열어
yuh-ruh
yeoreo
열다
To say to open politely in the present tense, use 열어요 (yuh-ruh-yoh) · yeoreoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 열다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (ㄹ stem): ㄹ-stem verbs end in ㄹ as the final consonant. They are conjugated regularly with vowel suffixes (살다 → 살아요), but the ㄹ drops before certain consonant suffixes — specifically before ㄴ, ㅂ, ㅅ, and before the formal ending 습니다: 살다 → 사는, 삽니다, 살지 (ㄹ kept before ㅈ). This is sometimes called a "ㄹ drop" or "ㄹ irregular." See all ㄹ-stem verbs →
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
Highlighted = where the stem changes
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 열어요 yuh-ruh-yoh yeoreoyo | 엽니다 yuhm-nee-dah yeomnida | |
| Past | 열었어 yuh-ruh-ssuh yeoreosseo | 열었어요 yuh-ruh-ssuh-yoh yeoreosseoyo | 열었습니다 yuh-ruh-sseum-nee-dah yeoreosseumnida |
| Future | 열 거야 yuhl guh-yah yeol geoya | 열 거예요 yuhl guh-yae-yoh yeol geoyeyo | 열 겁니다 yuhl guhm-nee-dah yeol geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present문 좀 열어.Open the door.
- polite present이 가게는 아침 9시에 문을 열어요.This shop opens at 9 a.m.
- formal present박물관은 월요일을 제외하고 매일 문을 엽니다.The museum is open every day except Monday.
- casual past누가 내 가방 열었어?Who opened my bag?
- polite past더워서 창문을 열었어요.It was hot, so I opened the window.
- formal past시청 앞에서 큰 축제를 열었습니다.A big festival was held in front of City Hall.
- casual future나중에 내 카페 열 거야.Someday I’m going to open my own café.
- polite future다음 달에 생일 파티를 열 거예요.I’m going to throw a birthday party next month.
- formal future내일 오후에 기자 회견을 열 겁니다.We will hold a press conference tomorrow afternoon.
- honorific -(으)세요답답하면 창문을 여세요.If it’s stuffy, open the window.
How it’s used
열다 means to open doors, windows and boxes, to open a business, and to hold an event: 파티를 열다, 회의를 열다. For something that opens by itself or is opened, use 열리다: 문이 열려요. As an ㄹ-stem verb it drops ㄹ before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ: 엽니다, 여세요, 여는 시간.
Common mistake
Using 열다 without someone doing the opening: ✗ 문이 열어요 → ✓ 문이 열려요 (“the door opens”).
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
여세요
yuh-sae-yoh
yeoseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
열어요
yuh-ruh-yoh
yeoreoyo
Question Polite (요)
열어요?
yuh-ruh-yoh-?
yeoreoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
열고
yuhl-goh
yeolgo
Conditional "if" — (면)
열면
yuhl-myuhn
yeolmyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
열고 있어요
yuhl-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
yeolgo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
열고 싶어요
yuhl-goh shee-puh-yoh
yeolgo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
열 수 있어요
yuhl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
yeol su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
열어서
yuh-ruh-suh
yeoreoseo
Noun form — (기)
열기
yuhl-gee
yeolgi
Noun form — (음)
엶
yuhm
yeom