Key Facts
- Hangul: 듣다 (deutda)
- Meaning: to listen/hear
- Spoken as: [듣따]
- Level: A1
- Stem: 듣
- Class: ㄷ-irregular
- Objects: transitive
Meaning and Register
듣다 covers two overlapping jobs. The first is paying attention to sound on purpose, as in 음악을 듣다, where English would say "listen to". The second is simply receiving information, such as hearing news, and it stretches to taking a class: 수업을 듣다 means to attend or take a lecture, which English speakers do not describe with "listen" at all.
The thing you hear is marked with 을/를, so 음악을 들어요 is the pattern. If you want to name the person you heard it from, that person takes 에게서 or 한테서. Typical objects are 음악, 수업 and 이야기, a good starting set of collocations: music, a class and a story.
It has no special honorific or humble verb, so the regular honorific polite form 들으세요 is the respect form to learn.
In brief:
- to listen/hear. Take in sound on purpose or by hearing it, as in 음악을 듣다; also to hear news or a class (수업을 듣다).
Sound
The dictionary form is read [듣따], because the 다 after a ㄷ batchim is tensed into 따. The vowel ㅡ is unrounded: spread the lips slightly instead of rounding them. Once an ending starting with a vowel is attached, the ㄷ has already become ㄹ and slides across the syllable break as a tap, so 들어요 is read [드러요] and 들어서 is read [드러서]. Before a consonant ending the ㄷ stays put, giving 듣습니다 read as [듣씀니다].
Example Sentences
저는 아침에 음악을 들어요.
I listen to music in the morning.
The time word 아침에 sits in front of the object, which is the normal Korean order: topic, time, object, verb. The ㄷ has already turned into ㄹ here, so the polite present is 들어요 and not the spelling you would guess from the dictionary form.
어제 선생님 말씀을 들었어요.
Yesterday I listened to what my teacher said.
The past form 들었어요 shows the same ㄹ stem with the past marker added. The object 선생님 말씀 is the teacher's words (말씀 is the respectful word for speech), which is the 'take in information' sense rather than 'enjoy a sound'.
노래를 들어서 기분이 좋아요.
I feel good because I listened to the song.
Here 들어서 links the cause (listening to a song) to the result (feeling good). It is a vowel ending, so the ㄷ-to-ㄹ change applies again.
Deutda Conjugation Table
The table shows the whole split. Forms that continue with a vowel use the ㄹ stem: 들어요, 들었어요, 들어서, 들으면, 들은 and 들을. Forms that continue with a consonant keep ㄷ: 듣습니다, 듣는, 듣지 않아요. Note that the modifiers split too: the present modifier 듣는 keeps ㄷ, while the past modifier 들은 and future modifier 들을 take the ㄹ stem.
듣다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 들어요 | ||
| Polite past | 들었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 들을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 듣겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 듣습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 들었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 들을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 들어 | ||
| Casual past | 들었어 | ||
| Casual future | 들을 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 듣고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 들으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 들어서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 들으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 듣는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 들은 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 들을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 들어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 듣지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 들어요 | [드러요] |
| Polite past | 들었어요 | [드러써요] |
| Polite future | 들을 거예요 | [드를꺼예요] |
| Future guess | 듣겠어요 | [듣께써요] |
| Formal present | 듣습니다 | [듣씀니다] |
| Formal past | 들었습니다 | [드럳씀니다] |
| Formal future | 들을 것입니다 | [드를꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 들어 | [드러] |
| Casual past | 들었어 | [드러써] |
| Casual future | 들을 거야 | [드를꺼야] |
| Want to | 듣고 싶어요 | [듣꼬 시퍼요] |
| Honorific | 들으세요 | [드르세요] |
| Because | 들어서 | [드러서] |
| If | 들으면 | [드르면] |
| Present modifier | 듣는 | [든는] |
| Past modifier | 들은 | [드른] |
| Future modifier | 들을 | [드를] |
| Short negative | 안 들어요 | [안 드러요] |
| Long negative | 듣지 않아요 | [듣찌 아나요] |
Class: ㄷ-Irregular
This is a ㄷ-irregular verb: the stem-final ㄷ turns into ㄹ before a vowel ending, but stays ㄷ before a consonant. Walk through the full rule on the ㄷ-irregular lesson. Two other common verbs behave the same way, 걷다 (to walk) and 묻다 (to ask), while 알아듣다 is a compound built on this very verb and changes in the same place. Not every ㄷ stem is irregular, though: the verb for "to receive" keeps its ㄷ, so learn each verb's class with the verb.
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 듣어요
Correct: ✓ 들어요
Why: 듣다 is a ㄷ-irregular verb: ㄷ becomes ㄹ before a vowel (들어요, 들었어요), but stays in 듣고, 듣는.
Learners who treat 듣다 as regular build the polite present from the stem plus 어요 and get ✗ 듣어요. The correction is ✓ 들어요. The reason is that every ending beginning with a vowel pulls the ㄷ over to ㄹ, as in 들었어요, while consonant endings such as 듣고 and 듣는 leave it alone.
Confusable Verbs
| Verb | Difference |
|---|---|
| 들리다 | 듣다 is to listen or hear actively; 들리다 means a sound is audible by itself. |
| 알아듣다 | 듣다 is just hearing; 알아듣다 means to understand what you hear. |
Think of 들리다 as sound arriving without effort from you. If a noise reaches your ears, use 들리다; if you are choosing to take it in, use 듣다.
The second contrast is about comprehension. Hearing the words is 듣다, while 알아듣다 adds that you understood them. Someone who says they heard but could not follow should reach for the 알아듣다 pair.
Sharing a Song
Two friends share a new song over their phones.
Jisu
이 노래 들었어요?
I norae deureosseoyo?
Have you heard this song?
Alex
아니요. 지금 들어요.
Aniyo. Jigeum deureoyo.
No. I’m listening to it now.
Jisu
저는 오늘 또 들을 거예요.
Jeoneun oneul tto deureul geoyeyo.
I’m going to listen to it again today.
The question uses 들었어요 for a previous listening experience. 들어요 moves to the present, and 들을 거예요 gives a future plan. All three change ㄷ to ㄹ because the attached ending begins with a vowel.
Expressions beyond Listening to Music
말을 듣다 can mean to listen to someone's words or to do as someone says. In a family scene, the phrase may concern obedience rather than hearing ability. 소식을 듣다 means to hear news: the information reaches you even if you were not deliberately listening for it.
수업을 듣다 means to take or attend a class. The lecture is something you listen to, but the expression can describe course participation over a whole term. 칭찬을 듣다 means to hear praise; 욕을 듣다 means to be sworn at or criticized. The object tells you what kind of experience the hearing involves.
Where Will You Hear 들으세요?
In a listening exercise, 잘 들으세요 asks you to listen carefully. A teacher is directing attention to speech or a recording. In ordinary conversation, hearing someone's message does not prove you understood it: 알아듣다 supplies the comprehension meaning.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 노래 | song | A common object of 듣다. |
| 소리 | sound | Can be audible without deliberate listening. |
| 소식 | news | Information you hear about people or events. |
| 알아듣다 | to understand what one hears | Adds comprehension to hearing. |
Find music and instrument words in the music vocabulary lesson.
Mini Drill: Which Consonant Belongs?
- Give the polite present of 듣다.
- Give “if you listen”.
- Give the formal present.
- Give the present modifier before a noun.
Show drill answers
- 들어요.
- 들으면. Keep 으 even after ㄷ becomes ㄹ.
- 듣습니다. The consonant ending keeps ㄷ.
- 듣는. The spelling keeps ㄷ although the pronunciation is [든는].
Quick Self-Test
- What does 수업을 듣다 mean?
- Does 말을 듣다 always concern hearing ability?
- Which verb adds understanding: 듣다 or 알아듣다?
Show answers
- To take or attend a class.
- No. It can mean doing as someone says.
- 알아듣다.
FAQ
Why Is It 들어요 and Not 듣어요?
듣다 is ㄷ-irregular, so the ㄷ becomes ㄹ in front of a vowel ending. The polite present is 들어요, the past is 들었어요, and ✗ 듣어요 is never used.
Which Forms Keep the ㄷ?
Forms that continue with a consonant keep it: 듣습니다, 듣지 않아요 and the present modifier 듣는.
Does 듣다 Mean to Take a Class?
Yes. 수업을 듣다 means to take or attend a class, alongside hearing news. The thing you listen to or attend is marked with 을/를.
How Do I Say That a Sound Is Audible by Itself?
Use 들리다, as in a sound that simply reaches you. 듣다 is the action you do on purpose.
How Is the Dictionary Form Pronounced?
It is read [듣따], while 들어요 is read [드러요].
Related Verbs
Next Steps
Compare the passive-sounding 들리다 next, then 알아듣다 for understanding. 걷다 and 묻다 follow the identical ㄷ-to-ㄹ pattern, so each one reinforces this rule.
To try other forms of 듣다 yourself, open the Korean verb conjugator; all entries are listed in the verb dictionary.