How to Conjugate 주다 (to give): regular Pattern

주 + 어요 contracts to 줘요. Also used as helper verb (~해 주다 = do for someone).

The Rule

주 + 어요 contracts to 줘요. Also used as helper verb (~해 주다 = do for someone). 주다 is a regular verb, which means it follows predictable conjugation rules. Master this pattern and you can conjugate hundreds of other regular verbs the same way.

Why English Speakers Get It Wrong

English verb conjugation is relatively simple — "I eat, he eats, I ate." Korean is more complex because the verb ending changes based on politeness level, tense, AND the verb stem's final vowel or consonant. The good news: 주다 follows regular rules. The main challenge is remembering which ending to use for which situation.

How It Works

Stem: 주 Polite present (해요체): 줘요 Polite past: 줬어요 Polite future: 줄 거예요 Formal (합쇼체): 줍니다 Negative: 안 줘요 Notice the predictable endings attached to "주". These same endings work with any regular verb.

Real Examples

• 줘요 (jwoyo) — "give (polite present)" • 줬어요 (jwoteoyo) — "give (past)" • 줄 거예요 (jur geoyeyo) — "will give (future)" • 줍니다 (jupnida) — "give (formal)" • 안 줘요 (an jwoyo) — "don't give"

Common Mistakes

❌ 주어요 (jueoyo) ✅ 줘요 (jwoyo) → 주어요 is correct but 줘요 is the natural contraction. ❌ Using the casual form (주어/아) in formal situations ✅ Use 줍니다 when speaking to elders, at work, or in official settings → Mixing up politeness levels is one of the most noticeable mistakes foreigners make in Korean.

Quick Tip

Start by mastering the 해요체 (polite) form: 줘요. This is the form you'll use 90% of the time in daily life. Once it's automatic, add the past (줬어요) and future (줄 거예요) to your toolkit. Since 주다 is regular, use it as your "template" for conjugating new regular verbs.

주다: 줘요 (present) / 줬어요 (past) / 줄 거예요 (future)

Examples

줘요 — jwoyo — give (polite)

줬어요 — jwoteoyo — give (past)

줄 거예요 — jur geoyeyo — will give

줍니다 — jupnida — give (formal)

안 줘요 — an jwoyo — don't give