Key Facts
- Hangul: 부럽다 (bureopda)
- Meaning: envious
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 부럽
- Conjugation class: ㅂ-irregular
- Grammar: The person you envy takes 이/가: 친구가 부러워요.
- Usage: Common in friendly talk, often without hostility.
What Does 부럽다 Mean?
부럽다 means to feel jealous in a mild, wishing way, as in 네가 부러워 (I envy you, casual). It often expresses friendly envy rather than hostility.
You will hear 부러워요! and 너무 부럽다 when someone shares good news. It is not as harsh as 질투하다.
How Do You Pronounce 부럽다?
The dictionary form is [부럽따], because ㅂ followed by ㄷ tenses the ㄷ. The formal present 부럽습니다 is [부럽씀니다], and 부럽지 않아요 is [부럽찌 아나요]. Vowel endings drop the ㅂ, so 부러워요 is read as spelled.
How Do You Use 부럽다 in a Sentence?
저는 친구의 새 집이 부러워요.
I envy my friend's new house.
친구의 새 집이 is the thing envied, marked with 이.
여행 간다니 부러워서 말이 안 나와요.
I'm so envious of your trip I'm speechless.
부러워서 gives the reason, and 말이 안 나와요 expresses speechlessness.
부러운 마음이 들었어요.
I felt envious.
부러운 modifies 마음이, and 들었어요 says the feeling arrived.
How Does Bureopda Conjugation Work?
부럽다 is a ㅂ-irregular adjective. Before a vowel, the ㅂ turns into 우 and contracts: 부러워요, 부러웠어요, 부러워서. Before a consonant it stays: 부럽습니다, 부럽지 않아요. The modifier is 부러운, and the honorific is 부러우세요.
부럽다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 부러워요 | ||
| Polite past | 부러웠어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 부러울 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 부럽겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 부럽습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 부러웠습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 부러울 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 부러워 | ||
| Casual past | 부러웠어 | ||
| Casual future | 부러울 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 부러우세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 부러워서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 부러우면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 부러운 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 부러웠던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 부러울 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 부러워요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 부럽지 않아요 |
No want-to row: -고 싶다 suits verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary form | 부럽다 | [부럽따] |
| Polite past | 부러웠어요 | [부러워써요] |
| Polite future | 부러울 거예요 | [부러울꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 부럽겠어요 | [부럽께써요] |
| Formal present | 부럽습니다 | [부럽씀니다] |
| Formal past | 부러웠습니다 | [부러웓씀니다] |
| Formal future | 부러울 것입니다 | [부러울꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 부러웠어 | [부러워써] |
| Casual future | 부러울 거야 | [부러울꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 부러웠던 | [부러웓떤] |
| Long negative | 부럽지 않아요 | [부럽찌 아나요] |
부럽다 Forms to Reach for First
- Politely (envious): 부러워요
- Earlier, in the past (envious): 부러웠어요
- Giving the reason (envious): 부러워서
- If the condition holds (envious): 부러우면
- Before a noun (envious): 부러운, or 부러웠던 for the past
- Denying it (envious): 부럽지 않아요
- Honorific, about a respected person (envious): 부러우세요
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 부러어요 or 부럽아요
Correct: ✓ 부러워요
Why: Keeping the ㅂ gives 부럽어요, or 부럽아요 with the wrong vowel as well, and dropping it without adding 우 gives 부러어요. The ㅂ turns into 우, which merges with 어 into 워: 부러워요.
When Does 부럽다 Fit Best?
Use 부럽다 for wishing you had what someone has. For thanks, 고맙다 shares the same ㅂ pattern. Friends often react with 부러워요! or 너무 부럽다 when someone shares news of a trip or a purchase. Because the thing envied takes 이/가, 네가 부러워 literally says 'you are enviable to me'.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 부럽다?
| Word | How to tell it from 부럽다 |
|---|---|
| 부러워하다 | 부러워하다 is the verb form that takes 을/를 (친구를 부러워해요); 부럽다 takes 이/가 (친구가 부러워요). |
| 좋아하다 | 좋아하다 means to like something; 부럽다 means to envy it. |
A Friend Announces a Vacation
Two friends are talking about summer plans. Jisu has booked a trip, and Minho wishes he could go too.
Jisu
다음 주에 제주도에 가요.
Daeum jue Jejudo-e gayo.
I am going to Jeju Island next week.
Minho
정말 부러워요. 저도 여행 가고 싶어요.
Jeongmal bureowoyo. Jeodo yeohaeng gago sipeoyo.
I am so envious. I want to travel too.
Jisu
저도 작년에 친구가 부러웠어요.
Jeodo jangnyeone chinguga bureowosseoyo.
I envied a friend last year too.
The present 부러워요 reacts to good news, while 부러웠어요 remembers the same feeling last year. Minho leaves the target of envy understood because Jisu has just announced the trip. Jisu explicitly names 친구가 in the reply to identify the friend she envied earlier.
Common Reactions to Someone Else's Good Fortune
너무 부러워요 is a familiar reaction to a trip, an achievement or someone's free time. Literally it says the feeling is very strong. In a friendly exchange, natural English might be “I am so jealous” or “Lucky you”. It need not express resentment.
하나도 안 부러워요 means “I am not envious at all”. 하나도 strengthens the negative, rather than counting one object. The phrase can be sincere, but in a drama or playful exchange the tone may suggest that the speaker is trying to hide envy.
부러우면 지는 거다 is a joking saying: “If you get envious, you lose”. The literal image is losing a contest, but the speaker usually means losing the imaginary competition to seem unbothered. It is a playful comment, not advice about an actual sporting rule.
Where Will You Hear or See 부럽다?
Friends use 부럽다 when comparing holidays, new homes, concert tickets or another person's abilities. Short comments such as 부러워요 can stand alone because the news supplies the thing envied. You do not need to repeat the person's name and the achievement in every response.
Online comments and variety shows often use the dictionary-style exclamation 부럽다. In this setting it is a spontaneous reaction, much like “So jealous”. It is not automatically a formal dictionary quotation. In direct polite conversation, 부러워요 is an easy complete response.
The friendly reading is common, but 부럽다 does not guarantee a friendly attitude. Voice, context and follow-up remarks can add bitterness. 질투하다 more directly names jealousy, yet jealousy itself is not always hostile either. Choose the word for the feeling you mean and judge the social tone from the whole exchange.
Who Takes the Subject Marker?
In 저는 친구가 부러워요, 저는 introduces the person feeling envy, and 친구가 identifies the person envied. English “I envy my friend” uses a different grammatical shape. Translating word by word can lead you to add 을/를 where this adjective needs 이/가.
부러워하다 is an action verb built from the feeling adjective. It can take the envied person as its object, as in 친구를 부러워해요. That makes it useful for reporting someone's attitude. Changing to this verb also changes the grammar; it is not just an optional longer spelling of 부럽다.
The irregular modifier is 부러운 and the conditional is 부러우면. Both keep 우, while the polite present contracts to 부러워요. The formal 부럽습니다 retains ㅂ. These three shapes explain most of the apparent variety in the table.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 부러워하다 | to envy | The verb pattern takes 을/를 for the target. |
| 질투하다 | to feel jealous | Can emphasize rivalry or possessive jealousy. |
| 그립다 | to miss; to long for | Focuses on an absent person or place. |
| 아쉽다 | disappointed; regretful | Focuses on something lacking or a missed chance. |
The emotions vocabulary lesson gives the surrounding feelings, so you can distinguish wishing for someone else's opportunity from missing your own.
Mini Drill
- Choose the marker with the adjective: 친구__ 부러워요.
- Give the polite past for envy felt last year.
- Complete the conditional: “if you feel envious”.
- Change to the verb pattern: 친구가 부러워요 → 친구를 ____.
Show drill answers
- 친구가 부러워요.
- 부러웠어요.
- 부러우면.
- 친구를 부러워해요.
Quick Self-Test
- Must 부러워요 in response to a vacation announcement express resentment?
- What does 하나도 add to 안 부러워요?
- Does 부러우면 지는 거다 normally describe a real competition?
Show answers
- No. It often expresses friendly envy.
- “At all”: the speaker denies feeling any envy.
- No. It is a playful saying about admitting envy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 부럽다?
부러워요.
How Do I Say 'I Envy You'?
To a friend, 네가 부러워. Politely, name the person, add 이/가 and end with 부러워요.
How Is It Different from 부러워하다?
부러워하다 is the verb form that takes 을/를; 부럽다 takes 이/가.
Is It Hostile?
Usually it expresses mild or friendly envy. Tone can still make it resentful. 질투하다 more directly names jealousy, but its tone also depends on context.
Which Words Are Related to 부럽다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 부럽다 with 부러워하다 and 좋아하다, then practise the same ㅂ pattern with 고맙다. The pattern is explained in ㅂ-irregular verbs and adjectives. Then run another word through the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.