놀다 Korean verb conjugation

to play

Every form of 놀다 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
노는
아/어Infinitive
놀아
-으니Since
노니
합니다Formal
놉니다

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 놀아요놉니다놀아논다

과거Past

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 놀았어요놀았습니다놀았어놀았다

미래·추측Future & presumptive

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
-겠-Will / must be 놀겠어요놀겠습니다놀겠어놀겠다
-을 것이다Going to 놀 거예요놀 것입니다놀 거야놀 것이다

의문Questions

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 놀아요?놉니까?놀아?노니?
과거Past 놀았어요?놀았습니까?놀았어?놀았니?

명령Commands

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
명령Do it 노세요노십시오놀아놀아라
청유Let's 놀아요놉시다놀아놀자

부정Negation

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
Not (short) 안 놀아요안 놉니다안 놀아안 논다
-지 않다Not (long) 놀지 않아요놀지 않습니다놀지 않아놀지 않는다
Cannot 못 놀아요못 놉니다못 놀아못 논다

높임Honorific

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 노세요노십니다노셔노신다
과거Past 노셨어요노셨습니다노셨어노셨다

관형사형Modifying a noun

현재Present
노는
과거Past
미래Future
회상Used to
놀던

연결Joining clauses

-고and
놀고
-게-ly / so that
놀게
-어서so / and then
놀아서
-으니까since
노니까
-으면if / when
놀면
-지만but
놀지만
-는데and / but (setting up)
노는데
-어도even if
놀아도

진행In progress

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Is doing 놀고 있어요놀고 있습니다놀고 있어놀고 있다
과거Was doing 놀고 있었어요놀고 있었습니다놀고 있었어놀고 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.

보시다시피 가지고 놀 수도 있어요

As you can see, I can interact with it.

어디 놀러 가자.

Let's go hang out somewhere.

날이 좋던데 어디 놀러 안 갈래?

I saw that it was nice outside, why don't we go have fun?

나 좀 놀고 싶어.

I want to have some fun.

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How do you conjugate 놀다 in Korean?

놀다 (to play) is 놀아요 in the polite 해요체, 놉니다 in formal 합니다체, 놀아 in casual 반말 and 논다 in the plain written style. The past is 놀았어요.

What is the past tense of 놀다?

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

Is 놀다 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 놀아 and 노니 but unchanged in 놉니다.

What TOPIK level is 놀다?

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.