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Verbs · 하다 word

결정하다 conjugation

to decide · gyeoljeonghada · sounds like [결정하다]

Short answer: “To decide” in Korean is 결정하다 (gyeoljeonghada). Polite present: 결정해요 (gyeoljeonghaeyo); past: 결정했어요 (gyeoljeonghaesseoyo); future: 결정할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

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

결정하다 in sentences

All forms of 결정하다

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.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-아/어요결정해요[결정해요]gyeoljeonghaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다결정합니다[결정함니다]gyeoljeonghamnida
casual-아/어결정해[결정해]gyeoljeonghae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다결정한다[결정한다]gyeoljeonghanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?결정합니까?[결정함니까]gyeoljeonghamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요결정하고 있어요[결정하고 이써요]gyeoljeonghago isseoyo
Past
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-았/었어요결정했어요[결정해써요]gyeoljeonghaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다결정했습니다[결정핻씀니다]gyeoljeonghaetseumnida
casual-았/었어결정했어[결정해써]gyeoljeonghaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다결정했다[결정핻따]gyeoljeonghaetda
Future
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요결정할 거예요[결정할 꺼예요]gyeoljeonghal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다결정할 겁니다[결정할 껌니다]gyeoljeonghal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야결정할 거야[결정할 꺼야]gyeoljeonghal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다결정하겠습니다[결정하겓씀니다]gyeoljeonghagetseumnida
Negative
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
not (short)안 …결정 안 해요[결정 안 해요]gyeoljeong an haeyo
did not안 …았/었어요결정 안 했어요[결정 안 해써요]gyeoljeong an haesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요결정하지 않아요[결정하지 아나요]gyeoljeonghaji anayo
cannot못 …결정 못 해요[결정 모태요]gyeoljeong mot haeyo
Honorific
Add -(으)시- when the subject is someone you respect (a teacher, a customer, an older person) — not yourself.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
honorific — present-(으)세요결정하세요[결정하세요]gyeoljeonghaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요결정하셨어요[결정하셔써요]gyeoljeonghasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다결정하십니다[결정하심니다]gyeoljeonghasimnida
Requests
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
please …-(으)세요결정하세요[결정하세요]gyeoljeonghaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요결정해 주세요[결정해 주세요]gyeoljeonghae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요결정하지 마세요[결정하지 마세요]gyeoljeonghaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다결정합시다[결정합씨다]gyeoljeonghapsida
let’s … (casual)-자결정하자[결정하자]gyeoljeonghaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라결정해라[결정해라]gyeoljeonghaera
Connecting
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
… and-고결정하고[결정하고]gyeoljeonghago
… so / and then-아/어서결정해서[결정해서]gyeoljeonghaeseo
if …-(으)면결정하면[결정하면]gyeoljeonghamyeon
… but-지만결정하지만[결정하지만]gyeoljeonghajiman
because …-(으)니까결정하니까[결정하니까]gyeoljeonghanikka
… and / but (background)-는데결정하는데[결정하는데]gyeoljeonghaneunde
even if …-아/어도결정해도[결정해도]gyeoljeonghaedo
while …-(으)면서결정하면서[결정하면서]gyeoljeonghamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고결정하려고[결정하려고]gyeoljeongharyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러결정하러[결정하러]gyeoljeonghareo
before …-기 전에결정하기 전에[결정하기 저네]gyeoljeonghagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에결정한 후에[결정한 후에]gyeoljeonghan hue
Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
(that) … now-는결정하는[결정하는]gyeoljeonghaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ결정한[결정한]gyeoljeonghan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ결정할[결정할]gyeoljeonghal
Useful patterns
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
I want to …-고 싶어요결정하고 싶어요[결정하고 시퍼요]gyeoljeonghago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요결정할 수 있어요[결정할 쑤 이써요]gyeoljeonghal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요결정할 수 없어요[결정할 쑤 업써요]gyeoljeonghal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요결정해야 해요[결정해야 해요]gyeoljeonghaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요결정해도 돼요[결정해도 돼요]gyeoljeonghaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요결정하면 안 돼요[결정하면 안 돼요]gyeoljeonghamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기결정하기[결정하기]gyeoljeonghagi

How 결정하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 결정해요, 결정했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 결정합니다, 결정하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “decide” in Korean?

“To decide” is 결정하다 (gyeoljeonghada), pronounced [결정하다]. In a sentence: 뭐 먹을지 결정했어요? — Have you decided what to eat?

What is the past tense of 결정하다?

결정했어요 (gyeoljeonghaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 결정하다 (“to decide”). Formal: 결정했습니다; casual: 결정했어.

How do you say 결정하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 결정해요 (gyeoljeonghaeyo). Formal: 결정합니다. Casual, with close friends: 결정해.

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

결정하고 싶어요 (gyeoljeonghago sipeoyo), pronounced [결정하고 시퍼요].

Is 결정하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 결정해요, 결정했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 결정합니다, 결정하면.

More 하다 words like 결정하다

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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