예뻐
yae-bbuh
yeppeo
예쁘다
To say to be pretty politely in the present tense, use 예뻐요 (yae-bbuh-yoh) · yeppeoyo. Below is the full conjugation of 예쁘다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (으 irregular (adj)): 으-irregular adjectives end in ㅡ before 다. The ㅡ drops when a vowel suffix is added. 배고프다 (to be hungry) → 배고파요; 슬프다 (to be sad) → 슬퍼요. The resulting vowel (아 vs 어) follows the vowel of the syllable before ㅡ. See all 으-irregular verbs →
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
Highlighted = where the stem changes
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 예뻐요 yae-bbuh-yoh yeppeoyo | 예쁩니다 yae-bbeum-nee-dah yeppeumnida | |
| Past | 예뻤어 yae-bbuh-ssuh yeppeosseo | 예뻤어요 yae-bbuh-ssuh-yoh yeppeosseoyo | 예뻤습니다 yae-bbuh-sseum-nee-dah yeppeosseumnida |
| Future | 예쁠 거야 yae-bbeul guh-yah yeppeul geoya | 예쁠 거예요 yae-bbeul guh-yae-yoh yeppeul geoyeyo | 예쁠 겁니다 yae-bbeul guhm-nee-dah yeppeul geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present와, 이 꽃 진짜 예뻐.Wow, this flower is so pretty.
- polite present이 옷 정말 예뻐요.This outfit is really pretty.
- formal present제주도는 봄에 특히 예쁩니다.Jeju Island is especially beautiful in spring.
- casual past어제 노을 진짜 예뻤어.The sunset yesterday was gorgeous.
- polite past결혼식장이 정말 예뻤어요.The wedding venue was really beautiful.
- formal past이번 공연 무대가 아주 예뻤습니다.The stage for this show was very pretty.
- casual future이 원피스 너한테 예쁠 거야.This dress will look pretty on you.
- polite future벚꽃이 피면 이 길이 정말 예쁠 거예요.When the cherry blossoms bloom, this street will be really pretty.
- formal future완성되면 정원이 아주 예쁠 겁니다.Once it’s finished, the garden will be very pretty.
- honorific -(으)세요어머님이 정말 예쁘세요.Your mother is really beautiful.
How it’s used
예쁘다 means pretty and is used for people, places and things; it can also praise how someone speaks or acts: 말을 예쁘게 하네요. 아름답다 is a more formal or poetic “beautiful,” and for handsome men people usually say 잘생겼어요. It is 으-irregular: 예뻐요, 예뻤어요, but 예쁘고, 예쁩니다.
Common mistake
Keeping the ㅡ: ✗ 예쁘어요 → ✓ 예뻐요. In 으-irregular words, ㅡ drops before -아/어.
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
예쁘세요
yae-bbeu-sae-yoh
yeppeuseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
예뻐요
yae-bbuh-yoh
yeppeoyo
Question Polite (요)
예뻐요?
yae-bbuh-yoh-?
yeppeoyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
예쁘고
yae-bbeu-goh
yeppeugo
Conditional "if" — (면)
예쁘면
yae-bbeu-myuhn
yeppeumyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
예쁘고 있어요
yae-bbeu-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
yeppeugo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
예쁘고 싶어요
yae-bbeu-goh shee-puh-yoh
yeppeugo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
예쁠 수 있어요
yae-bbeul soo ee-ssuh-yoh
yeppeul su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
예뻐서
yae-bbuh-suh
yeppeoseo
Noun form — (기)
예쁘기
yae-bbeu-gee
yeppeugi
Noun form — (음)
예쁨
yae-bbeum
yeppeum