Verbs · ㄹ stem

만들다 conjugation

to make · mandeulda · sounds like [만들다]

Short answer: “To make” in Korean is 만들다 (mandeulda). Polite present: 만들어요 (mandeureoyo); past: 만들었어요 (mandeureosseoyo); future: 만들 거예요. It is regular, but its ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ.

Present만들어요[만드러요] · mandeureoyo
Past만들었어요[만드러써요] · mandeureosseoyo
Future만들 거예요[만들 꺼예요] · mandeul geoyeyo
Negative안 만들어요[안 만드러요] · an mandeureoyo

만들다 in sentences

엄마가 김치를 만들어요.My mum makes kimchi.
이거 직접 만들었어요?Did you make this yourself?

All forms of 만들다

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	만들어요	[만드러요]	mandeureoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	만듭니다	[만듬니다]	mandeumnida
casual-아/어	만들어	[만드러]	mandeureo
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	만든다	[만든다]	mandeunda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	만듭니까?	[만듬니까]	mandeumnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	만들고 있어요	[만들고 이써요]	mandeulgo isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	만들었어요	[만드러써요]	mandeureosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	만들었습니다	[만드럳씀니다]	mandeureotseumnida
casual-았/었어	만들었어	[만드러써]	mandeureosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	만들었다	[만드럳따]	mandeureotda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	만들 거예요	[만들 꺼예요]	mandeul geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	만들 겁니다	[만들 껌니다]	mandeul geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	만들 거야	[만들 꺼야]	mandeul geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	만들겠습니다	[만들겓씀니다]	mandeulgetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 만들어요	[안 만드러요]	an mandeureoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 만들었어요	[안 만드러써요]	an mandeureosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	만들지 않아요	[만들지 아나요]	mandeulji anayo
cannot못 …	못 만들어요	[몬 만드러요]	mot mandeureoyo

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	만드세요	[만드세요]	mandeuseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	만드셨어요	[만드셔써요]	mandeusyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	만드십니다	[만드심니다]	mandeusimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	만드세요	[만드세요]	mandeuseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	만들어 주세요	[만드러 주세요]	mandeureo juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	만들지 마세요	[만들지 마세요]	mandeulji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	만듭시다	[만듭씨다]	mandeupsida
let’s … (casual)-자	만들자	[만들자]	mandeulja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	만들어라	[만드러라]	mandeureora

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	만들고	[만들고]	mandeulgo
… so / and then-아/어서	만들어서	[만드러서]	mandeureoseo
if …-(으)면	만들면	[만들면]	mandeulmyeon
… but-지만	만들지만	[만들지만]	mandeuljiman
because …-(으)니까	만드니까	[만드니까]	mandeunikka
… and / but (background)-는데	만드는데	[만드는데]	mandeuneunde
even if …-아/어도	만들어도	[만드러도]	mandeureodo
while …-(으)면서	만들면서	[만들면서]	mandeulmyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	만들려고	[만들려고]	mandeullyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	만들러	[만들러]	mandeulleo
before …-기 전에	만들기 전에	[만들기 저네]	mandeulgi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	만든 후에	[만든 후에]	mandeun 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	만드는	[만드는]	mandeuneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	만든	[만든]	mandeun
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	만들	[만들]	mandeul

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	만들고 싶어요	[만들고 시퍼요]	mandeulgo sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	만들 수 있어요	[만들 쑤 이써요]	mandeul su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	만들 수 없어요	[만들 쑤 업써요]	mandeul su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	만들어야 해요	[만드러야 해요]	mandeureoya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	만들어도 돼요	[만드러도 돼요]	mandeureodo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	만들면 안 돼요	[만들면 안 돼요]	mandeulmyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	만들기	[만들기]	mandeulgi

How 만들다 changes

만들다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 만드는, 만듭니다, 만드세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 만들면, 만들. Everything else is regular: 만들어요. (Grammar books count this as regular, but it trips up learners.)

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

Questions

How do you say “make” in Korean?

“To make” is 만들다 (mandeulda), pronounced [만들다]. In a sentence: 엄마가 김치를 만들어요. — My mum makes kimchi.

What is the past tense of 만들다?

만들었어요 (mandeureosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 만들다 (“to make”). Formal: 만들었습니다; casual: 만들었어.

How do you say 만들다 politely?

Everyday polite: 만들어요 (mandeureoyo). Formal: 만듭니다. Casual, with close friends: 만들어.

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

만들고 싶어요 (mandeulgo sipeoyo), pronounced [만들고 시퍼요].

Is 만들다 irregular?

No. 만들다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 만드는, 만듭니다, 만드세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 만들면, 만들. Everything else is regular: 만들어요. (Grammar books count this as regular, but it trips up learners.)

More ㄹ-stem words like 만들다

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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