쎄
ssae
sse
descriptive
쎄다
To say colloquial form of 세다 (to be strong) politely in the present tense, use 쎄요 (ssae-yoh) · sseyo. Below is the full conjugation of 쎄다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (descriptive): Descriptive verbs (형용사) function like adjectives in Korean and conjugate the same way as regular action verbs. They cannot take the progressive -고 있어요 or imperative forms. 좋다 (to be good) → 좋아요; 크다 (to be big) → 커요 (으-irregular).
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 쎄요 ssae-yoh sseyo | 쎕니다 ssaem-nee-dah ssemnida | |
| Past | 쎘어 ssae-ssuh ssesseo | 쎘어요 ssae-ssuh-yoh ssesseoyo | 쎘습니다 ssae-sseum-nee-dah ssesseumnida |
| Future | 쎌 거야 ssael guh-yah ssel geoya | 쎌 거예요 ssael guh-yae-yoh ssel geoyeyo | 쎌 겁니다 ssael guhm-nee-dah ssel geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
쎄세요
ssae-sae-yoh
sseseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
쎄요
ssae-yoh
sseyo
Question Polite (요)
쎄요?
ssae-yoh-?
sseyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
쎄고
ssae-goh
ssego
Conditional "if" — (면)
쎄면
ssae-myuhn
ssemyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
쎄고 있어요
ssae-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
ssego isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
쎄고 싶어요
ssae-goh shee-puh-yoh
ssego sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
쎌 수 있어요
ssael soo ee-ssuh-yoh
ssel su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
쎄서
ssae-suh
sseseo
Noun form — (기)
쎄기
ssae-gee
ssegi
Noun form — (음)
쎔
ssaem
ssem