누워
noo-wuh
nuwo
눕다
To say to lie down politely in the present tense, use 누워요 (noo-wuh-yoh) · nuwoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 눕다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (ㅂ irregular): ㅂ-irregular verbs end in 다 with a ㅂ final consonant. When a vowel suffix is added, the ㅂ drops and 우 is inserted (or 오 for 돕다 and 곱다). For example, 돕다 (to help) becomes 도와요 in the polite present instead of the expected *돕어요. Before consonant suffixes the ㅂ stays: 돕고, 돕지. See all ㅂ-irregular verbs →
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
Highlighted = where the stem changes
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 누워요 noo-wuh-yoh nuwoyo | 눕습니다 noop-sseum-nee-dah nupsseumnida | |
| Past | 누웠어 noo-wuh-ssuh nuwosseo | 누웠어요 noo-wuh-ssuh-yoh nuwosseoyo | 누웠습니다 noo-wuh-sseum-nee-dah nuwosseumnida |
| Future | 누울 거야 noo-ool guh-yah nuul geoya | 누울 거예요 noo-ool guh-yae-yoh nuul geoyeyo | 누울 겁니다 noo-ool guhm-nee-dah nuul geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present피곤하면 좀 누워.If you’re tired, lie down for a bit.
- polite present저는 집에 오면 바로 소파에 누워요.When I get home, I lie down on the couch right away.
- formal present검사할 때 환자는 이 침대에 눕습니다.During the test, the patient lies on this bed.
- casual past벌써 누웠어?Are you in bed already?
- polite past머리가 아파서 일찍 누웠어요.I had a headache, so I lay down early.
- formal past아이들은 잔디밭에 누웠습니다.The children lay down on the grass.
- casual future집에 가자마자 누울 거야.I’m lying down as soon as I get home.
- polite future점심 먹고 잠깐 누울 거예요.I’m going to lie down for a bit after lunch.
- formal future마사지를 받을 때는 이 침대에 누울 겁니다.You will lie on this bed for the massage.
- honorific -(으)세요여기 누우세요.Please lie down here.
How it’s used
눕다 is the action of lying down; being in a lying position is 누워 있다. It is ㅂ-irregular, so the ㅂ becomes 우 before a vowel: 누워요, 누우세요, but 눕고, 눕습니다. 드러눕다 means to sprawl out or to take to your bed.
Common mistake
Conjugating it regularly: ✗ 눕어요 → ✓ 누워요. And for “I’m lying in bed,” use 침대에 누워 있어요, not 침대에 눕고 있어요.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
누우세요
noo-oo-sae-yoh
nuuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
누워요
noo-wuh-yoh
nuwoyo
Question Polite (요)
누워요?
noo-wuh-yoh-?
nuwoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
눕고
noop-goh
nupgo
Conditional "if" — (면)
누우면
noo-oo-myuhn
nuumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
눕고 있어요
noop-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
nupgo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
눕고 싶어요
noop-goh shee-puh-yoh
nupgo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
누울 수 있어요
noo-ool soo ee-ssuh-yoh
nuul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
누워서
noo-wuh-suh
nuwoseo
Noun form — (기)
눕기
noop-gee
nupgi
Noun form — (음)
누움
noo-oom
nuum