와
wah
wa
regular
오다
To say to come politely in the present tense, use 와요 (wah-yoh) · wayo. Below is the full conjugation of 오다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (regular): Regular verbs and adjectives conjugate predictably. Before 어-series suffixes, vowels may contract (가 + 아 → 가, 보 + 아 → 봐), but no consonant in the stem changes. If the final vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, use 아; otherwise use 어. Consonant-final stems: 먹 + 어 → 먹어; vowel-final: 가 + 아 → 가.
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 와요 wah-yoh wayo | 옵니다 ohm-nee-dah omnida | |
| Past | 왔어 wah-ssuh wasseo | 왔어요 wah-ssuh-yoh wasseoyo | 왔습니다 wah-sseum-nee-dah wasseumnida |
| Future | 올 거야 ohl guh-yah ol geoya | 올 거예요 ohl guh-yae-yoh ol geoyeyo | 올 겁니다 ohl guhm-nee-dah ol geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present버스 와! 빨리 뛰어.The bus is coming! Run!
- polite present밖에 비가 와요.It’s raining outside.
- formal present매년 많은 관광객이 제주도에 옵니다.Many tourists come to Jeju Island every year.
- casual past언제 왔어?When did you get here?
- polite past어제 눈이 많이 왔어요.It snowed a lot yesterday.
- formal past고객님께 택배가 왔습니다.A package has arrived for you.
- casual future너도 파티에 올 거야?Are you coming to the party too?
- polite future주말에 친구가 우리 집에 올 거예요.A friend is coming over this weekend.
- formal future오후에 다시 올 겁니다.I will come back in the afternoon.
- honorific -(으)세요어서 오세요.Welcome, come on in.
How it’s used
오다 is movement toward the speaker’s current location: 친구가 우리 집에 와요 (“my friend comes to my place”). It is also how Korean talks about weather falling: 비가 오다 (to rain) and 눈이 오다 (to snow). Shops greet every customer with 어서 오세요, the -(으)세요 form of 오다.
Common mistake
Saying 와요 for “I’m coming!” when you are heading toward someone. Korean takes the speaker’s point of view, so you say 지금 가요! (“I’m on my way!”); keep 오다 for movement toward where you are.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
오세요
oh-sae-yoh
oseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
와요
wah-yoh
wayo
Question Polite (요)
와요?
wah-yoh-?
wayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
오고
oh-goh
ogo
Conditional "if" — (면)
오면
oh-myuhn
omyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
오고 있어요
oh-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
ogo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
오고 싶어요
oh-goh shee-puh-yoh
ogo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
올 수 있어요
ohl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
ol su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
와서
wah-suh
waseo
Noun form — (기)
오기
oh-gee
ogi
Noun form — (음)
옴
ohm
om