짧아
jjahl-ah
jjaa
descriptive
짧다
To say short politely in the present tense, use 짧아요 (jjahl-ah-yoh) · jjaayo. Below is the full conjugation of 짧다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (descriptive): Descriptive verbs (형용사) function like adjectives in Korean and conjugate the same way as regular action verbs. They cannot take the progressive -고 있어요 or imperative forms. 좋다 (to be good) → 좋아요; 크다 (to be big) → 커요 (으-irregular).
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 짧아요 jjahl-ah-yoh jjaayo | 짧습니다 jjahl-seum-nee-dah jjaseumnida | |
| Past | 짧았어 jjahl-ah-ssuh jjaasseo | 짧았어요 jjahl-ah-ssuh-yoh jjaasseoyo | 짧았습니다 jjahl-ah-sseum-nee-dah jjaasseumnida |
| Future | 짧을 거야 jjahl-eul guh-yah jjaeul geoya | 짧을 거예요 jjahl-eul guh-yae-yoh jjaeul geoyeyo | 짧을 겁니다 jjahl-eul guhm-nee-dah jjaeul geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
짧으세요
jjahl-eu-sae-yoh
jjaeuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
짧아요
jjahl-ah-yoh
jjaayo
Question Polite (요)
짧아요?
jjahl-ah-yoh-?
jjaayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
짧고
jjahl-goh
jjago
Conditional "if" — (면)
짧으면
jjahl-eu-myuhn
jjaeumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
짧고 있어요
jjahl-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
jjago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
짧고 싶어요
jjahl-goh shee-puh-yoh
jjago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
짧을 수 있어요
jjahl-eul soo ee-ssuh-yoh
jjaeul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
짧아서
jjahl-ah-suh
jjaaseo
Noun form — (기)
짧기
jjahl-gee
jjagi
Noun form — (음)
짧음
jjahl-eum
jjaeum