Verbs · 하다 word

준비하다 conjugation

to prepare; to get ready · junbihada · sounds like [준비하다]

Short answer: “To prepare” in Korean is 준비하다 (junbihada), which also means to get ready. Polite present: 준비해요 (junbihaeyo); past: 준비했어요 (junbihaesseoyo); future: 준비할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present준비해요[준비해요] · junbihaeyo
Past준비했어요[준비해써요] · junbihaesseoyo
Future준비할 거예요[준비할 꺼예요] · junbihal geoyeyo
Negative준비 안 해요[준비 안 해요] · junbi an haeyo

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

준비하다 in sentences

여행 준비했어요?Are you ready for the trip?
발표를 준비하고 있어요.I’m preparing a presentation.

All forms of 준비하다

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	준비해요	[준비해요]	junbihaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	준비합니다	[준비함니다]	junbihamnida
casual-아/어	준비해	[준비해]	junbihae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	준비한다	[준비한다]	junbihanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	준비합니까?	[준비함니까]	junbihamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	준비하고 있어요	[준비하고 이써요]	junbihago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	준비했어요	[준비해써요]	junbihaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	준비했습니다	[준비핻씀니다]	junbihaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	준비했어	[준비해써]	junbihaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	준비했다	[준비핻따]	junbihaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	준비할 거예요	[준비할 꺼예요]	junbihal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	준비할 겁니다	[준비할 껌니다]	junbihal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	준비할 거야	[준비할 꺼야]	junbihal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	준비하겠습니다	[준비하겓씀니다]	junbihagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	준비 안 해요	[준비 안 해요]	junbi an haeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	준비 안 했어요	[준비 안 해써요]	junbi an haesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	준비하지 않아요	[준비하지 아나요]	junbihaji anayo
cannot못 …	준비 못 해요	[준비 모태요]	junbi 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	준비하세요	[준비하세요]	junbihaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	준비하셨어요	[준비하셔써요]	junbihasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	준비하십니다	[준비하심니다]	junbihasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	준비하세요	[준비하세요]	junbihaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	준비해 주세요	[준비해 주세요]	junbihae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	준비하지 마세요	[준비하지 마세요]	junbihaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	준비합시다	[준비합씨다]	junbihapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	준비하자	[준비하자]	junbihaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	준비해라	[준비해라]	junbihaera

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	준비하고	[준비하고]	junbihago
… so / and then-아/어서	준비해서	[준비해서]	junbihaeseo
if …-(으)면	준비하면	[준비하면]	junbihamyeon
… but-지만	준비하지만	[준비하지만]	junbihajiman
because …-(으)니까	준비하니까	[준비하니까]	junbihanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	준비하는데	[준비하는데]	junbihaneunde
even if …-아/어도	준비해도	[준비해도]	junbihaedo
while …-(으)면서	준비하면서	[준비하면서]	junbihamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	준비하려고	[준비하려고]	junbiharyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	준비하러	[준비하러]	junbihareo
before …-기 전에	준비하기 전에	[준비하기 저네]	junbihagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	준비한 후에	[준비한 후에]	junbihan 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	준비하는	[준비하는]	junbihaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	준비한	[준비한]	junbihan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	준비할	[준비할]	junbihal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	준비하고 싶어요	[준비하고 시퍼요]	junbihago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	준비할 수 있어요	[준비할 쑤 이써요]	junbihal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	준비할 수 없어요	[준비할 쑤 업써요]	junbihal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	준비해야 해요	[준비해야 해요]	junbihaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	준비해도 돼요	[준비해도 돼요]	junbihaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	준비하면 안 돼요	[준비하면 안 돼요]	junbihamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	준비하기	[준비하기]	junbihagi

How 준비하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 준비해요, 준비했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 준비합니다, 준비하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “prepare” in Korean?

“To prepare” is 준비하다 (junbihada), pronounced [준비하다]. In a sentence: 여행 준비했어요? — Are you ready for the trip?

What is the past tense of 준비하다?

준비했어요 (junbihaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 준비하다 (“to prepare”). Formal: 준비했습니다; casual: 준비했어.

How do you say 준비하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 준비해요 (junbihaeyo). Formal: 준비합니다. Casual, with close friends: 준비해.

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

준비하고 싶어요 (junbihago sipeoyo), pronounced [준비하고 시퍼요].

Is 준비하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 준비해요, 준비했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 준비합니다, 준비하면.

More 하다 words like 준비하다

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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