고백해
goh-bae-kae
gobaekae
고백하다
To say to confess politely in the present tense, use 고백해요 (goh-bae-kae-yoh) · gobaekaeyo. Below is the full conjugation of 고백하다 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 | 고백해요 goh-bae-kae-yoh gobaekaeyo | 고백합니다 goh-bae-kahm-nee-dah gobaekamnida | |
| Past | 고백했어 goh-bae-kae-ssuh gobaekaesseo | 고백했어요 goh-bae-kae-ssuh-yoh gobaekaesseoyo | 고백했습니다 goh-bae-kae-sseum-nee-dah gobaekaesseumnida |
| Future | 고백할 거야 goh-bae-kahl guh-yah gobaekal geoya | 고백할 거예요 goh-bae-kahl guh-yae-yoh gobaekal geoyeyo | 고백할 겁니다 goh-bae-kahl guhm-nee-dah gobaekal geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
고백하세요
goh-bae-kah-sae-yoh
gobaekaseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
고백해요
goh-bae-kae-yoh
gobaekaeyo
Question Polite (요)
고백해요?
goh-bae-kae-yoh-?
gobaekaeyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
고백하고
goh-bae-kah-goh
gobaekago
Conditional "if" — (면)
고백하면
goh-bae-kah-myuhn
gobaekamyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
고백하고 있어요
goh-bae-kah-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
gobaekago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
고백하고 싶어요
goh-bae-kah-goh shee-puh-yoh
gobaekago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
고백할 수 있어요
goh-bae-kahl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
gobaekal su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
고백해서
goh-bae-kae-suh
gobaekaeseo
Noun form — (기)
고백하기
goh-bae-kah-gee
gobaekagi
Noun form — (음)
고백함
goh-bae-kahm
gobaekam