지내
chee-nae
jinae
regular
지내다
To say to spend (one's time) politely in the present tense, use 지내요 (chee-nae-yoh) · jinaeyo. Below is the full conjugation of 지내다 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 | 지내요 chee-nae-yoh jinaeyo | 지냅니다 chee-naem-nee-dah jinaemnida | |
| Past | 지냈어 chee-nae-ssuh jinaesseo | 지냈어요 chee-nae-ssuh-yoh jinaesseoyo | 지냈습니다 chee-nae-sseum-nee-dah jinaesseumnida |
| Future | 지낼 거야 chee-nael guh-yah jinael geoya | 지낼 거예요 chee-nael guh-yae-yoh jinael geoyeyo | 지낼 겁니다 chee-nael guhm-nee-dah jinael geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
지내세요
chee-nae-sae-yoh
jinaeseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
지내요
chee-nae-yoh
jinaeyo
Question Polite (요)
지내요?
chee-nae-yoh-?
jinaeyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
지내고
chee-nae-goh
jinaego
Conditional "if" — (면)
지내면
chee-nae-myuhn
jinaemyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
지내고 있어요
chee-nae-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
jinaego isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
지내고 싶어요
chee-nae-goh shee-puh-yoh
jinaego sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
지낼 수 있어요
chee-nael soo ee-ssuh-yoh
jinael su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
지내서
chee-nae-suh
jinaeseo
Noun form — (기)
지내기
chee-nae-gee
jinaegi
Noun form — (음)
지냄
chee-naem
jinaem