두렵다 Korean adjective conjugation

to be fearful, to be scared

Every form of 두렵다 across the four speech levels. It is ㅂ irregular — ㅂ becomes 우 before a vowel: 춥다 → 추워요.

기본형Principal parts

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

관형사형Modifier
두려운
아/어Infinitive
두려워
-으니Since
두려우니
합니다Formal
두렵습니다

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 두려워요두렵습니다두려워두렵다

과거Past

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 두려웠어요두려웠습니다두려웠어두려웠다

미래·추측Future & presumptive

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
-겠-Will / must be 두렵겠어요두렵겠습니다두렵겠어두렵겠다
-을 것이다Going to 두려울 거예요두려울 것입니다두려울 거야두려울 것이다

의문Questions

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 두려워요?두렵습니까?두려워?두려우니?
과거Past 두려웠어요?두려웠습니까?두려웠어?두려웠니?

부정Negation

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
Not (short) 안 두려워요안 두렵습니다안 두려워안 두렵다
-지 않다Not (long) 두렵지 않아요두렵지 않습니다두렵지 않아두렵지 않다

높임Honorific

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 두려우세요두려우십니다두려우셔두려우시다
과거Past 두려우셨어요두려우셨습니다두려우셨어두려우셨다

관형사형Modifying a noun

현재Present
두려운
과거Past
두려운
미래Future
두려울
회상Used to
두렵던

연결Joining clauses

-고and
두렵고
-게-ly / so that
두렵게
-어서so / and then
두려워서
-으니까since
두려우니까
-으면if / when
두려우면
-지만but
두렵지만
-는데and / but (setting up)
두려운데
-어도even if
두려워도

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.

나는 죽는 게 두렵다.

I'm afraid of dying.

난 죽음이 두렵지 않다.

I do not fear death.

실수하는 게 조금 두려워요.

I'm a little afraid of making mistakes.

그 부분이 가장 두려웠어요.

And that was my biggest fear at the time.

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How do you conjugate 두렵다 in Korean?

두렵다 (to be fearful, to be scared) is 두려워요 in the polite 해요체, 두렵습니다 in formal 합니다체, 두려워 in casual 반말 and 두렵다 in the plain written style. The past is 두려웠어요.

What is the past tense of 두렵다?

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

Is 두렵다 irregular?

Yes — it is ㅂ irregular (ㅂ 불규칙). ㅂ becomes 우 before a vowel: 춥다 → 추워요. That is why the stem looks different in 두려워 and 두려우니 but unchanged in 두렵습니다.

What TOPIK level is 두렵다?

4급 — TOPIK 4, upper intermediate.

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.