어려
uh-ryuh
eoryeo
descriptive
어리다
To say to be young, to be little, to be a child politely in the present tense, use 어려요 (uh-ryuh-yoh) · eoryeoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 어리다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (descriptive): Descriptive verbs (형용사) function like adjectives in Korean and conjugate the same way as regular action verbs. They cannot take the progressive -고 있어요 or imperative forms. 좋다 (to be good) → 좋아요; 크다 (to be big) → 커요 (으-irregular).
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 어려요 uh-ryuh-yoh eoryeoyo | 어립니다 uh-reem-nee-dah eorimnida | |
| Past | 어렸어 uh-ryuh-ssuh eoryeosseo | 어렸어요 uh-ryuh-ssuh-yoh eoryeosseoyo | 어렸습니다 uh-ryuh-sseum-nee-dah eoryeosseumnida |
| Future | 어릴 거야 uh-reel guh-yah eoril geoya | 어릴 거예요 uh-reel guh-yae-yoh eoril geoyeyo | 어릴 겁니다 uh-reel guhm-nee-dah eoril geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
어리세요
uh-ree-sae-yoh
eoriseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
어려요
uh-ryuh-yoh
eoryeoyo
Question Polite (요)
어려요?
uh-ryuh-yoh-?
eoryeoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
어리고
uh-ree-goh
eorigo
Conditional "if" — (면)
어리면
uh-ree-myuhn
eorimyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
어리고 있어요
uh-ree-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
eorigo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
어리고 싶어요
uh-ree-goh shee-puh-yoh
eorigo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
어릴 수 있어요
uh-reel soo ee-ssuh-yoh
eoril su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
어려서
uh-ryuh-suh
eoryeoseo
Noun form — (기)
어리기
uh-ree-gee
eorigi
Noun form — (음)
어림
uh-reem
eorim