지켜
chee-kyuh
jikyeo
regular
지키다
To say to protect, to defend politely in the present tense, use 지켜요 (chee-kyuh-yoh) · jikyeoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 지키다 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 | 지켜요 chee-kyuh-yoh jikyeoyo | 지킵니다 chee-keem-nee-dah jikimnida | |
| Past | 지켰어 chee-kyuh-ssuh jikyeosseo | 지켰어요 chee-kyuh-ssuh-yoh jikyeosseoyo | 지켰습니다 chee-kyuh-sseum-nee-dah jikyeosseumnida |
| Future | 지킬 거야 chee-keel guh-yah jikil geoya | 지킬 거예요 chee-keel guh-yae-yoh jikil geoyeyo | 지킬 겁니다 chee-keel guhm-nee-dah jikil geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
지키세요
chee-kee-sae-yoh
jikiseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
지켜요
chee-kyuh-yoh
jikyeoyo
Question Polite (요)
지켜요?
chee-kyuh-yoh-?
jikyeoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
지키고
chee-kee-goh
jikigo
Conditional "if" — (면)
지키면
chee-kee-myuhn
jikimyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
지키고 있어요
chee-kee-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
jikigo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
지키고 싶어요
chee-kee-goh shee-puh-yoh
jikigo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
지킬 수 있어요
chee-keel soo ee-ssuh-yoh
jikil su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
지켜서
chee-kyuh-suh
jikyeoseo
Noun form — (기)
지키기
chee-kee-gee
jikigi
Noun form — (음)
지킴
chee-keem
jikim