공부해
gohng-boo-hae
gongbuhae
공부하다
To say to study politely in the present tense, use 공부해요 (gohng-boo-hae-yoh) · gongbuhaeyo. Below is the full conjugation of 공부하다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (하다 (irregular)): 하다 (to do) is the base of Korean's most common verb class. It conjugates irregularly: the ㅏ in 하 contracts with the -아/-어 ending to give 해 instead of the expected *하어. Present polite: 해요; past: 했어요; future: 할 거예요. The formal form is 합니다. 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 | 공부해요 gohng-boo-hae-yoh gongbuhaeyo | 공부합니다 gohng-boo-hahm-nee-dah gongbuhamnida | |
| Past | 공부했어 gohng-boo-hae-ssuh gongbuhaesseo | 공부했어요 gohng-boo-hae-ssuh-yoh gongbuhaesseoyo | 공부했습니다 gohng-boo-hae-sseum-nee-dah gongbuhaesseumnida |
| Future | 공부할 거야 gohng-boo-hahl guh-yah gongbuhal geoya | 공부할 거예요 gohng-boo-hahl guh-yae-yoh gongbuhal geoyeyo | 공부할 겁니다 gohng-boo-hahl guhm-nee-dah gongbuhal geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present너 지금 공부해?Are you studying right now?
- polite present저는 도서관에서 공부해요.I study at the library.
- formal present한국 고등학생들은 밤늦게까지 공부합니다.Korean high school students study late into the night.
- casual past어제 몇 시간 공부했어?How many hours did you study yesterday?
- polite past혼자서 한국어를 공부했어요.I studied Korean on my own.
- formal past저는 3년 동안 일본에서 공부했습니다.I studied in Japan for three years.
- casual future오늘은 밤새 공부할 거야.I’m going to study all night tonight.
- polite future시험이 끝나도 계속 공부할 거예요.I’m going to keep studying even after the exam.
- formal future다음 시간에는 동사 활용을 공부할 겁니다.In the next class we will study verb conjugation.
- honorific -(으)세요열심히 공부하세요.Study hard.
How it’s used
공부하다 is 공부 (study) + 하다, so it conjugates exactly like 하다. You can say 한국어를 공부해요 or 한국어 공부를 해요; both are natural. It means studying in general, often on your own; for learning a skill from someone, 배우다 is more natural.
Common mistake
Using the object particle twice: ✗ 한국어를 공부를 해요 → ✓ 한국어를 공부해요 or 한국어 공부를 해요.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
공부하세요
gohng-boo-hah-sae-yoh
gongbuhaseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
공부해요
gohng-boo-hae-yoh
gongbuhaeyo
Question Polite (요)
공부해요?
gohng-boo-hae-yoh-?
gongbuhaeyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
공부하고
gohng-boo-hah-goh
gongbuhago
Conditional "if" — (면)
공부하면
gohng-boo-hah-myuhn
gongbuhamyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
공부하고 있어요
gohng-boo-hah-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
gongbuhago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
공부하고 싶어요
gohng-boo-hah-goh shee-puh-yoh
gongbuhago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
공부할 수 있어요
gohng-boo-hahl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
gongbuhal su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
공부해서
gohng-boo-hae-suh
gongbuhaeseo
Noun form — (기)
공부하기
gohng-boo-hah-gee
gongbuhagi
Noun form — (음)
공부함
gohng-boo-hahm
gongbuham