추워
choo-wuh
chuwo
춥다
To say to be cold politely in the present tense, use 추워요 (choo-wuh-yoh) · chuwoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 춥다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (ㅂ irregular (adj)): ㅂ-irregular adjectives follow the same rule as ㅂ-irregular verbs: the ㅂ changes to 우 when a vowel suffix follows. 덥다 (to be hot) becomes 더워요; 쉽다 (to be easy) becomes 쉬워요. The ㅂ is kept intact before consonant suffixes: 덥고, 쉽지. See all ㅂ-irregular verbs →
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
Highlighted = where the stem changes
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 추워요 choo-wuh-yoh chuwoyo | 춥습니다 choop-sseum-nee-dah chupsseumnida | |
| Past | 추웠어 choo-wuh-ssuh chuwosseo | 추웠어요 choo-wuh-ssuh-yoh chuwosseoyo | 추웠습니다 choo-wuh-sseum-nee-dah chuwosseumnida |
| Future | 추울 거야 choo-ool guh-yah chuul geoya | 추울 거예요 choo-ool guh-yae-yoh chuul geoyeyo | 추울 겁니다 choo-ool guhm-nee-dah chuul geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present아, 추워!Brr, I’m cold!
- polite present오늘 정말 추워요.It’s really cold today.
- formal present서울의 겨울은 꽤 춥습니다.Winters in Seoul are quite cold.
- casual past어제 밖에 많이 추웠어?Was it really cold out yesterday?
- polite past스키장에서 너무 추웠어요.It was freezing at the ski resort.
- formal past올해 1월은 유난히 추웠습니다.This January was unusually cold.
- casual future밤에는 추울 거야. 겉옷 챙겨.It’ll be cold at night. Bring a jacket.
- polite future내일은 오늘보다 추울 거예요.Tomorrow will be colder than today.
- formal future이번 주말에는 기온이 영하로 떨어져 매우 추울 겁니다.This weekend temperatures will drop below zero, so it will be very cold.
- honorific -(으)세요안 추우세요?Aren’t you cold?
How it’s used
춥다 is for cold weather and for feeling cold yourself: 저 추워요 (“I’m cold”). It is ㅂ-irregular: 추워요, 추웠어요, 추운 날씨, but 춥고, 춥습니다. Because it is an adjective, its -(으)세요 form is an honorific statement or question (안 추우세요?), not a command.
Common mistake
Using 춥다 for cold things: ✗ 커피가 추워요 → ✓ 커피가 차가워요. Objects and food are 차갑다; if something hot has gone cold, say 식었어요.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
추우세요
choo-oo-sae-yoh
chuuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
추워요
choo-wuh-yoh
chuwoyo
Question Polite (요)
추워요?
choo-wuh-yoh-?
chuwoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
춥고
choop-goh
chupgo
Conditional "if" — (면)
추우면
choo-oo-myuhn
chuumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
춥고 있어요
choop-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
chupgo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
춥고 싶어요
choop-goh shee-puh-yoh
chupgo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
추울 수 있어요
choo-ool soo ee-ssuh-yoh
chuul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
추워서
choo-wuh-suh
chuwoseo
Noun form — (기)
춥기
choop-gee
chupgi
Noun form — (음)
추움
choo-oom
chuum