기다려
gee-dah-ryuh
gidaryeo
regular
기다리다
To say to wait politely in the present tense, use 기다려요 (gee-dah-ryuh-yoh) · gidaryeoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 기다리다 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 | 기다려요 gee-dah-ryuh-yoh gidaryeoyo | 기다립니다 gee-dah-reem-nee-dah gidarimnida | |
| Past | 기다렸어 gee-dah-ryuh-ssuh gidaryeosseo | 기다렸어요 gee-dah-ryuh-ssuh-yoh gidaryeosseoyo | 기다렸습니다 gee-dah-ryuh-sseum-nee-dah gidaryeosseumnida |
| Future | 기다릴 거야 gee-dah-reel guh-yah gidaril geoya | 기다릴 거예요 gee-dah-reel guh-yae-yoh gidaril geoyeyo | 기다릴 겁니다 gee-dah-reel guhm-nee-dah gidaril geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present잠깐만 기다려.Wait a sec.
- polite present매일 아침 여기서 버스를 기다려요.I wait for the bus here every morning.
- formal present많은 팬들이 새 앨범을 기다립니다.Many fans are waiting for the new album.
- casual past많이 기다렸어?Have you been waiting long?
- polite past30분 동안 친구를 기다렸어요.I waited for my friend for thirty minutes.
- formal past저희는 이 날을 오래 기다렸습니다.We have waited a long time for this day.
- casual future끝날 때까지 밖에서 기다릴 거야.I’ll wait outside until you’re done.
- polite future연락 기다릴 거예요.I’ll be waiting to hear from you.
- formal future결과가 나올 때까지 기다릴 겁니다.We will wait until the results come out.
- honorific -(으)세요잠시만 기다리세요.Please wait a moment.
How it’s used
기다리다 means to wait, and what you wait for is simply its object: 버스를 기다려요. In shops and on the phone you will hear the softer request 잠시만 기다려 주세요. To look forward to something, use 기대하다 instead.
Common mistake
Adding a word for “for”: ✗ 버스를 위해 기다려요 → ✓ 버스를 기다려요. 위해 means “for the sake of.”
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
기다리세요
gee-dah-ree-sae-yoh
gidariseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
기다려요
gee-dah-ryuh-yoh
gidaryeoyo
Question Polite (요)
기다려요?
gee-dah-ryuh-yoh-?
gidaryeoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
기다리고
gee-dah-ree-goh
gidarigo
Conditional "if" — (면)
기다리면
gee-dah-ree-myuhn
gidarimyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
기다리고 있어요
gee-dah-ree-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
gidarigo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
기다리고 싶어요
gee-dah-ree-goh shee-puh-yoh
gidarigo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
기다릴 수 있어요
gee-dah-reel soo ee-ssuh-yoh
gidaril su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
기다려서
gee-dah-ryuh-suh
gidaryeoseo
Noun form — (기)
기다리기
gee-dah-ree-gee
gidarigi
Noun form — (음)
기다림
gee-dah-reem
gidarim