Verbs · Regular

켜다 conjugation

to turn on (a light, TV) · kyeoda · sounds like [켜다]

Short answer: “To turn on (a light, TV)” in Korean is 켜다 (kyeoda). Polite present: 켜요 (kyeoyo); past: 켰어요 (kyeosseoyo); future: 켤 거예요. It is regular.

Present켜요[켜요] · kyeoyo
Past켰어요[켜써요] · kyeosseoyo
Future켤 거예요[켤 꺼예요] · kyeol geoyeyo
Negative안 켜요[안 켜요] · an kyeoyo

Opposite: 끄다 — to turn off

켜다 in sentences

불 좀 켜 주세요.Please turn on the light.
에어컨을 켰어요.I turned on the air conditioner.

All forms of 켜다

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	켜요	[켜요]	kyeoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	켭니다	[켬니다]	kyeomnida
casual-아/어	켜	[켜]	kyeo
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	켠다	[켠다]	kyeonda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	켭니까?	[켬니까]	kyeomnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	켜고 있어요	[켜고 이써요]	kyeogo isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	켰어요	[켜써요]	kyeosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	켰습니다	[켣씀니다]	kyeotseumnida
casual-았/었어	켰어	[켜써]	kyeosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	켰다	[켣따]	kyeotda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	켤 거예요	[켤 꺼예요]	kyeol geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	켤 겁니다	[켤 껌니다]	kyeol geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	켤 거야	[켤 꺼야]	kyeol geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	켜겠습니다	[켜겓씀니다]	kyeogetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 켜요	[안 켜요]	an kyeoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 켰어요	[안 켜써요]	an kyeosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	켜지 않아요	[켜지 아나요]	kyeoji anayo
cannot못 …	못 켜요	[몯 켜요]	mot kyeoyo

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	켜세요	[켜세요]	kyeoseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	켜셨어요	[켜셔써요]	kyeosyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	켜십니다	[켜심니다]	kyeosimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	켜세요	[켜세요]	kyeoseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	켜 주세요	[켜 주세요]	kyeo juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	켜지 마세요	[켜지 마세요]	kyeoji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	켭시다	[켭씨다]	kyeopsida
let’s … (casual)-자	켜자	[켜자]	kyeoja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	켜라	[켜라]	kyeora

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	켜고	[켜고]	kyeogo
… so / and then-아/어서	켜서	[켜서]	kyeoseo
if …-(으)면	켜면	[켜면]	kyeomyeon
… but-지만	켜지만	[켜지만]	kyeojiman
because …-(으)니까	켜니까	[켜니까]	kyeonikka
… and / but (background)-는데	켜는데	[켜는데]	kyeoneunde
even if …-아/어도	켜도	[켜도]	kyeodo
while …-(으)면서	켜면서	[켜면서]	kyeomyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	켜려고	[켜려고]	kyeoryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	켜러	[켜러]	kyeoreo
before …-기 전에	켜기 전에	[켜기 저네]	kyeogi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	켠 후에	[켠 후에]	kyeon 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	켜는	[켜는]	kyeoneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	켠	[켠]	kyeon
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	켤	[켤]	kyeol

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	켜고 싶어요	[켜고 시퍼요]	kyeogo sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	켤 수 있어요	[켤 쑤 이써요]	kyeol su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	켤 수 없어요	[켤 쑤 업써요]	kyeol su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	켜야 해요	[켜야 해요]	kyeoya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	켜도 돼요	[켜도 돼요]	kyeodo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	켜면 안 돼요	[켜면 안 돼요]	kyeomyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	켜기	[켜기]	kyeogi

How 켜다 changes

켜 ends in a vowel, so 켜 + 아/어 becomes 켜 → 켜요, 켰어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 켜면, 켤. 켜다 is regular.

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

Questions

How do you say “turn on” in Korean?

“To turn on (a light, TV)” is 켜다 (kyeoda), pronounced [켜다]. In a sentence: 불 좀 켜 주세요. — Please turn on the light.

What is the past tense of 켜다?

켰어요 (kyeosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 켜다 (“to turn on (a light, TV)”). Formal: 켰습니다; casual: 켰어.

How do you say 켜다 politely?

Everyday polite: 켜요 (kyeoyo). Formal: 켭니다. Casual, with close friends: 켜.

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

켜고 싶어요 (kyeogo sipeoyo), pronounced [켜고 시퍼요].

Is 켜다 irregular?

No. 켜 ends in a vowel, so 켜 + 아/어 becomes 켜 → 켜요, 켰어요. Endings written -(으) attach directly → 켜면, 켤. 켜다 is regular.

More regular words like 켜다

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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