배워
bae-wuh
baewo
regular
배우다
To say to learn politely in the present tense, use 배워요 (bae-wuh-yoh) · baewoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 배우다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (regular): Regular verbs and adjectives conjugate predictably. Before 어-series suffixes, vowels may contract (가 + 아 → 가, 보 + 아 → 봐), but no consonant in the stem changes. If the final vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, use 아; otherwise use 어. Consonant-final stems: 먹 + 어 → 먹어; vowel-final: 가 + 아 → 가.
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 배워요 bae-wuh-yoh baewoyo | 배웁니다 bae-oom-nee-dah baeumnida | |
| Past | 배웠어 bae-wuh-ssuh baewosseo | 배웠어요 bae-wuh-ssuh-yoh baewosseoyo | 배웠습니다 bae-wuh-sseum-nee-dah baewosseumnida |
| Future | 배울 거야 bae-ool guh-yah baeul geoya | 배울 거예요 bae-ool guh-yae-yoh baeul geoyeyo | 배울 겁니다 bae-ool guhm-nee-dah baeul geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present요즘 뭐 배워?What are you learning these days?
- polite present저는 주말마다 기타를 배워요.I take guitar lessons every weekend.
- formal present학생들은 이 수업에서 한글을 배웁니다.In this class, students learn Hangul.
- casual past수영 언제 배웠어?When did you learn to swim?
- polite past할머니한테서 김치 만드는 법을 배웠어요.I learned how to make kimchi from my grandmother.
- formal past이번 프로젝트를 통해 많은 것을 배웠습니다.I learned a lot from this project.
- casual future올해는 운전 배울 거야.I’m going to learn to drive this year.
- polite future다음 달부터 요가를 배울 거예요.I’m going to start learning yoga next month.
- formal future오늘은 존댓말을 배울 겁니다.Today we will learn honorific speech.
- honorific -(으)세요젊을 때 많이 배우세요.Learn as much as you can while you’re young.
How it’s used
배우다 means to learn, usually from a teacher, a class or someone with experience; the teacher takes 한테서 or 에게서. To learn how to do something, use -는 법을 배우다: 요리하는 법을 배워요. For studying on your own with books, 공부하다 is the usual verb.
Common mistake
Using 배우다 for studying on your own: ✗ 도서관에서 배워요 → ✓ 도서관에서 공부해요. 배우다 suggests someone or something is teaching you.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
배우세요
bae-oo-sae-yoh
baeuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
배워요
bae-wuh-yoh
baewoyo
Question Polite (요)
배워요?
bae-wuh-yoh-?
baewoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
배우고
bae-oo-goh
baeugo
Conditional "if" — (면)
배우면
bae-oo-myuhn
baeumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
배우고 있어요
bae-oo-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
baeugo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
배우고 싶어요
bae-oo-goh shee-puh-yoh
baeugo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
배울 수 있어요
bae-ool soo ee-ssuh-yoh
baeul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
배워서
bae-wuh-suh
baewoseo
Noun form — (기)
배우기
bae-oo-gee
baeugi
Noun form — (음)
배움
bae-oom
baeum