도와
doh-wah
dowa
돕다
To say to help politely in the present tense, use 도와요 (doh-wah-yoh) · dowayo. Below is the full conjugation of 돕다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (ㅂ irregular): ㅂ-irregular verbs end in 다 with a ㅂ final consonant. When a vowel suffix is added, the ㅂ drops and 우 is inserted (or 오 for 돕다 and 곱다). For example, 돕다 (to help) becomes 도와요 in the polite present instead of the expected *돕어요. Before consonant suffixes the ㅂ stays: 돕고, 돕지. 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 | 도와요 doh-wah-yoh dowayo | 돕습니다 dohp-sseum-nee-dah dopsseumnida | |
| Past | 도왔어 doh-wah-ssuh dowasseo | 도왔어요 doh-wah-ssuh-yoh dowasseoyo | 도왔습니다 doh-wah-sseum-nee-dah dowasseumnida |
| Future | 도울 거야 doh-ool guh-yah doul geoya | 도울 거예요 doh-ool guh-yae-yoh doul geoyeyo | 도울 겁니다 doh-ool guhm-nee-dah doul geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present동생이 매일 엄마 일을 도와.My younger sibling helps Mom every day.
- polite present저는 주말마다 부모님 가게 일을 도와요.I help out at my parents’ shop every weekend.
- formal present이 단체는 어려운 사람들을 돕습니다.This charity helps people in need.
- casual past이사할 때 누가 도왔어?Who helped you move?
- polite past주말에 친구 이사를 도왔어요.I helped a friend move this weekend.
- formal past많은 자원봉사자들이 피해 주민들을 도왔습니다.Many volunteers helped the affected residents.
- casual future이번 주말에 친구 이사 도울 거야.I’m going to help my friend move this weekend.
- polite future시간이 되면 행사 준비를 도울 거예요.If I have time, I’m going to help get the event ready.
- formal future저희 팀이 끝까지 도울 겁니다.Our team will help you all the way.
- honorific -(으)세요할 수 있을 때 서로 도우세요.Help each other when you can.
How it’s used
돕다 means to help; in everyday speech 도와주다 is even more common: 도와주세요! (“help me, please!”). To offer help to someone senior, use the humble 도와드리다: 제가 도와드릴게요. It is ㅂ-irregular, and unlike most of its class it takes 와: 도와요, 도왔어요.
Common mistake
Using 워 like other ㅂ-irregulars: ✗ 도워요 → ✓ 도와요. Most ㅂ-irregular verbs take 워 (추워요, 쉬워요), but 돕다 and 곱다 take 와.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
도우세요
doh-oo-sae-yoh
douseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
도와요
doh-wah-yoh
dowayo
Question Polite (요)
도와요?
doh-wah-yoh-?
dowayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
돕고
dohp-goh
dopgo
Conditional "if" — (면)
도우면
doh-oo-myuhn
doumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
돕고 있어요
dohp-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
dopgo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
돕고 싶어요
dohp-goh shee-puh-yoh
dopgo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
도울 수 있어요
doh-ool soo ee-ssuh-yoh
doul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
도와서
doh-wah-suh
dowaseo
Noun form — (기)
돕기
dohp-gee
dopgi
Noun form — (음)
도움
doh-oom
doum