맛있어
mah-shee-ssuh
masisseo
descriptive
맛있다
To say to be delicious politely in the present tense, use 맛있어요 (mah-shee-ssuh-yoh) · masisseoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 맛있다 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 | 맛있어요 mah-shee-ssuh-yoh masisseoyo | 맛있습니다 mah-shee-sseum-nee-dah masisseumnida | |
| Past | 맛있었어 mah-shee-ssuh-ssuh masisseosseo | 맛있었어요 mah-shee-ssuh-ssuh-yoh masisseosseoyo | 맛있었습니다 mah-shee-ssuh-sseum-nee-dah masisseosseumnida |
| Future | 맛있을 거야 mah-shee-sseul guh-yah masisseul geoya | 맛있을 거예요 mah-shee-sseul guh-yae-yoh masisseul geoyeyo | 맛있을 겁니다 mah-shee-sseul guhm-nee-dah masisseul geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present이거 진짜 맛있어!This is so good!
- polite present이 집 떡볶이가 정말 맛있어요.The tteokbokki here is really good.
- formal present이 식당은 가격도 싸고 음식도 맛있습니다.This restaurant is cheap and the food is delicious.
- casual past어제 저녁 맛있었어?Was dinner good last night?
- polite past잘 먹었습니다. 정말 맛있었어요.Thank you for the meal. It was delicious.
- formal past오늘 식사 정말 맛있었습니다.Today’s meal was really delicious.
- casual future직접 만든 거니까 맛있을 거야.I made it myself, so it’ll be good.
- polite future이 소스를 넣으면 더 맛있을 거예요.It’ll taste even better with this sauce.
- formal future하루 지나면 김치가 더 맛있을 겁니다.The kimchi will taste better after a day.
- honorific -(으)세요할머니, 국 맛있으세요?Grandma, is the soup good?
How it’s used
맛있다 is 맛 (taste) + 있다, literally “to have taste,” and its opposite is 맛없다. It is pronounced [마싣따] or [마딛따], and both are standard. Around meals you will hear 맛있게 드세요 (“enjoy your meal”) and, afterwards, 잘 먹었습니다.
Common mistake
Making the negative with 안: 안 맛있어요 is understood, but the normal word is 맛없어요.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
맛있으세요
mah-shee-sseu-sae-yoh
masisseuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
맛있어요
mah-shee-ssuh-yoh
masisseoyo
Question Polite (요)
맛있어요?
mah-shee-ssuh-yoh-?
masisseoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
맛있고
mah-sheet-goh
masitgo
Conditional "if" — (면)
맛있으면
mah-shee-sseu-myuhn
masisseumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
맛있고 있어요
mah-sheet-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
masitgo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
맛있고 싶어요
mah-sheet-goh shee-puh-yoh
masitgo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
맛있을 수 있어요
mah-shee-sseul soo ee-ssuh-yoh
masisseul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
맛있어서
mah-shee-ssuh-suh
masisseoseo
Noun form — (기)
맛있기
mah-sheet-gee
masitgi
Noun form — (음)
맛있음
mah-shee-sseum
masisseum