Verbs · 하다 word

질문하다 conjugation

to ask a question · jilmunhada · sounds like [질문하다]

Short answer: “To ask a question” in Korean is 질문하다 (jilmunhada). Polite present: 질문해요 (jilmunhaeyo); past: 질문했어요 (jilmunhaesseoyo); future: 질문할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present질문해요[질문해요] · jilmunhaeyo
Past질문했어요[질문해써요] · jilmunhaesseoyo
Future질문할 거예요[질문할 꺼예요] · jilmunhal geoyeyo
Negative질문 안 해요[질문 안 해요] · jilmun an haeyo

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

질문하다 in sentences

질문해도 돼요?May I ask a question?
수업 후에 선생님께 질문했어요.I asked the teacher a question after class.

All forms of 질문하다

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	질문해요	[질문해요]	jilmunhaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	질문합니다	[질문함니다]	jilmunhamnida
casual-아/어	질문해	[질문해]	jilmunhae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	질문한다	[질문한다]	jilmunhanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	질문합니까?	[질문함니까]	jilmunhamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	질문하고 있어요	[질문하고 이써요]	jilmunhago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	질문했어요	[질문해써요]	jilmunhaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	질문했습니다	[질문핻씀니다]	jilmunhaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	질문했어	[질문해써]	jilmunhaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	질문했다	[질문핻따]	jilmunhaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	질문할 거예요	[질문할 꺼예요]	jilmunhal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	질문할 겁니다	[질문할 껌니다]	jilmunhal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	질문할 거야	[질문할 꺼야]	jilmunhal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	질문하겠습니다	[질문하겓씀니다]	jilmunhagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	질문 안 해요	[질문 안 해요]	jilmun an haeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	질문 안 했어요	[질문 안 해써요]	jilmun an haesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	질문하지 않아요	[질문하지 아나요]	jilmunhaji anayo
cannot못 …	질문 못 해요	[질문 모태요]	jilmun mot haeyo

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	질문하세요	[질문하세요]	jilmunhaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	질문하셨어요	[질문하셔써요]	jilmunhasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	질문하십니다	[질문하심니다]	jilmunhasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	질문하세요	[질문하세요]	jilmunhaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	질문해 주세요	[질문해 주세요]	jilmunhae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	질문하지 마세요	[질문하지 마세요]	jilmunhaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	질문합시다	[질문합씨다]	jilmunhapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	질문하자	[질문하자]	jilmunhaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	질문해라	[질문해라]	jilmunhaera

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	질문하고	[질문하고]	jilmunhago
… so / and then-아/어서	질문해서	[질문해서]	jilmunhaeseo
if …-(으)면	질문하면	[질문하면]	jilmunhamyeon
… but-지만	질문하지만	[질문하지만]	jilmunhajiman
because …-(으)니까	질문하니까	[질문하니까]	jilmunhanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	질문하는데	[질문하는데]	jilmunhaneunde
even if …-아/어도	질문해도	[질문해도]	jilmunhaedo
while …-(으)면서	질문하면서	[질문하면서]	jilmunhamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	질문하려고	[질문하려고]	jilmunharyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	질문하러	[질문하러]	jilmunhareo
before …-기 전에	질문하기 전에	[질문하기 저네]	jilmunhagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	질문한 후에	[질문한 후에]	jilmunhan 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	질문하는	[질문하는]	jilmunhaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	질문한	[질문한]	jilmunhan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	질문할	[질문할]	jilmunhal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	질문하고 싶어요	[질문하고 시퍼요]	jilmunhago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	질문할 수 있어요	[질문할 쑤 이써요]	jilmunhal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	질문할 수 없어요	[질문할 쑤 업써요]	jilmunhal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	질문해야 해요	[질문해야 해요]	jilmunhaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	질문해도 돼요	[질문해도 돼요]	jilmunhaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	질문하면 안 돼요	[질문하면 안 돼요]	jilmunhamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	질문하기	[질문하기]	jilmunhagi

How 질문하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 질문해요, 질문했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 질문합니다, 질문하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “ask a question” in Korean?

“To ask a question” is 질문하다 (jilmunhada), pronounced [질문하다]. In a sentence: 질문해도 돼요? — May I ask a question?

What is the past tense of 질문하다?

질문했어요 (jilmunhaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 질문하다 (“to ask a question”). Formal: 질문했습니다; casual: 질문했어.

How do you say 질문하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 질문해요 (jilmunhaeyo). Formal: 질문합니다. Casual, with close friends: 질문해.

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

질문하고 싶어요 (jilmunhago sipeoyo), pronounced [질문하고 시퍼요].

Is 질문하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 질문해요, 질문했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 질문합니다, 질문하면.

More 하다 words like 질문하다

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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