같아
gah-tah
gata
descriptive
같다
To say the same politely in the present tense, use 같아요 (gah-tah-yoh) · gatayo. Below is the full conjugation of 같다 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 | 같아요 gah-tah-yoh gatayo | 같습니다 gaht-seum-nee-dah gatseumnida | |
| Past | 같았어 gah-tah-ssuh gatasseo | 같았어요 gah-tah-ssuh-yoh gatasseoyo | 같았습니다 gah-tah-sseum-nee-dah gatasseumnida |
| Future | 같을 거야 gah-teul guh-yah gateul geoya | 같을 거예요 gah-teul guh-yae-yoh gateul geoyeyo | 같을 겁니다 gah-teul guhm-nee-dah gateul geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
같으세요
gah-teu-sae-yoh
gateuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
같아요
gah-tah-yoh
gatayo
Question Polite (요)
같아요?
gah-tah-yoh-?
gatayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
같고
gaht-goh
gatgo
Conditional "if" — (면)
같으면
gah-teu-myuhn
gateumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
같고 있어요
gaht-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
gatgo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
같고 싶어요
gaht-goh shee-puh-yoh
gatgo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
같을 수 있어요
gah-teul soo ee-ssuh-yoh
gateul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
같아서
gah-tah-suh
gataseo
Noun form — (기)
같기
gaht-gee
gatgi
Noun form — (음)
같음
gah-teum
gateum