Verbs · 하다 word

빨래하다 conjugation

to do the laundry · ppallaehada · sounds like [빨래하다]

Short answer: “To do the laundry” in Korean is 빨래하다 (ppallaehada). Polite present: 빨래해요 (ppallaehaeyo); past: 빨래했어요 (ppallaehaesseoyo); future: 빨래할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present빨래해요[빨래해요] · ppallaehaeyo
Past빨래했어요[빨래해써요] · ppallaehaesseoyo
Future빨래할 거예요[빨래할 꺼예요] · ppallaehal geoyeyo
Negative빨래 안 해요[빨래 안 해요] · ppallae an haeyo

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

빨래하다 in sentences

주말에 빨래해요.I do the laundry at the weekend.
빨래했어요?Did you do the laundry?

All forms of 빨래하다

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	빨래해요	[빨래해요]	ppallaehaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	빨래합니다	[빨래함니다]	ppallaehamnida
casual-아/어	빨래해	[빨래해]	ppallaehae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	빨래한다	[빨래한다]	ppallaehanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	빨래합니까?	[빨래함니까]	ppallaehamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	빨래하고 있어요	[빨래하고 이써요]	ppallaehago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	빨래했어요	[빨래해써요]	ppallaehaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	빨래했습니다	[빨래핻씀니다]	ppallaehaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	빨래했어	[빨래해써]	ppallaehaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	빨래했다	[빨래핻따]	ppallaehaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	빨래할 거예요	[빨래할 꺼예요]	ppallaehal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	빨래할 겁니다	[빨래할 껌니다]	ppallaehal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	빨래할 거야	[빨래할 꺼야]	ppallaehal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	빨래하겠습니다	[빨래하겓씀니다]	ppallaehagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	빨래 안 해요	[빨래 안 해요]	ppallae an haeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	빨래 안 했어요	[빨래 안 해써요]	ppallae an haesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	빨래하지 않아요	[빨래하지 아나요]	ppallaehaji anayo
cannot못 …	빨래 못 해요	[빨래 모태요]	ppallae 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	빨래하세요	[빨래하세요]	ppallaehaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	빨래하셨어요	[빨래하셔써요]	ppallaehasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	빨래하십니다	[빨래하심니다]	ppallaehasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	빨래하세요	[빨래하세요]	ppallaehaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	빨래해 주세요	[빨래해 주세요]	ppallaehae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	빨래하지 마세요	[빨래하지 마세요]	ppallaehaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	빨래합시다	[빨래합씨다]	ppallaehapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	빨래하자	[빨래하자]	ppallaehaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	빨래해라	[빨래해라]	ppallaehaera

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	빨래하고	[빨래하고]	ppallaehago
… so / and then-아/어서	빨래해서	[빨래해서]	ppallaehaeseo
if …-(으)면	빨래하면	[빨래하면]	ppallaehamyeon
… but-지만	빨래하지만	[빨래하지만]	ppallaehajiman
because …-(으)니까	빨래하니까	[빨래하니까]	ppallaehanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	빨래하는데	[빨래하는데]	ppallaehaneunde
even if …-아/어도	빨래해도	[빨래해도]	ppallaehaedo
while …-(으)면서	빨래하면서	[빨래하면서]	ppallaehamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	빨래하려고	[빨래하려고]	ppallaeharyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	빨래하러	[빨래하러]	ppallaehareo
before …-기 전에	빨래하기 전에	[빨래하기 저네]	ppallaehagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	빨래한 후에	[빨래한 후에]	ppallaehan 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	빨래하는	[빨래하는]	ppallaehaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	빨래한	[빨래한]	ppallaehan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	빨래할	[빨래할]	ppallaehal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	빨래하고 싶어요	[빨래하고 시퍼요]	ppallaehago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	빨래할 수 있어요	[빨래할 쑤 이써요]	ppallaehal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	빨래할 수 없어요	[빨래할 쑤 업써요]	ppallaehal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	빨래해야 해요	[빨래해야 해요]	ppallaehaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	빨래해도 돼요	[빨래해도 돼요]	ppallaehaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	빨래하면 안 돼요	[빨래하면 안 돼요]	ppallaehamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	빨래하기	[빨래하기]	ppallaehagi

How 빨래하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 빨래해요, 빨래했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 빨래합니다, 빨래하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “do the laundry” in Korean?

“To do the laundry” is 빨래하다 (ppallaehada), pronounced [빨래하다]. In a sentence: 주말에 빨래해요. — I do the laundry at the weekend.

What is the past tense of 빨래하다?

빨래했어요 (ppallaehaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 빨래하다 (“to do the laundry”). Formal: 빨래했습니다; casual: 빨래했어.

How do you say 빨래하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 빨래해요 (ppallaehaeyo). Formal: 빨래합니다. Casual, with close friends: 빨래해.

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

빨래하고 싶어요 (ppallaehago sipeoyo), pronounced [빨래하고 시퍼요].

Is 빨래하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 빨래해요, 빨래했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 빨래합니다, 빨래하면.

More 하다 words like 빨래하다

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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