시작해
shee-chah-kae
sijakae
시작하다
To say to start, to begin politely in the present tense, use 시작해요 (shee-chah-kae-yoh) · sijakaeyo. Below is the full conjugation of 시작하다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (하다 (irregular)): 하다 (to do) is the base of Korean's most common verb class. It conjugates irregularly: the ㅏ in 하 contracts with the -아/-어 ending to give 해 instead of the expected *하어. Present polite: 해요; past: 했어요; future: 할 거예요. The formal form is 합니다. 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 | 시작해요 shee-chah-kae-yoh sijakaeyo | 시작합니다 shee-chah-kahm-nee-dah sijakamnida | |
| Past | 시작했어 shee-chah-kae-ssuh sijakaesseo | 시작했어요 shee-chah-kae-ssuh-yoh sijakaesseoyo | 시작했습니다 shee-chah-kae-sseum-nee-dah sijakaesseumnida |
| Future | 시작할 거야 shee-chah-kahl guh-yah sijakal geoya | 시작할 거예요 shee-chah-kahl guh-yae-yoh sijakal geoyeyo | 시작할 겁니다 shee-chah-kahl guhm-nee-dah sijakal geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
시작하세요
shee-chah-kah-sae-yoh
sijakaseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
시작해요
shee-chah-kae-yoh
sijakaeyo
Question Polite (요)
시작해요?
shee-chah-kae-yoh-?
sijakaeyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
시작하고
shee-chah-kah-goh
sijakago
Conditional "if" — (면)
시작하면
shee-chah-kah-myuhn
sijakamyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
시작하고 있어요
shee-chah-kah-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
sijakago isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
시작하고 싶어요
shee-chah-kah-goh shee-puh-yoh
sijakago sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
시작할 수 있어요
shee-chah-kahl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
sijakal su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
시작해서
shee-chah-kae-suh
sijakaeseo
Noun form — (기)
시작하기
shee-chah-kah-gee
sijakagi
Noun form — (음)
시작함
shee-chah-kahm
sijakam