따르다

to follow

Principal parts

관형사형Modifier
따르는
아/어Infinitive
따라
-으니Since
따르니
합니다Formal
따릅니다

Present

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 따라요따릅니다따라따른다

Past

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 따랐어요따랐습니다따랐어따랐다

Future & presumptive

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
-겠-Will / must be 따르겠어요따르겠습니다따르겠어따르겠다
-을 것이다Going to 따를 거예요따를 것입니다따를 거야따를 것이다

Questions

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 따라요?따릅니까?따라?따르니?
과거Past 따랐어요?따랐습니까?따랐어?따랐니?

Commands

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
명령Do it 따르세요따르십시오따라따라라
청유Let's 따라요따릅시다따라따르자

Negation

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
안Not (short) 안 따라요안 따릅니다안 따라안 따른다
-지 않다Not (long) 따르지 않아요따르지 않습니다따르지 않아따르지 않는다
못Cannot 못 따라요못 따릅니다못 따라못 따른다

Honorific

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 따르세요따르십니다따르셔따르신다
과거Past 따르셨어요따르셨습니다따르셨어따르셨다

Modifying a noun

현재Present
따르는
과거Past
따른
미래Future
따를
회상Used to
따르던

Joining clauses

-고and
따르고
-게-ly / so that
따르게
-어서so / and then
따라서
-으니까since
따르니까
-으면if / when
따르면
-지만but
따르지만
-는데and / but (setting up)
따르는데
-어도even if
따라도

In progress

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Is doing 따르고 있어요따르고 있습니다따르고 있어따르고 있다
과거Was doing 따르고 있었어요따르고 있었습니다따르고 있었어따르고 있었다

Sentence patterns

In real sentences

나 따라 해.

Repeat after me.

그들은 따라하기로 했어요.

They decided they wanted to do the same.

사람들 말에 따르면,

Through word of mouth.

따라 하고 있죠.

We want to emulate them.

Common questions

How do you conjugate 따르다 in Korean?

따르다 (to follow) is 따라요 in the polite 해요체, 따릅니다 in formal 합니다체, 따라 in casual 반말 and 따른다 in the plain written style. The past is 따랐어요.

What is the past tense of 따르다?

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

Is 따르다 irregular?

Yes — it is 으 irregular (으 불규칙). The stem 으 drops before a vowel ending: 쓰다 → 써요. That is why the stem looks different in 따라 and 따르니 but unchanged in 따릅니다.

What TOPIK level is 따르다?

3급 — TOPIK 3, lower 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.