생각해
saeng-gah-kae
saenggakae
생각하다
To say to think politely in the present tense, use 생각해요 (saeng-gah-kae-yoh) · saenggakaeyo. Below is the full conjugation of 생각하다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (하다 verb): 하다 verbs are formed with a Sino-Korean noun + 하다 (e.g. 공부하다 = study + do). 하다 conjugates irregularly: the ㅏ in 하 contracts with the -아/-어 suffix to give 해 (not *하어). Present polite: 해요; past polite: 했어요. The formal ending is 합니다 (not *하습니다). Most noun+하다 compounds follow this pattern uniformly. See all 하다 verbs →
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
Highlighted = where the stem changes
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 생각해요 saeng-gah-kae-yoh saenggakaeyo | 생각합니다 saeng-gah-kahm-nee-dah saenggakamnida | |
| Past | 생각했어 saeng-gah-kae-ssuh saenggakaesseo | 생각했어요 saeng-gah-kae-ssuh-yoh saenggakaesseoyo | 생각했습니다 saeng-gah-kae-sseum-nee-dah saenggakaesseumnida |
| Future | 생각할 거야 saeng-gah-kahl guh-yah saenggakal geoya | 생각할 거예요 saeng-gah-kahl guh-yae-yoh saenggakal geoyeyo | 생각할 겁니다 saeng-gah-kahl guhm-nee-dah saenggakal geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
생각하세요
saeng-gah-kah-sae-yoh
saenggakaseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
생각해요
saeng-gah-kae-yoh
saenggakaeyo
Question Polite (요)
생각해요?
saeng-gah-kae-yoh-?
saenggakaeyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
생각하고
saeng-gah-kah-goh
saenggakago
Conditional "if" — (면)
생각하면
saeng-gah-kah-myuhn
saenggakamyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
생각하고 있어요
saeng-gah-kah-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
saenggakago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
생각하고 싶어요
saeng-gah-kah-goh shee-puh-yoh
saenggakago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
생각할 수 있어요
saeng-gah-kahl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
saenggakal su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
생각해서
saeng-gah-kae-suh
saenggakaeseo
Noun form — (기)
생각하기
saeng-gah-kah-gee
saenggakagi
Noun form — (음)
생각함
saeng-gah-kahm
saenggakam