놀아
noh-rah
nora
놀다
To say to play, to hang out politely in the present tense, use 놀아요 (noh-rah-yoh) · norayo. Below is the full conjugation of 놀다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (ㄹ stem): ㄹ-stem verbs end in ㄹ as the final consonant. They are conjugated regularly with vowel suffixes (살다 → 살아요), but the ㄹ drops before certain consonant suffixes — specifically before ㄴ, ㅂ, ㅅ, and before the formal ending 습니다: 살다 → 사는, 삽니다, 살지 (ㄹ kept before ㅈ). This is sometimes called a "ㄹ drop" or "ㄹ irregular." See all ㄹ-stem verbs →
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
Highlighted = where the stem changes
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 놀아요 noh-rah-yoh norayo | 놉니다 nohm-nee-dah nomnida | |
| Past | 놀았어 noh-rah-ssuh norasseo | 놀았어요 noh-rah-ssuh-yoh norasseoyo | 놀았습니다 noh-rah-sseum-nee-dah norasseumnida |
| Future | 놀 거야 nohl guh-yah nol geoya | 놀 거예요 nohl guh-yae-yoh nol geoyeyo | 놀 겁니다 nohl guhm-nee-dah nol geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present애들 밖에서 놀아.The kids are playing outside.
- polite present주말에는 보통 친구들이랑 놀아요.Most weekends I hang out with friends.
- formal present이 공원에서는 아이들이 안전하게 놉니다.Children can play safely in this park.
- casual past어제 누구랑 놀았어?Who did you hang out with yesterday?
- polite past바닷가에서 하루 종일 놀았어요.I spent all day having fun at the beach.
- formal past학생들은 쉬는 시간에 운동장에서 놀았습니다.The students played in the schoolyard during the break.
- casual future시험 끝나면 실컷 놀 거야.Once exams are over, I’m going to have all the fun I want.
- polite future내일은 하루 종일 놀 거예요.I’m going to have fun all day tomorrow.
- formal future이번 연휴에는 아이들과 캠핑장에서 놀 겁니다.This holiday we will spend time with the kids at a campsite.
- honorific -(으)세요재미있게 노세요!Have fun!
How it’s used
놀다 covers children playing, adults hanging out, and simply being off work: 오늘 놀아요 (“I have the day off”). 놀러 가다 and 놀러 오다 mean to visit for fun: 우리 집에 놀러 와 (“come over to my place”). As an ㄹ-stem verb it drops ㄹ before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ: 놉니다, 노세요, 노는 아이들.
Common mistake
Using 놀다 with a sport or instrument: ✗ 축구를 놀아요, 피아노를 놀아요 → ✓ 축구를 해요, 피아노를 쳐요.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
노세요
noh-sae-yoh
noseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
놀아요
noh-rah-yoh
norayo
Question Polite (요)
놀아요?
noh-rah-yoh-?
norayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
놀고
nohl-goh
nolgo
Conditional "if" — (면)
놀면
nohl-myuhn
nolmyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
놀고 있어요
nohl-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
nolgo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
놀고 싶어요
nohl-goh shee-puh-yoh
nolgo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
놀 수 있어요
nohl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
nol su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
놀아서
noh-rah-suh
noraseo
Noun form — (기)
놀기
nohl-gee
nolgi
Noun form — (음)
놂
nohm
nom