Verbs · 하다 word

수영하다 conjugation

to swim · suyeonghada · sounds like [수영하다]

Short answer: “To swim” in Korean is 수영하다 (suyeonghada). Polite present: 수영해요 (suyeonghaeyo); past: 수영했어요 (suyeonghaesseoyo); future: 수영할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present수영해요[수영해요] · suyeonghaeyo
Past수영했어요[수영해써요] · suyeonghaesseoyo
Future수영할 거예요[수영할 꺼예요] · suyeonghal geoyeyo
Negative수영 안 해요[수영 안 해요] · suyeong an haeyo

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

수영하다 in sentences

수영할 수 있어요?Can you swim?
바다에서 수영했어요.I swam in the sea.

All forms of 수영하다

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	수영해요	[수영해요]	suyeonghaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	수영합니다	[수영함니다]	suyeonghamnida
casual-아/어	수영해	[수영해]	suyeonghae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	수영한다	[수영한다]	suyeonghanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	수영합니까?	[수영함니까]	suyeonghamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	수영하고 있어요	[수영하고 이써요]	suyeonghago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	수영했어요	[수영해써요]	suyeonghaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	수영했습니다	[수영핻씀니다]	suyeonghaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	수영했어	[수영해써]	suyeonghaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	수영했다	[수영핻따]	suyeonghaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	수영할 거예요	[수영할 꺼예요]	suyeonghal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	수영할 겁니다	[수영할 껌니다]	suyeonghal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	수영할 거야	[수영할 꺼야]	suyeonghal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	수영하겠습니다	[수영하겓씀니다]	suyeonghagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	수영 안 해요	[수영 안 해요]	suyeong an haeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	수영 안 했어요	[수영 안 해써요]	suyeong an haesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	수영하지 않아요	[수영하지 아나요]	suyeonghaji anayo
cannot못 …	수영 못 해요	[수영 모태요]	suyeong 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	수영하세요	[수영하세요]	suyeonghaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	수영하셨어요	[수영하셔써요]	suyeonghasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	수영하십니다	[수영하심니다]	suyeonghasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	수영하세요	[수영하세요]	suyeonghaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	수영해 주세요	[수영해 주세요]	suyeonghae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	수영하지 마세요	[수영하지 마세요]	suyeonghaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	수영합시다	[수영합씨다]	suyeonghapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	수영하자	[수영하자]	suyeonghaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	수영해라	[수영해라]	suyeonghaera

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	수영하고	[수영하고]	suyeonghago
… so / and then-아/어서	수영해서	[수영해서]	suyeonghaeseo
if …-(으)면	수영하면	[수영하면]	suyeonghamyeon
… but-지만	수영하지만	[수영하지만]	suyeonghajiman
because …-(으)니까	수영하니까	[수영하니까]	suyeonghanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	수영하는데	[수영하는데]	suyeonghaneunde
even if …-아/어도	수영해도	[수영해도]	suyeonghaedo
while …-(으)면서	수영하면서	[수영하면서]	suyeonghamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	수영하려고	[수영하려고]	suyeongharyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	수영하러	[수영하러]	suyeonghareo
before …-기 전에	수영하기 전에	[수영하기 저네]	suyeonghagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	수영한 후에	[수영한 후에]	suyeonghan 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	수영하는	[수영하는]	suyeonghaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	수영한	[수영한]	suyeonghan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	수영할	[수영할]	suyeonghal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	수영하고 싶어요	[수영하고 시퍼요]	suyeonghago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	수영할 수 있어요	[수영할 쑤 이써요]	suyeonghal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	수영할 수 없어요	[수영할 쑤 업써요]	suyeonghal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	수영해야 해요	[수영해야 해요]	suyeonghaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	수영해도 돼요	[수영해도 돼요]	suyeonghaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	수영하면 안 돼요	[수영하면 안 돼요]	suyeonghamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	수영하기	[수영하기]	suyeonghagi

How 수영하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 수영해요, 수영했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 수영합니다, 수영하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “swim” in Korean?

“To swim” is 수영하다 (suyeonghada), pronounced [수영하다]. In a sentence: 수영할 수 있어요? — Can you swim?

What is the past tense of 수영하다?

수영했어요 (suyeonghaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 수영하다 (“to swim”). Formal: 수영했습니다; casual: 수영했어.

How do you say 수영하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 수영해요 (suyeonghaeyo). Formal: 수영합니다. Casual, with close friends: 수영해.

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

수영하고 싶어요 (suyeonghago sipeoyo), pronounced [수영하고 시퍼요].

Is 수영하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 수영해요, 수영했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 수영합니다, 수영하면.

More 하다 words like 수영하다

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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