Verbs · 하다 word

약속하다 conjugation

to promise; to make plans · yaksokada · sounds like [약쏘카다]

Short answer: “To promise” in Korean is 약속하다 (yaksokada), which also means to make plans. Polite present: 약속해요 (yaksokaeyo); past: 약속했어요 (yaksokaesseoyo); future: 약속할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present약속해요[약쏘캐요] · yaksokaeyo
Past약속했어요[약쏘캐써요] · yaksokaesseoyo
Future약속할 거예요[약쏘칼 꺼예요] · yaksokal geoyeyo
Negative약속 안 해요[약쏙 안 해요] · yaksok an haeyo

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

약속하다 in sentences

약속해요!I promise!
다시는 늦지 않겠다고 약속했어요.I promised never to be late again.

All forms of 약속하다

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	약속해요	[약쏘캐요]	yaksokaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	약속합니다	[약쏘캄니다]	yaksokamnida
casual-아/어	약속해	[약쏘캐]	yaksokae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	약속한다	[약쏘칸다]	yaksokanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	약속합니까?	[약쏘캄니까]	yaksokamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	약속하고 있어요	[약쏘카고 이써요]	yaksokago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	약속했어요	[약쏘캐써요]	yaksokaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	약속했습니다	[약쏘캗씀니다]	yaksokaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	약속했어	[약쏘캐써]	yaksokaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	약속했다	[약쏘캗따]	yaksokaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	약속할 거예요	[약쏘칼 꺼예요]	yaksokal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	약속할 겁니다	[약쏘칼 껌니다]	yaksokal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	약속할 거야	[약쏘칼 꺼야]	yaksokal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	약속하겠습니다	[약쏘카겓씀니다]	yaksokagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	약속 안 해요	[약쏙 안 해요]	yaksok an haeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	약속 안 했어요	[약쏙 안 해써요]	yaksok an haesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	약속하지 않아요	[약쏘카지 아나요]	yaksokaji anayo
cannot못 …	약속 못 해요	[약쏭 모태요]	yaksok 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	약속하세요	[약쏘카세요]	yaksokaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	약속하셨어요	[약쏘카셔써요]	yaksokasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	약속하십니다	[약쏘카심니다]	yaksokasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	약속하세요	[약쏘카세요]	yaksokaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	약속해 주세요	[약쏘캐 주세요]	yaksokae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	약속하지 마세요	[약쏘카지 마세요]	yaksokaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	약속합시다	[약쏘캅씨다]	yaksokapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	약속하자	[약쏘카자]	yaksokaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	약속해라	[약쏘캐라]	yaksokaera

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	약속하고	[약쏘카고]	yaksokago
… so / and then-아/어서	약속해서	[약쏘캐서]	yaksokaeseo
if …-(으)면	약속하면	[약쏘카면]	yaksokamyeon
… but-지만	약속하지만	[약쏘카지만]	yaksokajiman
because …-(으)니까	약속하니까	[약쏘카니까]	yaksokanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	약속하는데	[약쏘카는데]	yaksokaneunde
even if …-아/어도	약속해도	[약쏘캐도]	yaksokaedo
while …-(으)면서	약속하면서	[약쏘카면서]	yaksokamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	약속하려고	[약쏘카려고]	yaksokaryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	약속하러	[약쏘카러]	yaksokareo
before …-기 전에	약속하기 전에	[약쏘카기 저네]	yaksokagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	약속한 후에	[약쏘칸 후에]	yaksokan 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	약속하는	[약쏘카는]	yaksokaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	약속한	[약쏘칸]	yaksokan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	약속할	[약쏘칼]	yaksokal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	약속하고 싶어요	[약쏘카고 시퍼요]	yaksokago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	약속할 수 있어요	[약쏘칼 쑤 이써요]	yaksokal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	약속할 수 없어요	[약쏘칼 쑤 업써요]	yaksokal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	약속해야 해요	[약쏘캐야 해요]	yaksokaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	약속해도 돼요	[약쏘캐도 돼요]	yaksokaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	약속하면 안 돼요	[약쏘카면 안 돼요]	yaksokamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	약속하기	[약쏘카기]	yaksokagi

How 약속하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 약속해요, 약속했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 약속합니다, 약속하면.

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

Questions

How do you say “promise” in Korean?

“To promise” is 약속하다 (yaksokada), pronounced [약쏘카다]. In a sentence: 약속해요! — I promise!

What is the past tense of 약속하다?

약속했어요 (yaksokaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 약속하다 (“to promise”). Formal: 약속했습니다; casual: 약속했어.

How do you say 약속하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 약속해요 (yaksokaeyo). Formal: 약속합니다. Casual, with close friends: 약속해.

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

약속하고 싶어요 (yaksokago sipeoyo), pronounced [약쏘카고 시퍼요].

Is 약속하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 약속해요, 약속했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 약속합니다, 약속하면.

More 하다 words like 약속하다

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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