좋아
choh-ah
joa
descriptive
좋다
To say to be good politely in the present tense, use 좋아요 (choh-ah-yoh) · joayo. Below is the full conjugation of 좋다 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 | 좋아요 choh-ah-yoh joayo | 좋습니다 choh-sseum-nee-dah josseumnida | |
| Past | 좋았어 choh-ah-ssuh joasseo | 좋았어요 choh-ah-ssuh-yoh joasseoyo | 좋았습니다 choh-ah-sseum-nee-dah joasseumnida |
| Future | 좋을 거야 choh-eul guh-yah joeul geoya | 좋을 거예요 choh-eul guh-yae-yoh joeul geoyeyo | 좋을 겁니다 choh-eul guhm-nee-dah joeul geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present그래, 좋아!Sure, sounds good!
- polite present오늘 날씨가 정말 좋아요.The weather is really nice today.
- formal present이 호텔은 위치가 아주 좋습니다.This hotel is in a great location.
- casual past어제 공연 좋았어?Was the show good last night?
- polite past제주도 여행이 정말 좋았어요.My trip to Jeju was really great.
- formal past이번 행사 반응이 아주 좋았습니다.The response to this event was very positive.
- casual future같이 가면 더 좋을 거야.It’ll be more fun if we go together.
- polite future우산을 가져가는 게 좋을 거예요.You’d better take an umbrella.
- formal future내일은 날씨가 좋을 겁니다.The weather will be nice tomorrow.
- honorific -(으)세요어떤 게 더 좋으세요?Which one do you prefer?
How it’s used
좋다 means good or nice, and 좋아요 on its own is an everyday “okay” or “sounds good.” With 이/가 it also expresses liking: 저는 여름이 좋아요 (“I like summer”). -는 게 좋을 거예요 is a gentle way to give advice: 일찍 가는 게 좋을 거예요 (“you’d better go early”).
Common mistake
Using 을/를 with 좋다: ✗ 저는 커피를 좋아요 → ✓ 커피가 좋아요. 좋다 is an adjective, so the thing you like is its subject; with 을/를, use the verb 좋아하다: 커피를 좋아해요.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
좋으세요
choh-eu-sae-yoh
joeuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
좋아요
choh-ah-yoh
joayo
Question Polite (요)
좋아요?
choh-ah-yoh-?
joayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
좋고
choh-koh
joko
Conditional "if" — (면)
좋으면
choh-eu-myuhn
joeumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
좋고 있어요
choh-koh ee-ssuh-yoh
joko isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
좋고 싶어요
choh-koh shee-puh-yoh
joko sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
좋을 수 있어요
choh-eul soo ee-ssuh-yoh
joeul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
좋아서
choh-ah-suh
joaseo
Noun form — (기)
좋기
choh-kee
joki
Noun form — (음)
좋음
choh-eum
joeum