사
sah
sa
regular
사다
To say to buy politely in the present tense, use 사요 (sah-yoh) · sayo. Below is the full conjugation of 사다 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 | 사요 sah-yoh sayo | 삽니다 sahm-nee-dah samnida | |
| Past | 샀어 sah-ssuh sasseo | 샀어요 sah-ssuh-yoh sasseoyo | 샀습니다 sah-sseum-nee-dah sasseumnida |
| Future | 살 거야 sahl guh-yah sal geoya | 살 거예요 sahl guh-yae-yoh sal geoyeyo | 살 겁니다 sahl guhm-nee-dah sal geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present뭐 사?What are you buying?
- polite present저는 보통 마트에서 과일을 사요.I usually buy fruit at the supermarket.
- formal present요즘 많은 사람들이 온라인으로 옷을 삽니다.These days many people buy clothes online.
- casual past새 신발 샀어?Did you buy new shoes?
- polite past어제 친구 생일 선물을 샀어요.I bought a birthday present for my friend yesterday.
- formal past작년에 처음으로 차를 샀습니다.I bought a car for the first time last year.
- casual future이번 달에 노트북 살 거야.I’m going to buy a laptop this month.
- polite future가는 길에 커피를 살 거예요.I’m going to buy coffee on the way.
- formal future다음 달에 새 휴대폰을 살 겁니다.I will buy a new phone next month.
- honorific -(으)세요이거 하나 사세요. 정말 싸요.Buy one of these. They’re really cheap.
How it’s used
사다 is the everyday verb for buying; the price takes 에: 만 원에 샀어요 (“I bought it for 10,000 won”). It also means treating someone, especially to food or drinks: 오늘은 내가 살게 means “today it’s on me.” Add 주다 to buy something for someone: 동생한테 책을 사 줬어요.
Common mistake
Mixing up 사다 (to buy) and 살다 (to live): ✗ 빵을 살아요 → ✓ 빵을 사요. Some forms really do overlap, such as 살 거예요 and 사세요, so let the object or the place tell you which verb it is.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
사세요
sah-sae-yoh
saseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
사요
sah-yoh
sayo
Question Polite (요)
사요?
sah-yoh-?
sayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
사고
sah-goh
sago
Conditional "if" — (면)
사면
sah-myuhn
samyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
사고 있어요
sah-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
sago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
사고 싶어요
sah-goh shee-puh-yoh
sago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
살 수 있어요
sahl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
sal su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
사서
sah-suh
saseo
Noun form — (기)
사기
sah-gee
sagi
Noun form — (음)
삼
sahm
sam