Key Facts
- Hangul: 배고프다 (baegopeuda)
- Meaning: hungry
- Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 배고프
- Class: ㅡ-drop
What Does 배고프다 Mean?
배고프다 is the plain, everyday word for hungry. 배고파요? is what you ask a friend, and it can also be written as two words, 배가 고프다. It never takes a direct object: you do not 'hunger' something, you are simply hungry. The word names a physical state, so a reason like 아침을 안 먹어서 ('I did not eat breakfast') often comes with it.
How Do You Pronounce 배고프다?
Nothing unusual happens in the dictionary form. The key sound is in 배고파요, where the ㅡ of 프 has dropped and ㅍ stands in front of ㅏ. The past 배고팠어요 is [배고파써요], the formal 배고픕니다 is [배고픔니다] and the long negative 배고프지 않아요 is [배고프지 아나요].
How Do You Use 배고프다 in a Sentence?
아침을 안 먹어서 배고파요.
I didn't eat breakfast, so I'm hungry.
아침을 안 먹어서 배고파요 puts the cause, 아침을 안 먹어서, in front. 안 negates the verb.
배고프면 이거 먹어.
If you're hungry, eat this.
배고프면 이거 먹어 is the casual register: the conditional 배고프면 and the plain command 먹어 sound like something said to a friend.
어제는 하루 종일 배고팠어요.
Yesterday I was hungry all day.
어제는 하루 종일 배고팠어요 uses 하루 종일 ('all day long') and the past 배고팠어요 for a full day of hunger.
How Does Baegopeuda Conjugation Work?
배고프다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 배고파요 | ||
| Polite past | 배고팠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 배고플 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 배고프겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 배고픕니다 | ||
| Formal past | 배고팠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 배고플 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 배고파 | ||
| Casual past | 배고팠어 | ||
| Casual future | 배고플 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 배고파서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 배고프면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 배고픈 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 배고팠던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 배고플 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 배고파요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 배고프지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 배고파요 | — |
| Polite past | 배고팠어요 | [배고파써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 배고플 거예요 | [배고플꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 배고프겠어요 | [배고프게써요] |
| Formal present | 배고픕니다 | [배고픔니다] |
| Formal past | 배고팠습니다 | [배고팓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 배고플 것입니다 | [배고플꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 배고파 | — |
| Casual past | 배고팠어 | [배고파써] |
| Casual future | 배고플 거야 | [배고플꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 배고파서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 배고프면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 배고픈 | — |
| Modifier, past | 배고팠던 | [배고팓떤] |
| Modifier, future | 배고플 | — |
| Short negative | 안 배고파요 | — |
| Long negative | 배고프지 않아요 | [배고프지 아나요] |
Is 배고프다 Regular or Irregular?
배고프다 loses the ㅡ of its stem before 아/어. Here the vowel before it is ㅗ in 고, so the ending is 아, not 어, and the result is 배고파. Before a consonant the stem stays whole, as in 배고프면 and 배고프지 않아요. The ㅡ-drop lesson explains how the vowel in front picks 아 or 어.
Common Mistake with 배고프다
Wrong: ✗ 배고프어요
Correct: ✓ 배고파요
Why: The ㅡ of 프 drops in front of 아. Keeping it, as in 배고프어요, is a common slip with this class, but the real word is 배고파요.
배고프다 Versus 배부르다 and 목마르다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 배부르다 | 배부르다 is the opposite: full. |
| 목마르다 | 목마르다 is thirsty, and 배고프다 is hungry for food. |
Deciding Whether to Stop for Lunch
Two coworkers are walking past a lunch shop. One has skipped breakfast; the other suggests a place to eat. The exchange uses polite present, past and reason forms.
Jisu
배고파요?
Baegopayo?
Are you hungry?
Alex
네. 아까부터 배고팠어요.
Ne. Akkabuteo baegopasseoyo.
Yes. I have been hungry for a while.
Jisu
그럼 여기서 김밥 먹어요.
Geureom yeogiseo gimbap meogeoyo.
Then let’s eat gimbap here.
Alex
좋아요. 배고파서 두 줄 먹고 싶어요.
Joayo. Baegopaseo du jul meokgo sipeoyo.
Sounds good. I am hungry, so I want to eat two rolls.
배고파요? asks about the state now. 아까부터 supplies the starting point for the hunger in the reply. 배고파서 gives hunger as the reason for wanting two rolls; 줄 counts the rolls of gimbap.
Which Phrases Tell You How Hungry Someone Is?
너무 배고파요 means “I am very hungry” or “I am so hungry”. In everyday speech, 너무 often intensifies the feeling without a separate claim that the hunger is excessive. 정말 배고파요, “I am really hungry”, also strengthens the statement. Neither phrase identifies the food the speaker wants.
배고파 죽겠어요 is an emphatic expression meaning “I am starving”. Literally it says the speaker feels they will die from hunger, but in ordinary lunch talk it is exaggeration. You may hear it from a hungry character in a drama or a friend waiting for food. It sounds dramatic; a plain 배고파요 is enough for a routine reply.
배고픈 사람 means a hungry person. In a group deciding whether to order food, the phrase can identify who needs to eat. The adjective comes before 사람, with no present-tense 요 ending. 배고픈 describes the person's condition; it does not name the meal or imply that the person likes a particular dish.
How Do You Connect Hunger to a Meal?
배고파서 gives hunger as a reason for what follows. In the dialogue, it explains the larger order. In the existing breakfast example, the order is reversed: not eating breakfast is the reason, and hunger is the result. Looking at which clause comes first helps you follow the cause and effect.
배고프면 means “if you are hungry”. The conditional does not claim that the listener is hungry; it offers food or advice if that condition applies. That makes it useful when a host wants to leave the choice open. The casual example 배고프면 이거 먹어 fits close relationships; a polite ending is needed with people you address more formally.
The food belongs with an eating verb, as in the dialogue's 김밥 먹어요. 배고프다 describes the state and takes no direct object. If you want to identify a craving, use 먹고 싶어요 with the food instead. Being hungry and wanting a particular dish are related, but one does not grammatically replace the other.
Where Will You Hear It, and How Polite Is It?
배고파 is common between close friends and in a child's speech to family. 배고파요 keeps the same everyday meaning with a polite ending. At a workplace, the question can lead into a suggestion for lunch, as in the dialogue. It asks about a physical state; the invitation comes from the next line or the shared situation.
배고픕니다 is the formal form and may appear in a formal statement or presentation. It is less conversational than 배고파요, but it does not express a more severe level of hunger. Speech style and the strength of the feeling are separate choices: 너무 can intensify the everyday form.
배고프다 can also describe hunger in a story about poverty or a period without enough food. The verb alone does not distinguish a late lunch from prolonged deprivation. Time expressions such as 하루 종일, “all day”, and the surrounding account provide that detail.
Which Endings Keep ㅡ?
배고파요 and 배고파서 lose ㅡ, while 배고프면 keeps it. The modifier 배고픈 keeps it too: the syllable 프 receives ㄴ. Unlike the 르-irregular 배부르다, 배고프다 does not add an extra ㄹ in its polite present. These opposite feelings follow different spelling patterns.
The short negative 안 배고파요 has a space after 안. It means “I am not hungry”, which can be a gentle answer to a lunch offer. It does not necessarily mean the speaker is already full. To report fullness specifically, choose 배불러요.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 배 | stomach / belly | The body part at the start of 배고프다. |
| 식사 | meal | A neutral word for a meal or eating a meal. |
| 간식 | snack | Something eaten between meals. |
| 식욕 | appetite | Desire to eat, rather than simply an empty stomach. |
The physical-state adjectives lesson groups hunger with fullness, thirst and tiredness.
Mini Drill: Find the Dropped Vowel
- Give the polite present of 배고프다.
- Give the conditional “if you are hungry”.
- Fill “a hungry person”: ____ 사람.
- Make the polite present negative with 안.
Show answers
- 배고파요. The ㅡ drops, and the preceding ㅗ selects 아.
- 배고프면. The ㅡ stays before 면.
- 배고픈 사람. Add ㄴ to the retained 프.
- 안 배고파요, with a space after 안.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 배고픕니다 mean someone is hungrier than 배고파요?
- Is 배고파 죽겠어요 usually literal in a lunch conversation?
- Which phrase reports fullness specifically: 안 배고파요 or 배불러요?
Show answers
- No. It changes the speech style, not the degree of hunger.
- No. It is usually an emphatic “I am starving”.
- 배불러요. Not being hungry does not necessarily mean being full.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 배고프다 One Word or Two?
The dictionary form is one word. The spaced 배가 고프다 is also used in writing.
Can 배고프다 Take a Direct Object?
No. It describes a state, so there is no object.
How Do I Ask Someone If They Are Hungry?
Say 배고파요?, with a rising voice.
Why Does the Polite Present End in 아 and Not 어?
The vowel before the dropped ㅡ is ㅗ, which calls for 아.
Which Words Are Related to 배고프다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 배부르다 and 목마르다, then 피곤하다 for tiredness. These belong together as body-state words. The Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest of the family.