어떡해
uh-ttuh-kae
eotteokae
어떡하다
To say what is one supposed to do politely in the present tense, use 어떡해요 (uh-ttuh-kae-yoh) · eotteokaeyo. Below is the full conjugation of 어떡하다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (하다 verb): 하다 verbs are formed with a Sino-Korean noun + 하다 (e.g. 공부하다 = study + do). 하다 conjugates irregularly: the ㅏ in 하 contracts with the -아/-어 suffix to give 해 (not *하어). Present polite: 해요; past polite: 했어요. The formal ending is 합니다 (not *하습니다). Most noun+하다 compounds follow this pattern uniformly. See all 하다 verbs →
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
Highlighted = where the stem changes
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 어떡해요 uh-ttuh-kae-yoh eotteokaeyo | 어떡합니다 uh-ttuh-kahm-nee-dah eotteokamnida | |
| Past | 어떡했어 uh-ttuh-kae-ssuh eotteokaesseo | 어떡했어요 uh-ttuh-kae-ssuh-yoh eotteokaesseoyo | 어떡했습니다 uh-ttuh-kae-sseum-nee-dah eotteokaesseumnida |
| Future | 어떡할 거야 uh-ttuh-kahl guh-yah eotteokal geoya | 어떡할 거예요 uh-ttuh-kahl guh-yae-yoh eotteokal geoyeyo | 어떡할 겁니다 uh-ttuh-kahl guhm-nee-dah eotteokal geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
어떡하세요
uh-ttuh-kah-sae-yoh
eotteokaseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
어떡해요
uh-ttuh-kae-yoh
eotteokaeyo
Question Polite (요)
어떡해요?
uh-ttuh-kae-yoh-?
eotteokaeyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
어떡하고
uh-ttuh-kah-goh
eotteokago
Conditional "if" — (면)
어떡하면
uh-ttuh-kah-myuhn
eotteokamyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
어떡하고 있어요
uh-ttuh-kah-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
eotteokago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
어떡하고 싶어요
uh-ttuh-kah-goh shee-puh-yoh
eotteokago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
어떡할 수 있어요
uh-ttuh-kahl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
eotteokal su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
어떡해서
uh-ttuh-kae-suh
eotteokaeseo
Noun form — (기)
어떡하기
uh-ttuh-kah-gee
eotteokagi
Noun form — (음)
어떡함
uh-ttuh-kahm
eotteokam