · geolda · sounds like [걸다]
Short answer: “To hang” in Korean is 걸다 (geolda), which also means to make (a phone call). Polite present: 걸어요 (georeoyo); past: 걸었어요 (georeosseoyo); future: 걸 거예요. It is regular, but its ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ.
- Present걸어요[거러요] · georeoyo
- Past걸었어요[거러써요] · georeosseoyo
- Future걸 거예요[걸 꺼예요] · geol geoyeyo
- Negative안 걸어요[안 거러요] · an georeoyo
걸다 in sentences
- 벽에 그림을 걸었어요.I hung a picture on the wall.
- 전화를 걸 거예요.I’m going to make a call.
All forms of 걸다
| Form | Korean | Sounds like | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| polite-아/어요 | 걸어요 | [거러요] | georeoyo |
| formal-(스)ㅂ니다 | 겁니다 | [검니다] | geomnida |
| casual-아/어 | 걸어 | [거러] | georeo |
| plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다 | 건다 | [건다] | geonda |
| formal question-(스)ㅂ니까? | 겁니까? | [검니까] | geomnikka? |
| is …ing (polite)-고 있어요 | 걸고 있어요 | [걸고 이써요] | geolgo isseoyo |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| polite-았/었어요 | 걸었어요 | [거러써요] | georeosseoyo |
| formal-았/었습니다 | 걸었습니다 | [거럳씀니다] | georeotseumnida |
| casual-았/었어 | 걸었어 | [거러써] | georeosseo |
| plain (written)-았/었다 | 걸었다 | [거럳따] | georeotda |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요 | 걸 거예요 | [걸 꺼예요] | geol geoyeyo |
| formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다 | 걸 겁니다 | [걸 껌니다] | geol geomnida |
| casual-(으)ㄹ 거야 | 걸 거야 | [걸 꺼야] | geol geoya |
| formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다 | 걸겠습니다 | [걸겓씀니다] | geolgetseumnida |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| not (short)안 … | 안 걸어요 | [안 거러요] | an georeoyo |
| did not안 …았/었어요 | 안 걸었어요 | [안 거러써요] | an georeosseoyo |
| not (long)-지 않아요 | 걸지 않아요 | [걸지 아나요] | geolji anayo |
| cannot못 … | 못 걸어요 | [몯 꺼러요] | mot georeoyo |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| honorific — present-(으)세요 | 거세요 | [거세요] | geoseyo |
| honorific — past-(으)셨어요 | 거셨어요 | [거셔써요] | geosyeosseoyo |
| honorific — formal-(으)십니다 | 거십니다 | [거심니다] | geosimnida |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| please …-(으)세요 | 거세요 | [거세요] | geoseyo |
| please … (for me)-아/어 주세요 | 걸어 주세요 | [거러 주세요] | georeo juseyo |
| please don’t …-지 마세요 | 걸지 마세요 | [걸지 마세요] | geolji maseyo |
| let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다 | 겁시다 | [겁씨다] | geopsida |
| let’s … (casual)-자 | 걸자 | [걸자] | geolja |
| do … ! (casual command)-아/어라 | 걸어라 | [거러라] | georeora |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| … and-고 | 걸고 | [걸고] | geolgo |
| … so / and then-아/어서 | 걸어서 | [거러서] | georeoseo |
| if …-(으)면 | 걸면 | [걸면] | geolmyeon |
| … but-지만 | 걸지만 | [걸지만] | geoljiman |
| because …-(으)니까 | 거니까 | [거니까] | geonikka |
| … and / but (background)-는데 | 거는데 | [거는데] | geoneunde |
| even if …-아/어도 | 걸어도 | [거러도] | georeodo |
| while …-(으)면서 | 걸면서 | [걸면서] | geolmyeonseo |
| in order to …-(으)려고 | 걸려고 | [걸려고] | geollyeogo |
| (go) to …-(으)러 | 걸러 | [걸러] | geolleo |
| before …-기 전에 | 걸기 전에 | [걸기 저네] | geolgi jeone |
| after …-(으)ㄴ 후에 | 건 후에 | [건 후에] | geon hue |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| (that) … now-는 | 거는 | [거는] | geoneun |
| (that) …ed-(으)ㄴ | 건 | [건] | geon |
| (that) will …-(으)ㄹ | 걸 | [걸] | geol |
| Form | Korean | Sounds like | Romanized |
|---|---|---|---|
| I want to …-고 싶어요 | 걸고 싶어요 | [걸고 시퍼요] | geolgo sipeoyo |
| can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요 | 걸 수 있어요 | [걸 쑤 이써요] | geol su isseoyo |
| cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요 | 걸 수 없어요 | [걸 쑤 업써요] | geol su eopseoyo |
| have to …-아/어야 해요 | 걸어야 해요 | [거러야 해요] | georeoya haeyo |
| may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요 | 걸어도 돼요 | [거러도 돼요] | georeodo dwaeyo |
| must not …-(으)면 안 돼요 | 걸면 안 돼요 | [걸면 안 돼요] | geolmyeon an dwaeyo |
| …ing (noun)-기 | 걸기 | [걸기] | geolgi |
How 걸다 changes
걸다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 거는, 겁니다, 거세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 걸면, 걸. Everything else is regular: 걸어요. (Grammar books count this as regular, but it trips up learners.)
Questions
How do you say “hang” in Korean?
“To hang” is 걸다 (geolda), pronounced [걸다]. In a sentence: 벽에 그림을 걸었어요. — I hung a picture on the wall.
What is the past tense of 걸다?
걸었어요 (georeosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 걸다 (“to hang”). Formal: 걸었습니다; casual: 걸었어.
How do you say 걸다 politely?
Everyday polite: 걸어요 (georeoyo). Formal: 겁니다. Casual, with close friends: 걸어.
How do you say “I want to hang” in Korean?
걸고 싶어요 (geolgo sipeoyo), pronounced [걸고 시퍼요].
Is 걸다 irregular?
No. 걸다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 거는, 겁니다, 거세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 걸면, 걸. Everything else is regular: 걸어요. (Grammar books count this as regular, but it trips up learners.)
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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