KoreanSum

Verbs · 하다 word

하다 conjugation

to do · hada · sounds like [하다]

Short answer: “To do” in Korean is 하다 (hada). Polite present: 해요 (haeyo); past: 했어요 (haesseoyo); future: 할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

하다 in sentences

All forms of 하다

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/어요해요[해요]haeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다합니다[함니다]hamnida
casual-아/어해[해]hae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다한다[한다]handa
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?합니까?[함니까]hamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요하고 있어요[하고 이써요]hago isseoyo
Past
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-았/었어요했어요[해써요]haesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다했습니다[핻씀니다]haetseumnida
casual-았/었어했어[해써]haesseo
plain (written)-았/었다했다[핻따]haetda
Future
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요할 거예요[할 꺼예요]hal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다할 겁니다[할 껌니다]hal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야할 거야[할 꺼야]hal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다하겠습니다[하겓씀니다]hagetseumnida
Negative
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
not (short)안 …안 해요[안 해요]an haeyo
did not안 …았/었어요안 했어요[안 해써요]an haesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요하지 않아요[하지 아나요]haji anayo
cannot못 …못 해요[모태요]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)세요하세요[하세요]haseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요하셨어요[하셔써요]hasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다하십니다[하심니다]hasimnida
Requests
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
please …-(으)세요하세요[하세요]haseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요해 주세요[해 주세요]hae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요하지 마세요[하지 마세요]haji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다합시다[합씨다]hapsida
let’s … (casual)-자하자[하자]haja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라해라[해라]haera
Connecting
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
… and-고하고[하고]hago
… so / and then-아/어서해서[해서]haeseo
if …-(으)면하면[하면]hamyeon
… but-지만하지만[하지만]hajiman
because …-(으)니까하니까[하니까]hanikka
… and / but (background)-는데하는데[하는데]haneunde
even if …-아/어도해도[해도]haedo
while …-(으)면서하면서[하면서]hamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고하려고[하려고]haryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러하러[하러]hareo
before …-기 전에하기 전에[하기 저네]hagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에한 후에[한 후에]han hue
Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
(that) … now-는하는[하는]haneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ한[한]han
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ할[할]hal
Useful patterns
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
I want to …-고 싶어요하고 싶어요[하고 시퍼요]hago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요할 수 있어요[할 쑤 이써요]hal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요할 수 없어요[할 쑤 업써요]hal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요해야 해요[해야 해요]haeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요해도 돼요[해도 돼요]haedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요하면 안 돼요[하면 안 돼요]hamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기하기[하기]hagi

How 하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 해요, 했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 합니다, 하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “do” in Korean?

“To do” is 하다 (hada), pronounced [하다]. In a sentence: 주말에 뭐 해요? — What do you do at the weekend?

What is the past tense of 하다?

했어요 (haesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 하다 (“to do”). Formal: 했습니다; casual: 했어.

How do you say 하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 해요 (haeyo). Formal: 합니다. Casual, with close friends: 해.

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

하고 싶어요 (hago sipeoyo), pronounced [하고 시퍼요].

Is 하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 해요, 했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 합니다, 하면.

More 하다 words like 하다

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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