돌다 Korean verb conjugation

to revolve, rotate, spin, turn

Every form of 돌다 across the four speech levels. It is ㄹ dropping — ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ: 살다 → 삽니다. Regular, but universal.

기본형Principal parts

The four forms the dictionary prints. Every other form on this page is derived from them.

관형사형Modifier
도는
아/어Infinitive
돌아
-으니Since
도니
합니다Formal
돕니다

현재Present

The tense that does the most work. 해요체 is the one to learn first — it is polite without being formal, and it is what most conversation is in.

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 돌아요돕니다돌아돈다

과거Past

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 돌았어요돌았습니다돌았어돌았다

미래·추측Future & presumptive

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
-겠-Will / must be 돌겠어요돌겠습니다돌겠어돌겠다
-을 것이다Going to 돌 거예요돌 것입니다돌 거야돌 것이다

의문Questions

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 돌아요?돕니까?돌아?도니?
과거Past 돌았어요?돌았습니까?돌았어?돌았니?

명령Commands

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
명령Do it 도세요도십시오돌아돌아라
청유Let's 돌아요돕시다돌아돌자

부정Negation

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
Not (short) 안 돌아요안 돕니다안 돌아안 돈다
-지 않다Not (long) 돌지 않아요돌지 않습니다돌지 않아돌지 않는다
Cannot 못 돌아요못 돕니다못 돌아못 돈다

높임Honorific

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 도세요도십니다도셔도신다
과거Past 도셨어요도셨습니다도셨어도셨다

관형사형Modifying a noun

현재Present
도는
과거Past
미래Future
회상Used to
돌던

연결Joining clauses

-고and
돌고
-게-ly / so that
돌게
-어서so / and then
돌아서
-으니까since
도니까
-으면if / when
돌면
-지만but
돌지만
-는데and / but (setting up)
도는데
-어도even if
돌아도

진행In progress

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Is doing 돌고 있어요돌고 있습니다돌고 있어돌고 있다
과거Was doing 돌고 있었어요돌고 있었습니다돌고 있었어돌고 있었다

문형Sentence patterns

How the dictionary says this verb is used. The numbers are slots: 1 is the subject, 2 the object.

예문In real sentences

From the dictionary, each with its translation.

너 언제 론돈에서 돌아 왔어죠?

When did you return from London?

그 어떤 것도 디아, 유소르, 라잔을 돌아오게 할 수는 없지만

Nothing will ever bring back Deah, Yusor and Razan.

좀 더 빠르게 돌죠, 그렇죠?

It goes a little bit faster, right?

현재 저는 제 집으로, 제 삶으로 돌아 와 있습니다.

Now I'm back home and back to my life.

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How do you conjugate 돌다 in Korean?

돌다 (to revolve, rotate, spin, turn) is 돌아요 in the polite 해요체, 돕니다 in formal 합니다체, 돌아 in casual 반말 and 돈다 in the plain written style. The past is 돌았어요.

What is the past tense of 돌다?

돌았어요 in everyday polite speech, 돌았습니다 formally. It is built from the 아/어 form 돌아 plus ㅆ, which is why an irregular stem shows its irregularity here.

Is 돌다 irregular?

Yes — it is ㄹ dropping (ㄹ 탈락). ㄹ drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ: 살다 → 삽니다. Regular, but universal. That is why the stem looks different in 돌아 and 도니 but unchanged in 돕니다.

What TOPIK level is 돌다?

2급 — TOPIK 2, elementary.

Dictionary form, meaning, sentence patterns, examples and audio from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.

Conjugations are generated by this site's own engine and checked against the 9,380 forms the dictionary publishes on every build.