Key Facts
- Hangul: 달다 (dalda)
- Meaning: sweet
- Level: A1
- Part of speech: adjective
- Stem: 달
- Conjugation class: ㄹ-drop
- Grammar: Takes 이/가 for the food that is sweet.
- Usage: A ㄹ-irregular word: 달아요 but 단 음식, 답니다. Coffee or snacks that are too sweet: 너무 달아요.
What Does 달다 Mean?
The food that is sweet takes 이/가. 단 음식 means sweet food, and 이 커피는 너무 달아요 is the standard complaint that a coffee is too sweet.
Do not confuse this adjective with the verb 달다 that means to attach or hang something. That one is a separate entry with its own object, while the sweet one never takes an object.
Senses:
- sweet: Describes a sugary taste, e.g. 단 음식 (sweet food).
How Do You Pronounce 달다?
달다 is read as spelled, [달다]. The ㄹ moves over to the next syllable when a vowel follows: 달아요 is [다라요], 달았어요 is [다라써요] and 달았습니다 is [다랃씀니다]. The formal present 답니다 is [담니다], because ㅂ becomes ㅁ before ㄴ.
How Do You Use 달다 in a Sentence?
이 커피는 너무 달아요.
This coffee is too sweet.
이 커피는 너무 달아요 uses 너무 for 'too', and 달아요 keeps its ㄹ before the 아 ending.
단 음식을 좋아해요.
I like sweet food.
단 음식을 좋아해요 shows the modifier: ㄹ falls away before ㄴ, so 달 + ㄴ gives 단.
과일이 달아서 맛있어요.
The fruit is sweet, so it is delicious.
과일이 달아서 맛있어요 gives the cause with 달아서, and 맛있어요 reports the result.
How Does Dalda Conjugation Work?
달다 is a ㄹ-drop adjective. The ㄹ is kept before 아/어 and before most consonants (달아요, 달았어요, 달면, 달아서), but it drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and 시: 단, 답니다, 다세요. The future 달 거예요 uses the plain ㄹ ending, so the stem ㄹ does not double. Because the stem vowel is ㅏ, the ending takes 아, not 어: 달아요.
달다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 달아요 | ||
| Polite past | 달았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 달 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 달겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 답니다 | ||
| Formal past | 달았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 달 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 달아 | ||
| Casual past | 달았어 | ||
| Casual future | 달 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 다세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 달아서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 달면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 단 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 달았던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 달 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 달아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 달지 않아요 |
For a word meaning 'sweet', -고 싶다 has no cell, because that ending attaches to action verbs.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 달아요 | [다라요] |
| Polite past | 달았어요 | [다라써요] |
| Polite future | 달 거예요 | [달꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 달겠어요 | [달게써요] |
| Formal present | 답니다 | [담니다] |
| Formal past | 달았습니다 | [다랃씀니다] |
| Formal future | 달 것입니다 | [달꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 달았어 | [다라써] |
| Past modifier | 달았던 | [다랃떤] |
| Long negative | 달지 않아요 | [달지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 달어요 / 다아요
Correct: ✓ 달아요
Why: 달다 is a ㄹ-verb: ㄹ stays before 아/어 but drops before ㄴ, ㅂ, 시 (단, 답니다). Learners attach 어요 to the stem without the vowel choice, or drop the ㄹ everywhere. The ㄹ drops only before ㄴ, ㅂ and 시.
Where Does 달다 Turn up in Daily Talk?
Use 달다 for coffee, fruit and snacks. 너무 달아요 often describes excessive sweetness, while 아주 달아요 can praise sweet fruit. 달콤하다 is the pleasant kind of sweetness, also used for honey and romance. 쓰다, 짜다, 맵다 and 시다 are the other basic tastes.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 달다?
| Word | How to tell it from 달다 |
|---|---|
| 달다 (to weigh/hang) | A different verb 달다 means to attach or hang something; this page covers only the sweet adjective. |
| 달콤하다 | 달콤하다 is pleasantly sweet, also used for honey-like or romantic things. |
Choosing Fruit at a Market
A customer is choosing fruit for someone who enjoys sweet food. The seller describes the fruit, and the customer recalls a previous purchase.
Customer
이 과일은 달아요?
I gwaireun darayo?
Is this fruit sweet?
Seller
네. 아주 달아요.
Ne. Aju darayo.
Yes. It is very sweet.
Customer
지난번 과일도 달았어요.
Jinanbeon gwaildo darasseoyo.
The fruit last time was sweet too.
Seller
단 과일을 좋아하세요?
Dan gwaireul joahaseyo?
Do you like sweet fruit?
달아요 describes the fruit on sale now, while 달았어요 refers to the previous purchase. In the last line, 단 comes before 과일. The seller is asking about the customer's preference, so 좋아하세요 carries respect toward the customer. The fruit itself does not need an honorific form of 달다.
Sweetness Phrases beyond One Translation
단 음식 means “sweet food”. It describes taste, so the food might be fruit, a dessert or a sweet sauce. It does not tell you whether sugar was added during cooking. A naturally sweet peach still fits. 단 is the adjective's noun modifier, which explains why its spelling looks shorter than 달아요.
단맛 means “sweetness” or “a sweet taste” and is written as one word. 맛 means taste. Use this noun when discussing a flavor as one part of a dish: a sauce can have sweetness as well as saltiness. 단 음식 names the food; 단맛 names the quality you taste in it.
달게 먹다 means “to eat food sweet” or “to prefer it sweet”, depending on context. 달게 describes the way someone eats or prepares the food. The ending 게 does not trigger ㄹ-drop, so 달 remains intact. This is a useful contrast with 단: the next ending determines what happens to ㄹ.
달다 describes sweetness without automatically praising it. 너무 달아요 can explain why you dislike a drink. 아주 달아요 can praise ripe fruit when sweetness is wanted. English “sweet” can praise a kind person, but 친절하다 or 착하다 is usually needed for that meaning. Calling a person sugary by translating word for word misses the intended compliment.
Where Will You Meet 달다?
At cafes, 달아요 helps you ask about a drink or describe its taste after trying it. In food reviews, 달았어요 reports the sweetness of what the writer ate. On fruit stalls and supermarket descriptions, 단 or the noun 단맛 can highlight flavor. These words alone make no promise about the ingredients or sugar content.
For a less sweet preference, 덜 달게 means “less sweet”. 덜 reduces the degree of sweetness; it does not necessarily remove all sugar or syrup. 안 달아요 and 달지 않아요 describe something as not sweet. Neither expression is a product label proving that an item contains no sugar. Taste and ingredients are separate questions.
The table includes the honorific form 다세요, but ordinary fruit, coffee and snacks do not need to be honored. When talking politely about their flavor, 달아요 is the useful choice. A polite sentence ending already gives you a respectful way to address the listener.
Build a Taste Description
| Korean | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 단맛 | sweetness | Name the flavor rather than the food. |
| 설탕 | sugar | Name an ingredient that can make food sweet. |
| 시럽 | syrup | Recognize a common cafe sweetener. |
| 달콤하다 | to be pleasantly sweet | Often adds an appealing or figurative sweetness. |
The taste adjective lesson compares 달다 with salty, bitter, sour and spicy. A food can have several tastes at once, so describing sweetness does not rule out sourness or bitterness elsewhere in the same bite.
Mini Drill: Where Does ㄹ Go?
- Make the polite present of 달다.
- Complete “sweet food”: ____ 음식.
- Make the formal present.
- Complete “less sweet”: 덜 ____ (use 게).
Show the sweetness drill answers
- 달아요. Keep ㄹ before 아요.
- 단 음식. Drop ㄹ before ㄴ.
- 답니다. Drop ㄹ before ㅂ니다.
- 덜 달게. Keep ㄹ before 게.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 단 음식 necessarily contain added sugar?
- What is the difference between 덜 달게 and 안 달아요?
- Would 달다 be the usual translation of “sweet” in “a sweet, helpful person”?
Show self-test answers
- No. It describes a sweet taste, including natural sweetness.
- 덜 달게 means less sweet; 안 달아요 says something is not sweet.
- No. 친절하다 or 착하다 expresses that kind of personal quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say "This Coffee Is Too Sweet"?
이 커피는 너무 달아요.
Why Does 달 + ㄴ Give 단?
달다 is a ㄹ-drop word. The ㄹ drops before ㄴ, so 달 + ㄴ becomes 단.
What Is the Formal Form of 달다?
답니다. The ㄹ drops before ㅂ, and it is read [담니다].
Is This the Same 달다 as "to Hang"?
No. That is a different verb. This page covers only the sweet adjective.
Which Words Are Related to 달다?
The entries closest to 달다 (sweet) are 쓰다 (bitter), 짜다 (salty), 맵다 (spicy), 시다 (sour).
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn 쓰다 (bitter) next, then 짜다, 맵다 and 시다 to finish the basic taste words. To see why 'sweet' takes the form 달아요, read ㄹ-drop verbs and adjectives; the Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest of the family.