Verbs · 하다 word

사랑하다 conjugation

to love · saranghada · sounds like [사랑하다]

Short answer: “To love” in Korean is 사랑하다 (saranghada). Polite present: 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo); past: 사랑했어요 (saranghaesseoyo); future: 사랑할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present사랑해요[사랑해요] · saranghaeyo
Past사랑했어요[사랑해써요] · saranghaesseoyo
Future사랑할 거예요[사랑할 꺼예요] · saranghal geoyeyo
Negative안 사랑해요[안 사랑해요] · an saranghaeyo

사랑하다 in sentences

사랑해요.I love you.
저는 제 가족을 사랑해요.I love my family.

All forms of 사랑하다

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	사랑해요	[사랑해요]	saranghaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	사랑합니다	[사랑함니다]	saranghamnida
casual-아/어	사랑해	[사랑해]	saranghae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	사랑한다	[사랑한다]	saranghanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	사랑합니까?	[사랑함니까]	saranghamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	사랑하고 있어요	[사랑하고 이써요]	saranghago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	사랑했어요	[사랑해써요]	saranghaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	사랑했습니다	[사랑핻씀니다]	saranghaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	사랑했어	[사랑해써]	saranghaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	사랑했다	[사랑핻따]	saranghaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	사랑할 거예요	[사랑할 꺼예요]	saranghal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	사랑할 겁니다	[사랑할 껌니다]	saranghal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	사랑할 거야	[사랑할 꺼야]	saranghal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	사랑하겠습니다	[사랑하겓씀니다]	saranghagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 사랑해요	[안 사랑해요]	an saranghaeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 사랑했어요	[안 사랑해써요]	an saranghaesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	사랑하지 않아요	[사랑하지 아나요]	saranghaji anayo
cannot못 …	못 사랑해요	[몯 싸랑해요]	mot saranghaeyo

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	사랑하세요	[사랑하세요]	saranghaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	사랑하셨어요	[사랑하셔써요]	saranghasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	사랑하십니다	[사랑하심니다]	saranghasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	사랑하세요	[사랑하세요]	saranghaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	사랑해 주세요	[사랑해 주세요]	saranghae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	사랑하지 마세요	[사랑하지 마세요]	saranghaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	사랑합시다	[사랑합씨다]	saranghapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	사랑하자	[사랑하자]	saranghaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	사랑해라	[사랑해라]	saranghaera

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	사랑하고	[사랑하고]	saranghago
… so / and then-아/어서	사랑해서	[사랑해서]	saranghaeseo
if …-(으)면	사랑하면	[사랑하면]	saranghamyeon
… but-지만	사랑하지만	[사랑하지만]	saranghajiman
because …-(으)니까	사랑하니까	[사랑하니까]	saranghanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	사랑하는데	[사랑하는데]	saranghaneunde
even if …-아/어도	사랑해도	[사랑해도]	saranghaedo
while …-(으)면서	사랑하면서	[사랑하면서]	saranghamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	사랑하려고	[사랑하려고]	sarangharyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	사랑하러	[사랑하러]	saranghareo
before …-기 전에	사랑하기 전에	[사랑하기 저네]	saranghagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	사랑한 후에	[사랑한 후에]	saranghan 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	사랑하는	[사랑하는]	saranghaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	사랑한	[사랑한]	saranghan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	사랑할	[사랑할]	saranghal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	사랑하고 싶어요	[사랑하고 시퍼요]	saranghago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	사랑할 수 있어요	[사랑할 쑤 이써요]	saranghal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	사랑할 수 없어요	[사랑할 쑤 업써요]	saranghal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	사랑해야 해요	[사랑해야 해요]	saranghaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	사랑해도 돼요	[사랑해도 돼요]	saranghaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	사랑하면 안 돼요	[사랑하면 안 돼요]	saranghamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	사랑하기	[사랑하기]	saranghagi

How 사랑하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 사랑해요, 사랑했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 사랑합니다, 사랑하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “love” in Korean?

“To love” is 사랑하다 (saranghada), pronounced [사랑하다]. In a sentence: 사랑해요. — I love you.

What is the past tense of 사랑하다?

사랑했어요 (saranghaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 사랑하다 (“to love”). Formal: 사랑했습니다; casual: 사랑했어.

How do you say 사랑하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 사랑해요 (saranghaeyo). Formal: 사랑합니다. Casual, with close friends: 사랑해.

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

사랑하고 싶어요 (saranghago sipeoyo), pronounced [사랑하고 시퍼요].

Is 사랑하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 사랑해요, 사랑했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 사랑합니다, 사랑하면.

More 하다 words like 사랑하다

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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