Verbs · Regular

지다 conjugation

to lose (a game) · jida · sounds like [지다]

Short answer: “To lose (a game)” in Korean is 지다 (jida). Polite present: 져요 (jeoyo); past: 졌어요 (jeosseoyo); future: 질 거예요. It is regular.

Present져요[저요] · jeoyo
Past졌어요[저써요] · jeosseoyo
Future질 거예요[질 꺼예요] · jil geoyeyo
Negative안 져요[안 저요] · an jeoyo

Opposite: 이기다 — to win

지다 in sentences

어제 경기에서 졌어요.We lost the game yesterday.
이번에는 지면 안 돼요.We can’t lose this time.

All forms of 지다

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	져요	[저요]	jeoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	집니다	[짐니다]	jimnida
casual-아/어	져	[저]	jeo
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	진다	[진다]	jinda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	집니까?	[짐니까]	jimnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	지고 있어요	[지고 이써요]	jigo isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	졌어요	[저써요]	jeosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	졌습니다	[젇씀니다]	jeotseumnida
casual-았/었어	졌어	[저써]	jeosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	졌다	[젇따]	jeotda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	질 거예요	[질 꺼예요]	jil geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	질 겁니다	[질 껌니다]	jil geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	질 거야	[질 꺼야]	jil geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	지겠습니다	[지겓씀니다]	jigetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 져요	[안 저요]	an jeoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 졌어요	[안 저써요]	an jeosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	지지 않아요	[지지 아나요]	jiji anayo
cannot못 …	못 져요	[몯 쩌요]	mot jeoyo

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	지세요	[지세요]	jiseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	지셨어요	[지셔써요]	jisyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	지십니다	[지심니다]	jisimnida

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	지고	[지고]	jigo
… so / and then-아/어서	져서	[저서]	jeoseo
if …-(으)면	지면	[지면]	jimyeon
… but-지만	지지만	[지지만]	jijiman
because …-(으)니까	지니까	[지니까]	jinikka
… and / but (background)-는데	지는데	[지는데]	jineunde
even if …-아/어도	져도	[저도]	jeodo
while …-(으)면서	지면서	[지면서]	jimyeonseo
before …-기 전에	지기 전에	[지기 저네]	jigi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	진 후에	[진 후에]	jin 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	지는	[지는]	jineun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	진	[진]	jin
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	질	[질]	jil

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	지고 싶어요	[지고 시퍼요]	jigo sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	질 수 있어요	[질 쑤 이써요]	jil su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	질 수 없어요	[질 쑤 업써요]	jil su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	져야 해요	[저야 해요]	jeoya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	져도 돼요	[저도 돼요]	jeodo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	지면 안 돼요	[지면 안 돼요]	jimyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	지기	[지기]	jigi

How 지다 changes

지 ends in a vowel, so 지 + 아/어 becomes 져 → 져요, 졌어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 지면, 질. 지다 is regular.

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

Questions

How do you say “lose” in Korean?

“To lose (a game)” is 지다 (jida), pronounced [지다]. In a sentence: 어제 경기에서 졌어요. — We lost the game yesterday.

What is the past tense of 지다?

졌어요 (jeosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 지다 (“to lose (a game)”). Formal: 졌습니다; casual: 졌어.

How do you say 지다 politely?

Everyday polite: 져요 (jeoyo). Formal: 집니다. Casual, with close friends: 져.

Is 지다 irregular?

No. 지 ends in a vowel, so 지 + 아/어 becomes 져 → 져요, 졌어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 지면, 질. 지다 is regular.

More regular words like 지다

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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