Skip to content
fluentbyear

KOREAN VERB

먹다

to eat

  • #11 most used
  • Verb

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

현재 · now and habits: polite, formal and casual speech

Form Polite Formal Casual
AffirmativeI eat
NegativeI don’t eat

Past

과거 · finished actions: 갔어요, 갔습니다, 갔어

Form Polite Formal Casual
AffirmativeI ate
NegativeI didn’t eat

Future

미래 · plans and guesses: -(으)ㄹ 거예요

Form Polite Formal Casual
AffirmativeI will eat
NegativeI won’t eat

Honorific

높임말 · to or about an elder: the -시- forms

Form Polite Formal
PresentI eat (respectfully)
PastI ate (respectfully)
FutureI will eat (respectfully)

Connectives

연결 어미 · and, so, if, because, but: joining two sentences

  1. And (-고) eating, and…, and…
  2. So, and then (-아/어서) eating, and…, so…
  3. If, when (-(으)면) if I eat
  4. Because (-(으)니까) because I eat
  5. But (-지만) I eat, but…

Requests and commands

명령형 · -(으)세요, -(으)십시오, the casual form, -지 마세요

  1. Please (-(으)세요) please eat
  2. Formal request (-(으)십시오) please eat (formal)
  3. Plain command eat! (casual)
  4. Please don’t please don’t eat

How to use 먹다

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    저는 아침에 보통 빵을 먹어요.

    I usually eat bread in the morning.

  2. Past

    어제 점심에 비빔밥을 먹었어요.

    I had bibimbap for lunch yesterday.

  3. Future

    오늘 저녁에는 치킨을 먹을 거예요.

    Tonight I'm going to eat chicken.

  4. Honorific

    할머니는 매운 음식을 잘 드세요.

    Grandma eats spicy food well.

  5. Connectives

    점심을 먹고 같이 산책해요.

    Let's have lunch and take a walk together.

  6. Requests and commands

    따뜻할 때 어서 드세요.

    Eat it while it's warm.

Good to know

  • 밥 먹었어요? is a greeting as much as a question; for an elder, say 드시다.

Where you hear 먹다

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Korean · Beginner Level 1

  • 저는 김밥을 먹어요. I eat kimbap.
  • 어제 떡볶이를 먹었어요. I ate tteokbokki yesterday.
  • 내일 점심에 라면을 먹을 거예요. I'm going to eat noodles for lunch tomorrow.

Korean · Beginner Level 2

  • 저는 김밥을 먹어요. I eat kimbap.
  • 어제 떡볶이를 먹었어요. I ate tteokbokki yesterday.
  • 내일 점심에 라면을 먹을 거예요. I'm going to eat noodles for lunch tomorrow.

And 46 more lessons.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: verb.