KoreanSum

Verbs · Regular

지내다 conjugation

to get along; to spend (time) · jinaeda · sounds like [지내다]

Short answer: “To get along” in Korean is 지내다 (jinaeda), which also means to spend (time). Polite present: 지내요 (jinaeyo); past: 지냈어요 (jinaesseoyo); future: 지낼 거예요. It is regular.

지내다 in sentences

All forms of 지내다

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/어요지내요[지내요]jinaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다지냅니다[지냄니다]jinaemnida
casual-아/어지내[지내]jinae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다지낸다[지낸다]jinaenda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?지냅니까?[지냄니까]jinaemnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요지내고 있어요[지내고 이써요]jinaego isseoyo
Past
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite-았/었어요지냈어요[지내써요]jinaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다지냈습니다[지낻씀니다]jinaetseumnida
casual-았/었어지냈어[지내써]jinaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다지냈다[지낻따]jinaetda
Future
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요지낼 거예요[지낼 꺼예요]jinael geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다지낼 겁니다[지낼 껌니다]jinael geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야지낼 거야[지낼 꺼야]jinael geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다지내겠습니다[지내겓씀니다]jinaegetseumnida
Negative
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
not (short)안 …안 지내요[안 지내요]an jinaeyo
did not안 …았/었어요안 지냈어요[안 지내써요]an jinaesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요지내지 않아요[지내지 아나요]jinaeji anayo
cannot못 …못 지내요[몯 찌내요]mot jinaeyo
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)세요지내세요[지내세요]jinaeseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요지내셨어요[지내셔써요]jinaesyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다지내십니다[지내심니다]jinaesimnida
Requests
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
please …-(으)세요지내세요[지내세요]jinaeseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요지내 주세요[지내 주세요]jinae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요지내지 마세요[지내지 마세요]jinaeji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다지냅시다[지냅씨다]jinaepsida
let’s … (casual)-자지내자[지내자]jinaeja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라지내라[지내라]jinaera
Connecting
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
… and-고지내고[지내고]jinaego
… so / and then-아/어서지내서[지내서]jinaeseo
if …-(으)면지내면[지내면]jinaemyeon
… but-지만지내지만[지내지만]jinaejiman
because …-(으)니까지내니까[지내니까]jinaenikka
… and / but (background)-는데지내는데[지내는데]jinaeneunde
even if …-아/어도지내도[지내도]jinaedo
while …-(으)면서지내면서[지내면서]jinaemyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고지내려고[지내려고]jinaeryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러지내러[지내러]jinaereo
before …-기 전에지내기 전에[지내기 저네]jinaegi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에지낸 후에[지낸 후에]jinaen hue
Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
(that) … now-는지내는[지내는]jinaeneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ지낸[지낸]jinaen
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ지낼[지낼]jinael
Useful patterns
FormKoreanSounds likeRomanized
I want to …-고 싶어요지내고 싶어요[지내고 시퍼요]jinaego sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요지낼 수 있어요[지낼 쑤 이써요]jinael su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요지낼 수 없어요[지낼 쑤 업써요]jinael su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요지내야 해요[지내야 해요]jinaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요지내도 돼요[지내도 돼요]jinaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요지내면 안 돼요[지내면 안 돼요]jinaemyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기지내기[지내기]jinaegi

How 지내다 changes

지내 ends in a vowel, so 지내 + 아/어 becomes 지내 → 지내요, 지냈어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 지내면, 지낼. 지내다 is regular.

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

Questions

How do you say “get along” in Korean?

“To get along” is 지내다 (jinaeda), pronounced [지내다]. In a sentence: 잘 지내요? — How are you doing?

What is the past tense of 지내다?

지냈어요 (jinaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 지내다 (“to get along”). Formal: 지냈습니다; casual: 지냈어.

How do you say 지내다 politely?

Everyday polite: 지내요 (jinaeyo). Formal: 지냅니다. Casual, with close friends: 지내.

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

지내고 싶어요 (jinaego sipeoyo), pronounced [지내고 시퍼요].

Is 지내다 irregular?

No. 지내 ends in a vowel, so 지내 + 아/어 becomes 지내 → 지내요, 지냈어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 지내면, 지낼. 지내다 is regular.

More regular words like 지내다

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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