어려워
uh-ryuh-wuh
eoryeowo
어렵다
To say to be difficult politely in the present tense, use 어려워요 (uh-ryuh-wuh-yoh) · eoryeowoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 어렵다 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 | 어려워요 uh-ryuh-wuh-yoh eoryeowoyo | 어렵습니다 uh-ryuhp-sseum-nee-dah eoryeopsseumnida | |
| Past | 어려웠어 uh-ryuh-wuh-ssuh eoryeowosseo | 어려웠어요 uh-ryuh-wuh-ssuh-yoh eoryeowosseoyo | 어려웠습니다 uh-ryuh-wuh-sseum-nee-dah eoryeowosseumnida |
| Future | 어려울 거야 uh-ryuh-ool guh-yah eoryeoul geoya | 어려울 거예요 uh-ryuh-ool guh-yae-yoh eoryeoul geoyeyo | 어려울 겁니다 uh-ryuh-ool guhm-nee-dah eoryeoul geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present이 문제 너무 어려워.This problem is too hard.
- polite present한국어 발음이 좀 어려워요.Korean pronunciation is a bit difficult.
- formal present이 질문에는 답하기 어렵습니다.This question is hard to answer.
- casual past시험 어려웠어?Was the exam hard?
- polite past처음에는 한국 생활이 어려웠어요.Life in Korea was hard at first.
- formal past작년에는 회사 사정이 어려웠습니다.Last year the company went through a difficult time.
- casual future처음엔 좀 어려울 거야.It’ll be a bit hard at first.
- polite future오늘 안에 끝내기는 어려울 거예요.It’ll be hard to finish by the end of today.
- formal future이번 주 안에 배송은 어려울 겁니다.Delivery within this week will be difficult.
- honorific -(으)세요한국어 공부가 어려우세요?Do you find studying Korean difficult?
How it’s used
어렵다 means difficult, and with -기 it means “hard to do”: 이해하기 어려워요. 어려운 사람들 refers to people in need, and 사정이 어렵다 means to be going through hard times. It is ㅂ-irregular: 어려워요, 어려운, but 어렵고, 어렵습니다.
Common mistake
Taking 좀 어려울 것 같아요 literally. When someone says a request “seems a bit difficult,” it is usually a polite no, so don’t keep pushing.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
어려우세요
uh-ryuh-oo-sae-yoh
eoryeouseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
어려워요
uh-ryuh-wuh-yoh
eoryeowoyo
Question Polite (요)
어려워요?
uh-ryuh-wuh-yoh-?
eoryeowoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
어렵고
uh-ryuhp-goh
eoryeopgo
Conditional "if" — (면)
어려우면
uh-ryuh-oo-myuhn
eoryeoumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
어렵고 있어요
uh-ryuhp-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
eoryeopgo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
어렵고 싶어요
uh-ryuhp-goh shee-puh-yoh
eoryeopgo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
어려울 수 있어요
uh-ryuh-ool soo ee-ssuh-yoh
eoryeoul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
어려워서
uh-ryuh-wuh-suh
eoryeowoseo
Noun form — (기)
어렵기
uh-ryuhp-gee
eoryeopgi
Noun form — (음)
어려움
uh-ryuh-oom
eoryeoum