KoreanSum

Verbs · ㅅ irregular

잇다 conjugation

to connect; to join · itda · sounds like [읻따]

Short answer: “To connect” in Korean is 잇다 (itda), which also means to join. Polite present: 이어요 (ieoyo); past: 이었어요 (ieosseoyo); future: 이을 거예요. It is a ㅅ irregular verb.

잇다 in sentences

All forms of 잇다

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/어요이어요[이어요]ieoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다잇습니다[읻씀니다]itseumnida
casual-아/어이어[이어]ieo
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다잇는다[인는다]inneunda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?잇습니까?[읻씀니까]itseumnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요잇고 있어요[읻꼬 이써요]itgo isseoyo
Past
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-았/었어요이었어요[이어써요]ieosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다이었습니다[이얻씀니다]ieotseumnida
casual-았/었어이었어[이어써]ieosseo
plain (written)-았/었다이었다[이얻따]ieotda
Future
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요이을 거예요[이을 꺼예요]ieul geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다이을 겁니다[이을 껌니다]ieul geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야이을 거야[이을 꺼야]ieul geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다잇겠습니다[읻껟씀니다]itgetseumnida
Negative
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
not (short)안 …안 이어요[안 이어요]an ieoyo
did not안 …았/었어요안 이었어요[안 이어써요]an ieosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요잇지 않아요[읻찌 아나요]itji anayo
cannot못 …못 이어요[몯 이어요]mot ieoyo
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)세요이으세요[이으세요]ieuseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요이으셨어요[이으셔써요]ieusyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다이으십니다[이으심니다]ieusimnida
Requests
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
please …-(으)세요이으세요[이으세요]ieuseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요이어 주세요[이어 주세요]ieo juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요잇지 마세요[읻찌 마세요]itji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다이읍시다[이읍씨다]ieupsida
let’s … (casual)-자잇자[읻짜]itja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라이어라[이어라]ieora
Connecting
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
… and-고잇고[읻꼬]itgo
… so / and then-아/어서이어서[이어서]ieoseo
if …-(으)면이으면[이으면]ieumyeon
… but-지만잇지만[읻찌만]itjiman
because …-(으)니까이으니까[이으니까]ieunikka
… and / but (background)-는데잇는데[인는데]inneunde
even if …-아/어도이어도[이어도]ieodo
while …-(으)면서이으면서[이으면서]ieumyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고이으려고[이으려고]ieuryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러이으러[이으러]ieureo
before …-기 전에잇기 전에[읻끼 저네]itgi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에이은 후에[이은 후에]ieun hue
Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
(that) … now-는잇는[인는]inneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ이은[이은]ieun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ이을[이을]ieul
Useful patterns
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
I want to …-고 싶어요잇고 싶어요[읻꼬 시퍼요]itgo sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요이을 수 있어요[이을 쑤 이써요]ieul su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요이을 수 없어요[이을 쑤 업써요]ieul su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요이어야 해요[이어야 해요]ieoya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요이어도 돼요[이어도 돼요]ieodo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요이으면 안 돼요[이으면 안 돼요]ieumyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기잇기[읻끼]itgi

How 잇다 changes

ㅅ irregular: before a vowel, ㅅ drops — and the vowels do not merge → 이어요, 이으면. Before a consonant ㅅ stays: 잇습니다, 잇고. Regular ㅅ verbs such as 씻다 (씻어요) and 웃다 (웃어요) keep it.

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

Questions

How do you say “connect” in Korean?

“To connect” is 잇다 (itda), pronounced [읻따]. In a sentence: 두 줄을 이어 주세요. — Please connect the two lines.

What is the past tense of 잇다?

이었어요 (ieosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 잇다 (“to connect”). Formal: 이었습니다; casual: 이었어.

How do you say 잇다 politely?

Everyday polite: 이어요 (ieoyo). Formal: 잇습니다. Casual, with close friends: 이어.

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

잇고 싶어요 (itgo sipeoyo), pronounced [읻꼬 시퍼요].

Is 잇다 irregular?

Yes — ㅅ irregular: before a vowel, ㅅ drops — and the vowels do not merge → 이어요, 이으면. Before a consonant ㅅ stays: 잇습니다, 잇고. Regular ㅅ verbs such as 씻다 (씻어요) and 웃다 (웃어요) keep it.

More ㅅ irregular words like 잇다

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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