Verbs · Regular

읽다 conjugation

to read · ikda · sounds like [익따]

Short answer: “To read” in Korean is 읽다 (ikda). Polite present: 읽어요 (ilgeoyo); past: 읽었어요 (ilgeosseoyo); future: 읽을 거예요. It is regular.

Present읽어요[일거요] · ilgeoyo
Past읽었어요[일거써요] · ilgeosseoyo
Future읽을 거예요[일글 꺼예요] · ilgeul geoyeyo
Negative안 읽어요[안 일거요] · an ilgeoyo

읽다 in sentences

매일 책을 읽어요.I read a book every day.
이 글자 어떻게 읽어요?How do you read this letter?

All forms of 읽다

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	읽어요	[일거요]	ilgeoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	읽습니다	[익씀니다]	ikseumnida
casual-아/어	읽어	[일거]	ilgeo
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	읽는다	[잉는다]	ingneunda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	읽습니까?	[익씀니까]	ikseumnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	읽고 있어요	[일꼬 이써요]	ilgo isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	읽었어요	[일거써요]	ilgeosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	읽었습니다	[일걷씀니다]	ilgeotseumnida
casual-았/었어	읽었어	[일거써]	ilgeosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	읽었다	[일걷따]	ilgeotda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	읽을 거예요	[일글 꺼예요]	ilgeul geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	읽을 겁니다	[일글 껌니다]	ilgeul geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	읽을 거야	[일글 꺼야]	ilgeul geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	읽겠습니다	[일껟씀니다]	ilgetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 읽어요	[안 일거요]	an ilgeoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 읽었어요	[안 일거써요]	an ilgeosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	읽지 않아요	[익찌 아나요]	ikji anayo
cannot못 …	못 읽어요	[몯 일거요]	mot ilgeoyo

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	읽으세요	[일그세요]	ilgeuseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	읽으셨어요	[일그셔써요]	ilgeusyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	읽으십니다	[일그심니다]	ilgeusimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	읽으세요	[일그세요]	ilgeuseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	읽어 주세요	[일거 주세요]	ilgeo juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	읽지 마세요	[익찌 마세요]	ikji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	읽읍시다	[일급씨다]	ilgeupsida
let’s … (casual)-자	읽자	[익짜]	ikja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	읽어라	[일거라]	ilgeora

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	읽고	[일꼬]	ilgo
… so / and then-아/어서	읽어서	[일거서]	ilgeoseo
if …-(으)면	읽으면	[일그면]	ilgeumyeon
… but-지만	읽지만	[익찌만]	ikjiman
because …-(으)니까	읽으니까	[일그니까]	ilgeunikka
… and / but (background)-는데	읽는데	[잉는데]	ingneunde
even if …-아/어도	읽어도	[일거도]	ilgeodo
while …-(으)면서	읽으면서	[일그면서]	ilgeumyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	읽으려고	[일그려고]	ilgeuryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	읽으러	[일그러]	ilgeureo
before …-기 전에	읽기 전에	[일끼 저네]	ilgi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	읽은 후에	[일근 후에]	ilgeun 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	읽는	[잉는]	ingneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	읽은	[일근]	ilgeun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	읽을	[일글]	ilgeul

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	읽고 싶어요	[일꼬 시퍼요]	ilgo sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	읽을 수 있어요	[일글 쑤 이써요]	ilgeul su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	읽을 수 없어요	[일글 쑤 업써요]	ilgeul su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	읽어야 해요	[일거야 해요]	ilgeoya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	읽어도 돼요	[일거도 돼요]	ilgeodo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	읽으면 안 돼요	[일그면 안 돼요]	ilgeumyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	읽기	[일끼]	ilgi

How 읽다 changes

읽 ends in a consonant, so 아/어 endings are added as they are → 읽어요, and endings written -(으) add 으 → 읽으면, 읽을. 읽다 is regular.

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

Questions

How do you say “read” in Korean?

“To read” is 읽다 (ikda), pronounced [익따]. In a sentence: 매일 책을 읽어요. — I read a book every day.

What is the past tense of 읽다?

읽었어요 (ilgeosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 읽다 (“to read”). Formal: 읽었습니다; casual: 읽었어.

How do you say 읽다 politely?

Everyday polite: 읽어요 (ilgeoyo). Formal: 읽습니다. Casual, with close friends: 읽어.

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

읽고 싶어요 (ilgo sipeoyo), pronounced [일꼬 시퍼요].

Is 읽다 irregular?

No. 읽 ends in a consonant, so 아/어 endings are added as they are → 읽어요, and endings written -(으) add 으 → 읽으면, 읽을. 읽다 is regular.

More regular words like 읽다

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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