달리다 (dallida) Conjugation: Meaning, Forms & Examples

Key Facts

• Hangul: 달리다 (dallida)
• Meaning: to run
• Level: A2
• Stem: 달리
• Class: regular
• Objects: intransitive

Meaning and Register

• to run. Used for running, especially fast or over a distance: 공원에서 달리다 (to run in the park).
• to run (of vehicles). Also used for vehicles moving along a route: 버스가 달리다 (a bus runs).

달리다 is a common A2 verb. It usually takes no object, and the place of running takes 에서. The route itself can take 을/를, as in 길을 달리다 (to run along the road). Typical phrases are 빨리 달리다 (to run fast) and the noun 달리기 (running, a race). The honorific polite form is 달리세요.

Sound

The ㄹㄹ in the middle is said as one long l, so the word sounds like dal-li-da. The dictionary form and most forms are read as written. The main changes are in 달렸어요 [달려써요], where ㅆ moves into the next syllable, and 달립니다 [달림니다], where ㅂ before ㄴ becomes [ㅁ].

Example Sentences

아이들이 (the children) is the subject and 공원에서 (in the park) the place. This is the ordinary 'run' sense.

The duration 한 시간 (for an hour) with 달렸어요 describes a morning run.

달리고 싶어요 with 빨리 (fast) states a wish.

Dallida Conjugation Table

The stem 달리 ends in 이, so ㅣ and ㅓ merge into ㅕ: 달려요, 달렸어요, 달려. Consonant endings stay plain: 달립니다, 달리면, 달리는. The negatives are 안 달려요 and 달리지 않아요.

Class: Regular

달리다 is regular. The only visible change is the contraction of 리 + 어 into 려.

Common Mistake

Wrong (unnatural in modern Korean): ✗ 달리어요

Correct: ✓ 달려요

Why: The full form 달리어요 can be found in dictionaries, but in everyday Korean the stem 달리 and the ending 어 always merge: 달려요, 달렸어요. Learners who add endings mechanically end up with the stiff uncontracted form.

Confusable Verbs

Planning a Morning Run

Two neighbours meet at a park entrance. One checks how much the other ran yesterday before suggesting today’s pace.

Jisu

Alex

Jisu

Alex

달렸어요 asks about the previous run. 달리고 싶어요 expresses the preferred pace today, and 같이 달려요 makes a suggestion. The final question checks where they will run. 천천히 is natural with 달리다: the verb does not require every run to be fast.

Place, Route, Destination and Duration

공원에서 달리다 means to run in the park. The particle 에서 identifies where the action happens. 길을 달리다 means to run along a road or path. Here 을 marks the route travelled, even though the road is not an object being acted on like a ball being thrown.

학교까지 달리다 means to run as far as school. 까지 gives an endpoint. It tells you where the run ends, while 에서 can simply name the area where you run. These phrases answer different questions, so choose the one that fits the detail you want to give.

한 시간 달리다 means to run for an hour. 한 시간 is a duration. 아침에 달리다 tells you when the running happens. The existing past-tense example combines the two: 아침에 한 시간 달렸어요 gives both the time of day and the length of the run.

Common Combinations with 달리다

빨리 달리다 means to run fast, and 천천히 달리다 means to run slowly. 오래 달리다 means to run for a long time. Speed and duration are separate details: someone can run slowly for a long time or fast for a short distance. Do not make 빨리 carry both meanings.

달리기 is the noun for running or a running race. 달리기 시합 means a running competition. The noun is useful in school sports and exercise plans, while 달리다 supplies the action in a sentence. A person discussing 달리기 may be talking about the sport in general rather than a run happening now.

차가 달리다 describes a car moving along. The vehicle is the subject, so 차 takes 가. This use does not mean someone is operating a business or running a computer program. English “run” covers several unrelated activities that need different Korean verbs.

Where Will You Hear 달리다?

Exercise conversations use 달리다 for routes, distance, pace and training. In sports commentary, the people running may be chasing a ball rather than taking a recreational jog. The surrounding nouns identify the activity; 달리다 itself gives the movement.

Travel descriptions can use 달리다 for a bus, train or car travelling along a route. If you are the passenger, 타다 describes riding or taking the vehicle. Compare the viewpoint: the vehicle moves with 달리다, and the passenger rides with 타다.

Words for Your Next Run

The sports vocabulary lesson adds the broader exercise set. Pair 거리 with a distance and 시간 with a duration to describe a run more precisely.

Why Is 달리다 Not a ㄹ-Dropping Verb?

The stem is 달리, which ends in the vowel ㅣ. The ㄹ letters are inside the stem, so they are not a final ㄹ that disappears before certain endings. 달립니다 keeps 달리 and attaches the formal ending. 달리세요 likewise keeps the stem before 세요. Identify the last sound of the whole stem before choosing an irregular rule.

Mini Drill

1. Give the polite present of 달리다.
2. Give the polite past.
3. Complete “if I run”: ____.
4. Complete “a person who runs”: ____ 사람.

Quick Self-Test

1. Which names the running area: 공원에서 or 학교까지?
2. Does 한 시간 say how far you ran?
3. In 차가 달려요, who or what is moving?

FAQ

Is It 달리어요?

In modern Korean, say 달려요. The stem 달리 and the ending 어 merge into 려.

What Marks the Place Where You Run?

The place takes 에서: 아이들이 공원에서 달려요 (The children run in the park).

Can Vehicles 달리다?

Yes. The second sense is for vehicles moving along a route, as in 버스가 달리다.

What Is the Noun for Running?

It is 달리기, which means running or a running race.

What Is the past of 달리다?

The polite past is 달렸어요, read [달려써요]. For example, 아침에 한 시간 달렸어요 means 'I ran for an hour in the morning'.

Related Verbs

• 뛰다
• 걷다
• 운동하다
• 타다

Next Steps

Compare 뛰다 and 걷다, then 운동하다 and 타다.

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