멀다 Korean adjective conjugation

to be far

Every form of 멀다 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
아/어Infinitive
멀어
-으니Since
머니
합니다Formal
멉니다

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 멀어요멉니다멀어멀다

과거Past

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 멀었어요멀었습니다멀었어멀었다

미래·추측Future & presumptive

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
-겠-Will / must be 멀겠어요멀겠습니다멀겠어멀겠다
-을 것이다Going to 멀 거예요멀 것입니다멀 거야멀 것이다

의문Questions

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 멀어요?멉니까?멀어?머니?
과거Past 멀었어요?멀었습니까?멀었어?멀었니?

부정Negation

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
Not (short) 안 멀어요안 멉니다안 멀어안 멀다
-지 않다Not (long) 멀지 않아요멀지 않습니다멀지 않아멀지 않다

높임Honorific

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 머세요머십니다머셔머시다
과거Past 머셨어요머셨습니다머셨어머셨다

관형사형Modifying a noun

현재Present
과거Past
미래Future
회상Used to
멀던

연결Joining clauses

-고and
멀고
-게-ly / so that
멀게
-어서so / and then
멀어서
-으니까since
머니까
-으면if / when
멀면
-지만but
멀지만
-는데and / but (setting up)
먼데
-어도even if
멀어도

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.

제가 사고로 눈이 멀었습니다.

I lost my eyesight in an accident

아직 갈 길이 멀다는 것을 잘 알고 있습니다.

My city is a long way from succeeding.

사실 전 AI가 의식을 갖기에는 아직 멀었다고 보고 있습니다.

I actually think the prospects for a conscious AI are pretty remote.

집에서 학교까지 멀어요?

Is it far from (your) home to school?

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How do you conjugate 멀다 in Korean?

멀다 (to be far) is 멀어요 in the polite 해요체, 멉니다 in formal 합니다체, 멀어 in casual 반말 and 멀다 in the plain written style. The past is 멀었어요.

What is the past tense of 멀다?

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

Is 멀다 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 멀어 and 머니 but unchanged in 멉니다.

What TOPIK level is 멀다?

1급 — TOPIK 1, beginner.

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.