Key Facts
- Hangul: 벌다 (beolda)
- Meaning: to earn
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 벌
- Conjugation class: ㄹ
- Grammar: Takes an object with 을/를: 돈을 벌어요.
- Usage: An ㄹ-verb. Typical: 돈을 벌다, 생활비를 벌다.
What Does 벌다 Mean?
벌다 is the verb for income: 돈을 벌다 is to earn money and 생활비를 벌다 is to earn a living. The money takes 을/를, so the verb is transitive.
It is the result of working, so it sits next to 일하다 (to work) rather than replacing it. Saving what you earn is a different verb, 모으다.
How Do You Pronounce 벌다?
The dictionary form is read as written. Before ㅂ, ㄴ and ㅅ the ㄹ drops, so the formal 법니다 is read [범니다] and the modifier is 버는 or 번. Before vowels the ㄹ stays and links over, as in 벌어요 [버러요].
How Do You Use 벌다 in a Sentence?
저는 아르바이트로 돈을 벌어요.
I earn money from a part-time job.
아르바이트로 means by a part-time job, naming the source of the income. 벌어요 keeps its ㄹ before 어.
지난달에 돈을 많이 벌었어요.
I earned a lot of money last month.
지난달에 means last month. 많이 modifies the verb, and 벌었어요 is the past.
돈을 버는 사람이 많아요.
There are many people who earn money.
The modifier 버는 loses its ㄹ before ㄴ and turns the verb into a description: people who earn money.
How Does Beolda Conjugation Work?
벌다 drops the final ㄹ of its stem before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ. That is why the formal present is 법니다, the honorific is 버세요 and the present modifier is 버는. Before 아/어 and consonants such as ㄱ or ㅁ, the ㄹ stays: 벌어요, 벌었어요, 벌면. The pattern is the same for every ㄹ-final stem.
벌다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 벌어요 | ||
| Polite past | 벌었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 벌 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 벌겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 법니다 | ||
| Formal past | 벌었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 벌 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 벌어 | ||
| Casual past | 벌었어 | ||
| Casual future | 벌 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 벌고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 버세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 벌어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 벌면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 버는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 번 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 벌 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 벌어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 벌지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 벌어요 | [버러요] |
| Polite past | 벌었어요 | [버러써요] |
| Polite future | 벌 거예요 | [벌꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 벌겠어요 | [벌게써요] |
| Formal present | 법니다 | [범니다] |
| Formal past | 벌었습니다 | [버럳씀니다] |
| Formal future | 벌 것입니다 | [벌꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 벌어 | [버러] |
| Casual past | 벌었어 | [버러써] |
| Casual future | 벌 거야 | [벌꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 벌고 싶어요 | [벌고 시퍼요] |
| Because / and then | 벌어서 | [버러서] |
| Short negative | 안 벌어요 | [안 버러요] |
| Long negative | 벌지 않아요 | [벌지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 벌습니다
Correct: ✓ 법니다
Why: Learners keep the ㄹ in the formal form and write 벌습니다. The rule is that ㄹ drops before ㅂ, ㄴ and ㅅ, so the correct forms are 법니다, 버는 and 번.
Which Phrases Go with 벌다?
Two phrases cover most uses: 돈을 벌다 for earning money and 생활비를 벌다 for earning a living. 생활비 is the money you need for rent, food and bills, so 생활비를 벌다 is the closest match to English "make a living". Money leaving your pocket is a different verb, 내다 (to pay).
What Is Easy to Confuse with 벌다?
| Word | How to tell it from 벌다 |
|---|---|
| 모으다 | 모으다 means saving or collecting; 벌다 is the earning that comes before it. |
| 일하다 | 일하다 is the work itself, whereas 벌다 is the money you get from it. |
Talking about a Part-Time Job
Two classmates are discussing how to cover their living costs. One has started a part-time job and is comparing this month with last month.
Jisu
아르바이트로 돈을 벌어요?
Areubaiteuro doneul beoreoyo?
Do you earn money from a part-time job?
Minho
네. 지난달에도 벌었어요.
Ne. Jinandaredo beoreosseoyo.
Yes. I earned money last month too.
Jisu
저도 생활비를 벌고 싶어요.
Jeodo saenghwalbireul beolgo sipeoyo.
I want to earn money for my living costs too.
벌어요 describes the income, 벌었어요 reports a past month, and 벌고 싶어요 expresses a wish to earn. The second line can leave out 돈을 because the first speaker has already named the money.
Collocations beyond a Pay Cheque
생활비를 벌다 focuses on earning enough for daily expenses. 용돈을 벌다 is earning spending money. The verb is the same, but the object changes the purpose and scale of the income. Neither expression gives an amount unless the speaker adds one.
돈을 많이 벌다 means to earn a lot of money. The position of 많이 matters: it describes the amount earned. This does not mean saving a lot, having a large bank balance or being good at managing money. Those are separate ideas, even when they concern the same person.
시간을 벌다 means to gain time or buy time. The literal image is earning time as though it were money. In practice, someone may delay a decision or create breathing room to finish a task. It does not mean that time itself becomes income. The Korean Learners' Dictionary entry for 벌다 includes this use.
먹고살 돈을 벌다 means earning the money needed to live. It puts the focus on supporting yourself rather than becoming wealthy. A drama character talking about bills or family responsibilities may use this kind of expression when explaining why they work.
Where Will You Hear 벌다?
In everyday talk, 벌다 connects a person with income. A speaker can say how they earn, as in 아르바이트로, or when they earned, as in 지난달에. The sentence may describe a salary, a side job or another source of earnings; the verb alone does not identify the job.
돈을 얼마나 벌어요? asks how much someone earns. That is a direct question about personal finances. If you only want to ask about their occupation, ask about the work instead. The difference comes from what 벌다 asks for: the financial result rather than the activity.
In news or stories about a successful business, 벌다 can describe money made from selling things. A household conversation may use the same verb for a small amount from a weekend job. There is no built-in claim that the income is large or that the person is rich.
What Makes 벌다 Tricky?
The present modifier 버는 and the past modifier 번 are easy to mistake for unrelated words because their ㄹ has disappeared. 돈을 버는 사람 is a person who earns money. 번 돈 is money already earned. Both come from 벌다, and the noun after the modifier helps you interpret the phrase.
The future modifier 벌 keeps one ㄹ. In 벌 거예요, the spelling does not add another ㄹ or a separate 을 syllable. Compare it with 벌면, which also keeps the stem's ㄹ. The ㄹ-drop rule depends on the following ending, so it does not remove ㄹ everywhere.
Sound and spelling separate again in 벌어요. The ㄹ is heard at the start of the next syllable, but the written stem remains 벌. In 법니다, by contrast, the ㄹ has actually disappeared from the written form. Hearing a sound move and seeing a consonant drop are different clues.
Words for Earning and Expenses
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 월급 | monthly salary | Names a regular monthly payment from work. |
| 생활비 | living expenses | Money needed for everyday costs. |
| 용돈 | spending money; allowance | You may earn it or receive it from someone. |
| 아르바이트 | part-time job | Often shortened to 알바 in casual speech. |
The office vocabulary lesson gives the wider work setting for income discussions.
Mini Drill: Keep or Drop ㄹ?
- Give the formal present of 벌다.
- Complete “a person who earns money”: 돈을 ____ 사람.
- Give the polite future plan form.
- Give the conditional meaning “if someone earns”.
Show drill answers
- 법니다. ㄹ drops before ㅂ.
- 버는. ㄹ drops before ㄴ.
- 벌 거예요. The future modifier has one ㄹ.
- 벌면. ㄹ stays before ㅁ.
Quick Self-Test
- Does earning money mean you have saved it?
- What does 시간을 벌다 mean?
- Does 용돈 always mean money earned at work?
Show answers
- No. 모으다 describes saving or collecting.
- To gain time or buy time.
- No. It can also be an allowance someone gives you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is the Formal Present 법니다?
The ㄹ drops before ㅂ, so 벌 plus ㅂ니다 becomes 법니다.
How Do I Say Someone Who Earns Money?
돈을 버는 사람, using the modifier 버는.
Does 벌다 Take 을/를?
Yes. 돈을 벌어요 marks the money with 을.
What Is the past Tense?
벌었어요, with the ㄹ kept before 었.
Which Words Are Related to 벌다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Go on to 모으다 for saving and 일하다 for the job behind the income. The rule behind 법니다 is in ㄹ-drop verbs and adjectives, the Korean verb conjugator tests other ㄹ stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest.