Verbs · ㄹ stem

밀다 conjugation

to push · milda · sounds like [밀다]

Short answer: “To push” in Korean is 밀다 (milda). Polite present: 밀어요 (mireoyo); past: 밀었어요 (mireosseoyo); future: 밀 거예요. It is regular, but its ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ.

Present밀어요[미러요] · mireoyo
Past밀었어요[미러써요] · mireosseoyo
Future밀 거예요[밀 꺼예요] · mil geoyeyo
Negative안 밀어요[안 미러요] · an mireoyo

Opposite: 당기다 — to pull

밀다 in sentences

문을 미세요.Push the door.
뒤에서 밀지 마세요.Don’t push from behind.

All forms of 밀다

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	밀어요	[미러요]	mireoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	밉니다	[밈니다]	mimnida
casual-아/어	밀어	[미러]	mireo
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	민다	[민다]	minda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	밉니까?	[밈니까]	mimnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	밀고 있어요	[밀고 이써요]	milgo isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	밀었어요	[미러써요]	mireosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	밀었습니다	[미럳씀니다]	mireotseumnida
casual-았/었어	밀었어	[미러써]	mireosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	밀었다	[미럳따]	mireotda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	밀 거예요	[밀 꺼예요]	mil geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	밀 겁니다	[밀 껌니다]	mil geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	밀 거야	[밀 꺼야]	mil geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	밀겠습니다	[밀겓씀니다]	milgetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 밀어요	[안 미러요]	an mireoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 밀었어요	[안 미러써요]	an mireosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	밀지 않아요	[밀지 아나요]	milji anayo
cannot못 …	못 밀어요	[몬 미러요]	mot mireoyo

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	미세요	[미세요]	miseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	미셨어요	[미셔써요]	misyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	미십니다	[미심니다]	misimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	미세요	[미세요]	miseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	밀어 주세요	[미러 주세요]	mireo juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	밀지 마세요	[밀지 마세요]	milji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	밉시다	[밉씨다]	mipsida
let’s … (casual)-자	밀자	[밀자]	milja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	밀어라	[미러라]	mireora

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	밀고	[밀고]	milgo
… so / and then-아/어서	밀어서	[미러서]	mireoseo
if …-(으)면	밀면	[밀면]	milmyeon
… but-지만	밀지만	[밀지만]	miljiman
because …-(으)니까	미니까	[미니까]	minikka
… and / but (background)-는데	미는데	[미는데]	mineunde
even if …-아/어도	밀어도	[미러도]	mireodo
while …-(으)면서	밀면서	[밀면서]	milmyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	밀려고	[밀려고]	millyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	밀러	[밀러]	milleo
before …-기 전에	밀기 전에	[밀기 저네]	milgi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	민 후에	[민 후에]	min 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	미는	[미는]	mineun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	민	[민]	min
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	밀	[밀]	mil

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	밀고 싶어요	[밀고 시퍼요]	milgo sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	밀 수 있어요	[밀 쑤 이써요]	mil su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	밀 수 없어요	[밀 쑤 업써요]	mil su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	밀어야 해요	[미러야 해요]	mireoya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	밀어도 돼요	[미러도 돼요]	mireodo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	밀면 안 돼요	[밀면 안 돼요]	milmyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	밀기	[밀기]	milgi

How 밀다 changes

밀다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 미는, 밉니다, 미세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 밀면, 밀. Everything else is regular: 밀어요. (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 “push” in Korean?

“To push” is 밀다 (milda), pronounced [밀다]. In a sentence: 문을 미세요. — Push the door.

What is the past tense of 밀다?

밀었어요 (mireosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 밀다 (“to push”). Formal: 밀었습니다; casual: 밀었어.

How do you say 밀다 politely?

Everyday polite: 밀어요 (mireoyo). Formal: 밉니다. Casual, with close friends: 밀어.

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

밀고 싶어요 (milgo sipeoyo), pronounced [밀고 시퍼요].

Is 밀다 irregular?

No. 밀다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 미는, 밉니다, 미세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 밀면, 밀. Everything else is regular: 밀어요. (Grammar books count this as regular, but it trips up learners.)

More ㄹ-stem words like 밀다

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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