Verbs · ㄹ stem

열다 conjugation

to open · yeolda · sounds like [열다]

Short answer: “To open” in Korean is 열다 (yeolda). Polite present: 열어요 (yeoreoyo); past: 열었어요 (yeoreosseoyo); future: 열 거예요. It is regular, but its ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ.

Present열어요[여러요] · yeoreoyo
Past열었어요[여러써요] · yeoreosseoyo
Future열 거예요[열 꺼예요] · yeol geoyeyo
Negative안 열어요[안 여러요] · an yeoreoyo

Opposite: 닫다 — to close

열다 in sentences

창문 좀 열어 주세요.Please open the window.
가게는 10시에 열어요.The shop opens at 10.

All forms of 열다

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	열어요	[여러요]	yeoreoyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	엽니다	[염니다]	yeomnida
casual-아/어	열어	[여러]	yeoreo
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	연다	[연다]	yeonda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	엽니까?	[염니까]	yeomnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	열고 있어요	[열고 이써요]	yeolgo isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	열었어요	[여러써요]	yeoreosseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	열었습니다	[여럳씀니다]	yeoreotseumnida
casual-았/었어	열었어	[여러써]	yeoreosseo
plain (written)-았/었다	열었다	[여럳따]	yeoreotda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	열 거예요	[열 꺼예요]	yeol geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	열 겁니다	[열 껌니다]	yeol geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	열 거야	[열 꺼야]	yeol geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	열겠습니다	[열겓씀니다]	yeolgetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	안 열어요	[안 여러요]	an yeoreoyo
did not안 …았/었어요	안 열었어요	[안 여러써요]	an yeoreosseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	열지 않아요	[열지 아나요]	yeolji anayo
cannot못 …	못 열어요	[몯 여러요]	mot yeoreoyo

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	여세요	[여세요]	yeoseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	여셨어요	[여셔써요]	yeosyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	여십니다	[여심니다]	yeosimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	여세요	[여세요]	yeoseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	열어 주세요	[여러 주세요]	yeoreo juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	열지 마세요	[열지 마세요]	yeolji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	엽시다	[엽씨다]	yeopsida
let’s … (casual)-자	열자	[열자]	yeolja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	열어라	[여러라]	yeoreora

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	열고	[열고]	yeolgo
… so / and then-아/어서	열어서	[여러서]	yeoreoseo
if …-(으)면	열면	[열면]	yeolmyeon
… but-지만	열지만	[열지만]	yeoljiman
because …-(으)니까	여니까	[여니까]	yeonikka
… and / but (background)-는데	여는데	[여는데]	yeoneunde
even if …-아/어도	열어도	[여러도]	yeoreodo
while …-(으)면서	열면서	[열면서]	yeolmyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	열려고	[열려고]	yeollyeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	열러	[열러]	yeolleo
before …-기 전에	열기 전에	[열기 저네]	yeolgi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	연 후에	[연 후에]	yeon 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	여는	[여는]	yeoneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	연	[연]	yeon
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	열	[열]	yeol

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	열고 싶어요	[열고 시퍼요]	yeolgo sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	열 수 있어요	[열 쑤 이써요]	yeol su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	열 수 없어요	[열 쑤 업써요]	yeol su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	열어야 해요	[여러야 해요]	yeoreoya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	열어도 돼요	[여러도 돼요]	yeoreodo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	열면 안 돼요	[열면 안 돼요]	yeolmyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	열기	[열기]	yeolgi

How 열다 changes

열다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 여는, 엽니다, 여세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 열면, 열. Everything else is regular: 열어요. (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 “open” in Korean?

“To open” is 열다 (yeolda), pronounced [열다]. In a sentence: 창문 좀 열어 주세요. — Please open the window.

What is the past tense of 열다?

열었어요 (yeoreosseoyo) is the polite past tense of 열다 (“to open”). Formal: 열었습니다; casual: 열었어.

How do you say 열다 politely?

Everyday polite: 열어요 (yeoreoyo). Formal: 엽니다. Casual, with close friends: 열어.

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

열고 싶어요 (yeolgo sipeoyo), pronounced [열고 시퍼요].

Is 열다 irregular?

No. 열다 ends in ㄹ. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ — 여는, 엽니다, 여세요 — and endings written -(으) never add 으: 열면, 열. Everything else is regular: 열어요. (Grammar books count this as regular, but it trips up learners.)

More ㄹ-stem words like 열다

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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