Key Facts
- Hangul: 담다 (damda)
- Meaning: to put into
- Level: B1
- Syllables: 2 (담 · 다)
- Stem: 담
- Conjugation class: regular
- Object marking: transitive
- Polite present: 담아요
What Does 담다 Mean?
| Sense | How it is used |
|---|---|
| to put into | Put food or things into a container: 그릇에 담다. |
| to contain | Hold content or meaning: 마음을 담다. |
Serving rice into a bowl and putting books into a bag are the same movement: the container takes 에 and the thing placed takes 을/를. The second sense is less physical, as in 마음을 담다, where feeling goes into something.
How Do You Pronounce 담다?
Damda has 2 syllables (담 · 다). The ㅁ at the end of the stem makes the next ㄷ tense, so the lemma is said [담따].
How Do You Use 담다 in a Sentence?
밥을 그릇에 담아요.
I put rice in a bowl.
담아요 is the polite present form.
가방에 책을 담았어요.
I put the books in my bag.
담았어요 is the polite past form.
음식을 예쁜 접시에 담으면 맛있어 보여요.
If you put food on a pretty plate, it looks tasty.
담으면 is the if (conditional) form.
Usage Notes
Each example shows the same frame: the thing with 을/를, the container with 에, then the verb. 밥을 그릇에 담아요 and 가방에 책을 담았어요 differ only in what goes where. The conditional 음식을 예쁜 접시에 담으면 맛있어 보여요 ties the verb to presentation. The nearby verb 넣다 is a plain put-in, and 담그다 is the verb for pickling or soaking.
How Does Damda Conjugation Work?
담다 is regular: the stem 담 never changes, and its vowel ㅏ selects 아, giving 담아요 and 담았어요.
The pattern behind 담다 (to put into) is taught step by step in polite present recipe.
담다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 담아요 | ||
| Polite past | 담았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 담을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 담겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 담습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 담았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 담을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 담아 | ||
| Casual past | 담았어 | ||
| Casual future | 담을 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 담고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 담으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 담아서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 담으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 담는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 담은 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 담을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 담아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 담지 않아요 |
Before a noun, 담다 (to put into) becomes 담는 (present) or 담은 (past); as a link between clauses it is 담아서 for 'because' and 담으면 for 'if'.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 담아요 | [다마요] |
| Polite past | 담았어요 | [다마써요] |
| Future (plan) | 담을 거예요 | [다믈꺼예요] |
| Future (guess) | 담겠어요 | [담께써요] |
| Formal present | 담습니다 | [담씀니다] |
| Formal past | 담았습니다 | [다맏씀니다] |
| Formal future | 담을 것입니다 | [다믈꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 담아 | [다마] |
| Casual past | 담았어 | [다마써] |
| Casual future | 담을 거야 | [다믈꺼야] |
| Want to | 담고 싶어요 | [담꼬 시퍼요] |
| Honorific | 담으세요 | [다므세요] |
| Because | 담아서 | [다마서] |
| If (conditional) | 담으면 | [다므면] |
| Modifier, past | 담은 | [다믄] |
| Modifier, future | 담을 | [다믈] |
| Short negative | 안 담아요 | [안 다마요] |
| Long negative | 담지 않아요 | [담찌 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong (when you mean making kimchi): ✗ 김치를 담아요
Correct: ✓ 김치를 담가요
Why: Making kimchi is 담그다 (담가요), not 담다.
담다 Versus Similar Words
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 넣다 | 넣다 is a plain put in; 담다 suits containers and serving food. |
| 담그다 | 담그다 is to pickle or soak (김치를 담그다). |
| 싸다 | 싸다 is to wrap or pack. |
Serving Dinner at Home
Two housemates are putting dinner on the table. One checks the rice, then explains how to serve the soup.
Mina
밥을 그릇에 담았어요?
Babeul geureuse damasseoyo?
Did you put the rice in the bowls?
Jun
네. 국은 어디에 담아요?
Ne. Gugeun eodie damayo?
Yes. What should I put the soup in?
Mina
이 그릇에 담으면 돼요.
I geureuse dameumyeon dwaeyo.
You can put it in this bowl.
The past question checks whether the rice is ready. The present question asks what to do next. In the last line, 담으면 joins a pattern meaning “it is enough if…” or, more naturally here, “you can…”. 국은 makes the soup the new topic; the container still takes 에.
Common Combinations beyond Filling a Bowl
마음을 담다 literally means “put one’s heart into” something. On a gift card or in a message, it means expressing sincere feeling. The container can be a letter, a present, or an action. The phrase says something about the care behind it, rather than its price or size.
정성을 담다 means to put care and effort into something. You may meet it in descriptions of handmade food or gifts. 정성 is devoted care, so the phrase emphasizes preparation and sincerity. Both combinations extend the physical idea of placing something inside a container to an invisible quality.
장바구니에 담다 means to add something to a shopping basket. Online, the basket is virtual: adding an item does not mean you have paid for it. A shopping button may shorten this to 담기, an action label made from 담다. The noun ending turns “put in” into the name of an operation.
Where Will You Encounter 담다?
Cooking instructions use 담다 when transferring finished food to a serving dish. A recipe can move from cooking to plating without changing the food itself. 접시에 담다 is natural even though English usually says “on a plate”: Korean uses 에 for the destination with both plates and bowls.
In a photo caption or travel description, 사진에 담다 means to capture something in a photograph. A landscape becomes the content of the image. The object is what the photographer captures, while the photograph takes 에. This helps explain why English “contain” and “capture” can both correspond to 담다.
담다 itself is neutral. A host can use a polite ending while serving guests, and a recipe can use the dictionary form as an instruction label. Choosing 담다 does not automatically make a sentence respectful; the ending still depends on whom you are addressing.
What Stays Stable When 담다 Changes Form?
The stem ends in ㅁ. Keep that consonant in writing when adding a vowel: 담아요 and 담았어요 belong to 담다. The sound moves smoothly into the next syllable, as the pronunciation table shows, but the written stem remains recognizable.
The nearby verb 담그다 has an extra 그 syllable in its dictionary form. Its polite form 담가요 is for making kimchi or immersing something. 김치를 담아요 can be perfectly natural when serving already-made kimchi into a dish. The mistake above concerns using it to mean making kimchi.
Words for Containers and Contents
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 그릇 | bowl; dish | A broad word for a vessel used for food. |
| 접시 | plate | A flatter serving dish; still use 에 with 담다. |
| 용기 | container | Useful on food packaging and storage instructions. |
| 장바구니 | shopping basket | Also names the cart on a shopping site. |
The cooking vocabulary lesson puts serving verbs alongside other kitchen actions.
Mini Drill: Serving or Making?
- Give the polite past of 담다.
- Complete the container marker: 밥을 그릇____ 담아요.
- Choose the verb for making kimchi: 담다 or 담그다?
- Give the conditional form meaning “if you put it in”.
Show drill answers
- 담았어요.
- 에: 그릇에.
- 담그다. 담다 works for transferring the finished kimchi to a dish.
- 담으면.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 장바구니에 담다 mean you have completed payment?
- What does 마음을 담다 suggest about a gift?
- Which marker identifies what goes into the container?
Show answers
- No. It means adding an item to the basket or cart.
- The giver has put sincere feeling into it.
- 을/를 marks the contents; 에 marks the container.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'I Put Rice in a Bowl' in Korean?
밥을 그릇에 담아요. What goes in takes 을/를 and the container takes 에.
How Is 담다 (to put into) Different from 넣다?
넣다 is a plain put in; 담다 suits containers and serving food, such as rice in a bowl or food on a plate.
How Is 담다 (to put into) Different from 담그다?
담그다 is to pickle or soak, as in 김치를 담그다; 담다 describes putting things into a container or expressing content and feeling.
Is 김치를 담아요 Correct for Making Kimchi?
No, use 김치를 담가요. Making kimchi is 담그다 (담가요), not 담다.
What Is the Polite past of 담다?
For 'to put into', the polite past is 담았어요; the polite present is 담아요 and the formal present is 담습니다.
How Do You Say 'Not Put in' with 담다?
For 'not put in', the short negative is 안 담아요 and the long one is 담지 않아요.
Which Words Are Related to 담다?
- 넣다 (to put in)
- 놓다 (to put down)
- 싸다 (to wrap; to pack)
- 붓다 (to pour; to swell)
- Korean verb dictionary
What Should You Learn Next?
Try other forms of 담다 in the Korean verb conjugator, then continue with 넣다 (to put in). More entries like 담다 (to put into) sit together in the Korean verb dictionary.