대답하다 (daedapada) Conjugation: Meaning, Forms & Examples

Key Facts

• Hangul: 대답하다 (daedapada)
• Meaning: to answer
• Spoken as: [대다파다]
• Level: A2
• Stem: 대답하
• Class: 하다 type
• Objects: intransitive

Meaning and Register

• to answer; to reply. Used for answering a question or a call: 질문에 대답하다 (to answer a question).

대답하다 is an A2 verb, common at school and in daily conversation. The question you answer takes 에, not 을/를: 질문에 대답하다. The noun 대답 can also stand alone, as in 대답을 하다 (to give an answer) and 대답이 없어요 (there is no answer).

The honorific polite form is 대답하세요, used for polite instructions.

Sound

In 답하, the ㅂ meets the ㅎ and the two merge into the aspirated sound [ㅍ]. The dictionary form is read [대다파다], 대답해요 is read [대다패요], 대답했어요 is read [대다패써요] and 대답합니다 is read [대다팜니다].

Example Sentences

The question, 질문, takes 에, and the verb is the polite present 대답해요.

선생님께 marks the teacher with the respectful particle 께, 큰 소리로 means 'in a loud voice', and 대답했어요 is the polite past.

대답하세요 with 천천히 is a polite instruction to answer slowly.

Daedapada Conjugation Table

Standard 하다 pattern: 해 for 아/어 endings (대답해요, 대답했어요, 대답해), 하 for the others (대답합니다, 대답하면, 대답하는). The short negative puts 안 between the noun and 하다, giving 대답 안 해요, and the long negative is 대답하지 않아요.

Class: 하다 Type

It is a 하다 type verb. The noun part 대답 never changes; only 하 becomes 해 before endings that start with 아/어. See the 하다 lesson.

Common Mistake

Wrong: ✗ 질문을 대답해요

Correct: ✓ 질문에 대답해요

Why: English 'answer the question' has a direct object, but in Korean the question you respond to takes 에, not 을/를.

Confusable Verbs

Practising for an Interview

A tutor and a learner are rehearsing interview questions. The learner has just answered too quickly and wants another attempt.

Tutor

Learner

Tutor

Learner

대답하세요 gives the instruction, 대답했어요 looks back at the first attempt, and 대답할 거예요 states the learner’s plan. 천천히 and 빨리 describe the pace of the reply. They do not tell you whether the content of the answer was correct.

Replying to a Question, a Person or a Message

질문에 대답하다 means to answer a question. 사람에게 대답하다 means to answer a person. When that person is someone you show respect to, 께 can replace 에게, as in the example with 선생님께. The question and the person are different parts of the exchange, even though English can use “answer” with either one.

대답하다 also fits responding when someone calls your name. The response may be as short as 네, “yes”. It does not have to contain a full explanation. This is why the verb is useful for classroom attendance and scenes where someone calls from another room.

For answering a telephone, the usual verb is 전화를 받다. For a written reply to a text or email, 답장하다 is a useful next word. 대답하다 can describe responding to what a message asks, but 답장하다 names sending a reply message. Choose the word that matches the action you want to describe.

대답하세요 honours the person answering, while 선생님께 identifies a respected person receiving the answer. These roles can belong to different people. A student can say 선생님께 대답했어요 about their own reply without using an honorific ending for themselves. Respect for the teacher is carried by 께 in that sentence.

Common Phrases with 대답

큰 소리로 대답하다 literally means to answer in a loud voice. At school, it can simply mean answering loudly enough to be heard. It does not necessarily suggest shouting angrily. 조용히 대답하다 means to answer quietly; the contrast concerns volume.

솔직하게 대답하다 means to answer honestly. It is common when the speaker wants a truthful response rather than a polite evasion. 대답을 피하다 means to avoid answering. The person might keep talking while avoiding the question, so silence is not required for this phrase.

대답이 없다 means there is no answer or response. In a story, it may describe silence after a question or after someone calls out. The noun 대답 is the subject here. In 대답을 하다, the same noun becomes the object of 하다, so it takes 을 instead.

Where Will You Hear 대답하다?

Teachers use 대답하세요 when directing a class to respond. In an interview rehearsal, it can introduce advice on how to answer. With a stranger, a bare command to answer can sound demanding even with a polite ending. Explain the question or the situation when you need a response.

In dramas, a demand for an answer can signal impatience or a tense relationship. The meaning comes from the setting, the voice and the ending together. The verb itself is neutral: it works equally well in a calm report about yesterday’s lesson.

Words for Asking and Answering

The classroom vocabulary lesson teaches the surrounding school language. 대답 and 정답 are especially useful to keep apart: a response can be a 대답 even when it is not the 정답.

Mini Drill

1. Complete the particle: 질문__ 대답해요.
2. Give the polite past of 대답하다.
3. Write “I don’t answer” with the short negative.
4. Make 대답하다 a polite instruction.

Quick Self-Test

1. Is every 대답 a 정답?
2. Which verb usually means answering a telephone?
3. In 선생님께 대답했어요, what does 께 mark?

FAQ

Which Particle Marks the Question You Answer?

The question takes 에: 학생이 질문에 대답해요 (The student answers the question). Do not use 을/를.

Can I Say 대답을 하다?

Yes. 대답 is a noun, so 대답을 하다 (to give an answer) means the same as 대답하다.

How Is the Dictionary Form Pronounced?

It is read [대다파다]: the ㅂ of 답 and the ㅎ of 하 merge into the aspirated sound ㅍ.

What Is the Honorific Polite Form?

It is 대답하세요, as in 질문에 천천히 대답하세요 (Please answer the question slowly).

How Do I Say 'There Is No Answer'?

Say 대답이 없어요, using the noun 대답 with 이.

Related Verbs

• 질문하다
• 묻다
• 말하다
• 설명하다

Next Steps

Read 질문하다 for the asking side, then 묻다, 말하다 and 설명하다.

To try other forms of 대답하다 yourself, open the Korean verb conjugator; all entries are listed in the verb dictionary.