Present
현재 · now and habits: polite, formal and casual speech
| Form | Polite | Formal | Casual |
|---|---|---|---|
| AffirmativeI am hard | |||
| NegativeI am not hard |
KOREAN VERB
힘들다
to be hard, tiring
- #121 most used
- Descriptive verb
Conjugation
Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.
Past
과거 · finished actions: 갔어요, 갔습니다, 갔어
| Form | Polite | Formal | Casual |
|---|---|---|---|
| AffirmativeI was hard | |||
| NegativeI was not hard |
Future
미래 · plans and guesses: -(으)ㄹ 거예요
| Form | Polite | Formal | Casual |
|---|---|---|---|
| AffirmativeI will be hard | |||
| NegativeI won’t be hard |
Honorific
높임말 · to or about an elder: the -시- forms
| Form | Polite | Formal |
|---|---|---|
| PresentI am hard (respectfully) | ||
| PastI was hard (respectfully) | ||
| FutureI will be hard (respectfully) |
Connectives
연결 어미 · and, so, if, because, but: joining two sentences
- And (-고) being hard, and…, and…
- So, and then (-아/어서) being hard, and…, so…
- If, when (-(으)면) if I am hard
- Because (-(으)니까) because I am hard
- But (-지만) I am hard, but…
How to use 힘들다
One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.
-
Present
요즘 회사 일이 너무 힘들어요.
Work has been really hard lately.
-
Past
어제 등산이 생각보다 힘들었어요.
Yesterday's hike was harder than I expected.
-
Future
처음 한 달은 좀 힘들 거예요.
The first month will be a bit hard.
-
Honorific
할아버지, 계단이 많이 힘드세요?
Grandpa, are the stairs very hard for you?
-
Connectives
힘들지만 매일 운동해요.
It's hard, but I work out every day.
Good to know
- 힘들다 keeps its ㄹ before a vowel and drops it before ㅂ, ㅅ and ㄴ: 힘들어요, 힘듭니다, 힘드세요.
Where you hear 힘들다
The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.
Korean · Beginner Level 3
- 등산은 힘들어요. Hiking is hard.
- 어제는 정말 힘들었어요. Yesterday was really hard.
- 내일은 더 힘들 거야. Tomorrow will be harder.
Korean · Intermediate Level 1
- 등산은 힘들어요. Hiking is hard.
- 어제는 정말 힘들었어요. Yesterday was really hard.
- 내일은 더 힘들 거야. Tomorrow will be harder.
Verbs like this one
The same pattern, on other verbs: descriptive verb.