가
gah
ga
regular
가다
To say to go politely in the present tense, use 가요 (gah-yoh) · gayo. Below is the full conjugation of 가다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (regular): Regular verbs and adjectives conjugate predictably. Before 어-series suffixes, vowels may contract (가 + 아 → 가, 보 + 아 → 봐), but no consonant in the stem changes. If the final vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, use 아; otherwise use 어. Consonant-final stems: 먹 + 어 → 먹어; vowel-final: 가 + 아 → 가.
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 가요 gah-yoh gayo | 갑니다 gahm-nee-dah gamnida | |
| Past | 갔어 gah-ssuh gasseo | 갔어요 gah-ssuh-yoh gasseoyo | 갔습니다 gah-sseum-nee-dah gasseumnida |
| Future | 갈 거야 gahl guh-yah gal geoya | 갈 거예요 gahl guh-yae-yoh gal geoyeyo | 갈 겁니다 gahl guhm-nee-dah gal geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present어디 가?Where are you going?
- polite present저는 매일 버스로 학교에 가요.I go to school by bus every day.
- formal present이 버스는 서울역까지 갑니다.This bus goes to Seoul Station.
- casual past주말에 어디 갔어?Where did you go over the weekend?
- polite past작년에 부산에 갔어요.I went to Busan last year.
- formal past직원들은 모두 집에 갔습니다.All the employees have gone home.
- casual future이번 주말에 바다에 갈 거야.I’m going to the beach this weekend.
- polite future내일 병원에 갈 거예요.I’m going to the hospital tomorrow.
- formal future다음 달에 일본으로 출장을 갈 겁니다.I will go on a business trip to Japan next month.
- honorific -(으)세요안녕히 가세요.Goodbye. (said to someone who is leaving)
How it’s used
가다 is movement away from where the speaker is; movement toward the speaker uses 오다. The destination takes 에 (학교에 가요), and a purpose takes -(으)러: 밥 먹으러 가요 means “I’m going to eat.” 가다 also combines with other verbs to show movement away, as in 들어가다 (to go in) and 가져가다 (to take along).
Common mistake
Marking the destination with 에서: ✗ 학교에서 가요 → ✓ 학교에 가요. 에서 marks where you set off from or where an action happens, so 집에서 가요 means “I’m going from home.”
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
가세요
gah-sae-yoh
gaseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
가요
gah-yoh
gayo
Question Polite (요)
가요?
gah-yoh-?
gayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
가고
gah-goh
gago
Conditional "if" — (면)
가면
gah-myuhn
gamyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
가고 있어요
gah-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
gago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
가고 싶어요
gah-goh shee-puh-yoh
gago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
갈 수 있어요
gahl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
gal su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
가서
gah-suh
gaseo
Noun form — (기)
가기
gah-gee
gagi
Noun form — (음)
감
gahm
gam