Key Facts
- Hangul: 들어오다 (deureooda)
- Meaning: to come in
- Level: A1
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 들어오
- Conjugation class: Regular
- Grammar: The mover takes 이/가; the room or place takes 에 (방에 들어오다) or 으로.
- Honorific polite: 들어오세요
- Usage: A basic A1 word. 들어오세요 is the standard invitation to enter a home or office. The 들어 comes from 들다 (to enter), not from the ㄷ irregular 듣다 (to listen), so the verb is regular.
What Does 들어오다 Mean?
- to come in: Used for entering a place toward the speaker, e.g. 들어오세요 (please come in).
- to come in (money, information, orders): Used when things arrive or flow in, e.g. 연락이 들어오다 or 주문이 들어오다.
들어오다 is entering a place toward the speaker. 들어오세요 is the standard invitation into a home, shop or office, and 안으로 들어오세요 sounds slightly more explicit: please come inside. The place you enter takes 에 or 으로, as in 방에 들어오다, not 을/를.
The second sense is for things that arrive: 연락이 들어오다 means contact comes in, and 주문이 들어오다 means an order comes in. The 들어 here comes from 들다 (to enter), not from 듣다 (to listen), so nothing irregular happens: this is an ordinary compound of 들어 and 오다.
Which Set Phrases Use 들어오다?
- 들어오세요: Please come in; the everyday invitation.
- 안으로 들어오세요: Please come inside.
- 주문이 들어오다: An order comes in, used in shops and businesses.
How Do You Pronounce 들어오다?
The dictionary form 들어오다 is read [드러오다], because the final ㄹ of 들 links with the next syllable. The same linking shows in the polite present 들어와요 [드러와요] and the past 들어왔어요 [드러와써요]. The formal 들어옵니다 is [드러옴니다].
How Do You Use 들어오다 in a Sentence?
손님이 가게에 들어와요.
A customer comes into the shop.
손님이 is the customer, and 가게에 is the shop marked with 에. The present tense fits a scene you are watching.
아까 선생님이 교실에 들어왔어요.
The teacher came into the classroom a while ago.
아까 (a while ago) tells us this happened earlier, and 선생님이 교실에 is the teacher at the classroom. The place takes 에, not 을/를.
안으로 들어오세요.
Please come inside.
안으로 gives the direction, and 들어오세요 is the honorific polite invitation. Use it at your own door.
How Does Deureooda Conjugation Work?
들어오다 is regular. 오 + 아 contracts to 와, so the polite present is 들어와요 and the past is 들어왔어요. The stem 들어오 stays visible before endings that do not trigger this contraction: 들어오세요, 들어오면, 들어옵니다.
들어오다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 들어와요 | ||
| Polite past | 들어왔어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 들어올 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 들어오겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 들어옵니다 | ||
| Formal past | 들어왔습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 들어올 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 들어와 | ||
| Casual past | 들어왔어 | ||
| Casual future | 들어올 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 들어오고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 들어오세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 들어와서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 들어오면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 들어오는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 들어온 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 들어올 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 들어와요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 들어오지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 들어와요 | [드러와요] |
| Polite past | 들어왔어요 | [드러와써요] |
| Polite future | 들어올 거예요 | [드러올꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 들어오겠어요 | [드러오게써요] |
| Formal present | 들어옵니다 | [드러옴니다] |
| Formal past | 들어왔습니다 | [드러왇씀니다] |
| Formal future | 들어올 것입니다 | [드러올꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 들어왔어 | [드러와써] |
| Casual future | 들어올 거야 | [드러올꺼야] |
| Past modifier | 들어온 | [드러온] |
| Long negative | 들어오지 않아요 | [드러오지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 들어오다
Wrong: ✗ 방을 들어와요.
Correct: ✓ 방에 들어와요.
Why: 들어오다 is intransitive, so the place you enter takes 에 or (으)로, not 을/를. English 'enter a room' pulls learners toward 을/를, but Korean needs the place particle.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 들어오다?
| Word | How to tell it from 들어오다 |
|---|---|
| 들어가다 | 들어가다 is going in away from the speaker; 들어오다 is coming in toward the speaker. |
| 나오다 | 나오다 is coming out; 들어오다 is coming in. |
Welcoming a Visitor to an Office
A visitor is at the doorway. The receptionist invites them inside, and they check whether their colleague has already arrived.
Receptionist
안으로 들어오세요.
Aneuro deureooseyo.
Please come inside.
Visitor
감사합니다. 지수 씨도 들어왔어요?
Gamsahamnida. Jisu ssido deureowasseoyo?
Thank you. Has Jisu come in too?
Receptionist
네. 매일 아홉 시에 들어와요.
Ne. Maeil ahop sie deureowayo.
Yes. She comes in at nine every day.
The receptionist speaks from inside the office, which makes 들어오세요 natural. The visitor's 들어왔어요 asks about a completed arrival. The final 들어와요 describes a routine because 매일 means “every day.” A present-tense form can describe either an arrival now or a habit; the time expression tells you which.
Common Combinations beyond Walking through a Door
눈에 들어오다 literally suggests something coming into the eyes. Its everyday meaning is to catch your eye or become noticeable. In a shop, a particular jacket might attract your attention. In a busy room, you might finally notice someone you were looking for. Nothing has physically entered an eye.
귀에 들어오다 concerns something reaching your ears. In conversation, it can describe hearing words or information. Alongside 연락이 들어오다, it helps you recognize a wider idea: something reaches the speaker's awareness or situation. 들어오다 does not always involve a person crossing a doorway.
주문이 들어오다 is an order coming in to a business. 돈이 들어오다 is money coming in, such as a payment reaching an account or household. The incoming item takes 이/가, just as 손님이 does in the shop example. These phrases describe arrival; they do not mean placing an order or spending money.
Where Will You Hear 들어오다?
At a home or office entrance, 들어오세요 welcomes someone inside. In a store, the same invitation welcomes a customer. 들어와 is the casual version for someone with whom you already use casual speech. For a guest you do not know well, 들어오세요 is the more appropriate choice.
In workplace conversation, staff may discuss incoming calls, messages or orders. The noun before 이/가 tells you what arrived. In family conversation, the word may concern coming home, especially when the speaker treats the home as the destination. The destination can be understood without being spoken every time.
Track the Speaker's Viewpoint
Imagine Mina standing inside a classroom and Jisu standing in the hallway. Mina can invite Jisu with 들어오세요 because Jisu will move into Mina's space. From the hallway, a person describing Jisu entering that room may choose 들어가다. Both describe entry; the difference is the direction relative to the speaker's viewpoint.
That viewpoint can include a place the speaker treats as their base, such as home or the office. It is therefore more useful to picture whose space someone is entering than to memorize an English translation in isolation. In the office dialogue, the receptionist's location makes the choice clear.
Write 들어오다 and 들어와요 as single words. They are forms of one compound verb. Keep the future expression spaced as 들어올 거예요, with a space before 거예요. The contraction 오 + 아 becomes 와 in 들어와요, but the uncontracted stem remains visible in 들어오면 and 들어오는.
Words for Following Someone's Route
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 들어가다 | to go in | Entry viewed as going into another space. |
| 나오다 | to come out | Movement out toward the speaker's viewpoint. |
| 돌아오다 | to come back | Return to a place or situation. |
| 안 | inside | Clarifies the inward direction in 안으로 들어오세요. |
Practice the changing viewpoint with the Korean movement verbs lesson.
Mini Drill: Bring the Arrival into Focus
- Invite an unfamiliar visitor to come in.
- Give the polite past for someone who has already arrived.
- Complete the place particle: 방___ 들어와요.
- Give the polite present, contracting 오 + 아.
Show drill answers
- 들어오세요.
- 들어왔어요.
- 에: 방에 들어와요.
- 들어와요.
Quick Self-Test
- In 주문이 들어오다, is a person necessarily entering a room?
- What does 눈에 들어오다 mean in a shopping conversation?
- Is 들어와 an appropriate default invitation for an unfamiliar customer?
Show self-test answers
- No. An order is arriving at the business.
- Something catches your eye.
- Use 들어오세요 with an unfamiliar customer; 들어와 is casual.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'Please Come In'?
들어오세요. For 'please come inside' say 안으로 들어오세요.
Which Particle Marks the Place I Enter?
에 or (으)로, as in 방에 들어오다. Never 을/를.
What Is the Difference between 들어오다 and 들어가다?
들어오다 is going in toward the speaker. 들어가다 is going in away from the speaker.
Is 들어오다 a ㄷ Irregular Verb?
No. The ㄷ is part of the compound 들어 and does not change.
Which Words Are Related to 들어오다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Pair 들어오다 with 나오다 for coming in and coming out. Then try 들어가다 from the speaker's other side, and 돌아오다 for coming back. For the rule behind these forms, read how 오 + 아 becomes 와, then try another stem in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.