들어
deu-ruh
deureo
듣다
To say to listen, to hear politely in the present tense, use 들어요 (deu-ruh-yoh) · deureoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 듣다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (ㄷ irregular): ㄷ-irregular verbs end in 다 with a ㄷ final consonant. Before a vowel, the ㄷ changes to ㄹ. So 듣다 (to listen) becomes 들어요 — NOT *듣어요. Before consonants the ㄷ stays: 듣고, 듣지. A few verbs that look like ㄷ-irregulars are actually regular (e.g. 받다, 믿다) — there is no spelling rule; each must be memorised. See all ㄷ-irregular verbs →
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
Highlighted = where the stem changes
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 들어요 deu-ruh-yoh deureoyo | 듣습니다 deut-seum-nee-dah deutseumnida | |
| Past | 들었어 deu-ruh-ssuh deureosseo | 들었어요 deu-ruh-ssuh-yoh deureosseoyo | 들었습니다 deu-ruh-sseum-nee-dah deureosseumnida |
| Future | 들을 거야 deu-reul guh-yah deureul geoya | 들을 거예요 deu-reul guh-yae-yoh deureul geoyeyo | 들을 겁니다 deu-reul guhm-nee-dah deureul geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present너 내 말 들어?Are you listening to me?
- polite present저는 운전할 때 음악을 들어요.I listen to music when I drive.
- formal present많은 학생들이 이 수업을 듣습니다.Many students take this class.
- casual past그 소식 들었어?Did you hear the news?
- polite past밖에서 이상한 소리를 들었어요.I heard a strange noise outside.
- formal past회의에서 고객들의 의견을 들었습니다.We heard the clients’ feedback at the meeting.
- casual future이번 학기에 한국어 수업 들을 거야.I’m going to take a Korean class this semester.
- polite future오늘은 집에서 팟캐스트를 들을 거예요.I’m going to listen to a podcast at home today.
- formal future다음 주에 전문가의 강의를 들을 겁니다.Next week we will attend a lecture by an expert.
- honorific -(으)세요잘 들으세요.Listen carefully.
How it’s used
듣다 means both to listen and to hear, and students also use it for taking a class: 수업을 듣다. 말을 듣다 means to do as you are told: 엄마 말 잘 들어 (“listen to your mother”). As a ㄷ-irregular verb, its ㄷ becomes ㄹ before a vowel (들어요, 들으세요) but stays before a consonant (듣고, 듣습니다).
Common mistake
Keeping the ㄷ before a vowel: ✗ 듣어요 → ✓ 들어요. Note that 들어요 is also the polite form of 들다 (to hold, to carry), so 음악을 들어요 is “I listen to music” but 가방을 들어요 is “I carry a bag.”
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
들으세요
deu-reu-sae-yoh
deureuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
들어요
deu-ruh-yoh
deureoyo
Question Polite (요)
들어요?
deu-ruh-yoh-?
deureoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
듣고
deut-goh
deutgo
Conditional "if" — (면)
들으면
deu-reu-myuhn
deureumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
듣고 있어요
deut-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
deutgo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
듣고 싶어요
deut-goh shee-puh-yoh
deutgo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
들을 수 있어요
deu-reul soo ee-ssuh-yoh
deureul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
들어서
deu-ruh-suh
deureoseo
Noun form — (기)
듣기
deut-gee
deutgi
Noun form — (음)
들음
deu-reum
deureum