Key Facts
- Hangul: 돌다 (dolda)
- Meaning: to turn; to spin
- Level: B1
- Syllables: 2 (돌 · 다)
- Stem: 돌
- Conjugation class: ㄹ-drop
- Object marking: none when something spins; 을/를 for the place gone around
- Polite present: 돌아요
What Does 돌다 Mean?
| Sense | How it is used |
|---|---|
| to turn | Something turns around or spins: 팽이가 돌다. |
| to go around | Go around a place or corner: 모퉁이를 돌다. |
Intransitive when the subject spins (팽이가 돌아요); takes 을/를 for the place gone around (모퉁이를 돌아요).
The ㄹ at the end of the stem drops in some forms and stays in others, so one verb gives both 도세요 and 돌아요. The place you go around takes 을/를, as in 모퉁이를 돌다, while a spinning top takes 이/가.
How Do You Pronounce 돌다?
Dolda has 2 syllables (돌 · 다) and is said as it is spelled.
How Do You Use 돌다 in a Sentence?
팽이가 빨리 돌아요.
The top spins fast.
돌아요 is the polite present form.
우리는 공원을 한 바퀴 돌았어요.
We went once around the park.
돌았어요 is the polite past form.
저 모퉁이를 돌면 은행이 있어요.
If you turn that corner, there is a bank.
돌면 is the if (conditional) form.
Usage Notes
The examples show three jobs for one verb: 팽이가 빨리 돌아요 has a spinning subject, 공원을 한 바퀴 돌았어요 moves around a place, and 저 모퉁이를 돌면 은행이 있어요 gives directions. To make something spin yourself, switch to 돌리다. The dropped ㄹ is also why the formal present is 돕니다 and why 돌습니다 is a mistake.
How Does Dolda Conjugation Work?
돌다 is an ㄹ-drop verb: the final ㄹ of the stem drops before ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ (돕니다, 도세요, 도는) and stays elsewhere (돌아요, 돌면). So the polite present is 돌아요, while the formal present is 돕니다.
The whole class is explained in ㄹ-drop verbs and adjectives.
돌다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 돌아요 | ||
| Polite past | 돌았어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 돌 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 돌겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 돕니다 | ||
| Formal past | 돌았습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 돌 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 돌아 | ||
| Casual past | 돌았어 | ||
| Casual future | 돌 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 돌고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 도세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 돌아서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 돌면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 도는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 돈 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 돌 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 돌아요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 돌지 않아요 |
Before a noun, 돌다 (to turn) becomes 도는 (present) or 돈 (past); as a link between clauses it is 돌아서 for 'because' and 돌면 for 'if'.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 돌아요 | [도라요] |
| Polite past | 돌았어요 | [도라써요] |
| Future (plan) | 돌 거예요 | [돌꺼예요] |
| Future (guess) | 돌겠어요 | [돌게써요] |
| Formal present | 돕니다 | [돔니다] |
| Formal past | 돌았습니다 | [도랃씀니다] |
| Formal future | 돌 것입니다 | [돌꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 돌아 | [도라] |
| Casual past | 돌았어 | [도라써] |
| Casual future | 돌 거야 | [돌꺼야] |
| Want to | 돌고 싶어요 | [돌고 시퍼요] |
| Because | 돌아서 | [도라서] |
| Short negative | 안 돌아요 | [안 도라요] |
| Long negative | 돌지 않아요 | [돌지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 돌습니다
Correct: ✓ 돕니다
Why: ㄹ drops before ㅂ, so the formal polite form is 돕니다.
돌다 Versus Similar Words
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 돌리다 | 돌리다 is transitive: to make something turn. |
| 돌아가다 | 돌아가다 is to go back, or to go around. |
| 돕다 | 돕다 (to help) looks close: 도는 comes from 돌다, while 돕는 comes from 돕다. |
Finding the Bank after a Wrong Turn
A visitor has walked past a bank. A local explains which corner to turn. The exchange moves from a present question to a past report and a conditional direction.
Visitor
여기서 오른쪽으로 돌아요?
Yeogiseo oreunjjogeuro dorayo?
Do I turn right here?
Local
아니요. 저 모퉁이를 돌면 은행이 있어요.
Aniyo. Jeo motungireul dolmyeon eunhaengi isseoyo.
No. If you turn that corner, there is a bank.
Visitor
아까 왼쪽으로 돌았어요.
Akka oenjjogeuro dorasseoyo.
I turned left earlier.
오른쪽으로 and 왼쪽으로 name the direction of the turn. 모퉁이를 names the corner you go around. These particles answer different questions: “which way?” and “around what?” The visitor uses 돌았어요 to explain the earlier mistake, while 돌면 introduces the landmark that follows the correct turn.
Common Combinations beyond Spinning
한 바퀴 돌다 means to go around once or make one complete revolution. 바퀴 can name a wheel, but after a number it counts rounds. In the park example, 한 바퀴 measures a circuit of the park; it does not refer to a physical wheel. 두 바퀴 would mean two circuits.
소문이 돌다 means that a rumor is circulating. Nothing is physically rotating: information is spreading between people. The rumor takes 이, just as the spinning top does in 팽이가 돌아요. Hearing this phrase tells you that people are talking; it does not establish that the rumor is true.
기계가 돌다 describes a machine running or operating. Depending on the machine, “the machine turns” can be an awkward English translation. These circulation and operation senses appear in the National Institute of Korean Language’s entry for 돌다.
Where Will You Meet 돌다?
In spoken directions, listen for a direction followed by 으로 or 로 and then 돌다. A map might instead show the compact sign words 좌회전, “left turn”, and 우회전, “right turn”. Those nouns label the maneuver; they are not conjugated forms of 돌다.
In exercise talk, a place plus 한 바퀴 often describes a lap. The park sentence can describe a walk around the park without claiming that the walkers ran. The verb supplies the route; another word or the situation supplies the pace.
돌아요 is neutral polite speech, while 돌아 is suitable with close friends or in casual instructions. The honorific 도세요 can be a polite direction to a customer. Its missing ㄹ belongs to conjugation, not to a faster or less careful pronunciation.
Two Different Kinds of Disappearing ㄹ
Compare 도는 with 돌 거예요. 도는 loses the stem’s ㄹ before the present modifier ending 는. 돌 거예요 keeps one ㄹ before 거예요; you do not add another syllable to make a future form. Both patterns are visible in the table, but they come from different endings.
The formal 돕니다 can be confusing beside 돕다, “to help”. Identify the whole set rather than guessing from one form: 돌아요 belongs to turning, and 도와요 belongs to helping. The present modifier 도는 also belongs to 돌다. A familiar-looking first syllable is not enough to identify the verb.
Direction Words to Learn Next
| Korean | Meaning | How it helps with 돌다 |
|---|---|---|
| 모퉁이 | corner | The corner being rounded takes 을/를. |
| 오른쪽 | right side | Add 으로 to say which way to turn. |
| 왼쪽 | left side | Pair it with 오른쪽 when following directions. |
| 바퀴 | wheel; circuit | After a number, it counts complete rounds. |
The directions and position vocabulary lesson gives the location words needed to follow a route beyond its first turn.
Mini Drill: Keep or Drop ㄹ?
- Change 돌다 to the formal present.
- Put 돌다 before a noun to mean “turning” in the present.
- Complete “if you turn”: 돌____.
- Give the polite planned future.
Show drill answers
- 돕니다: ㄹ drops before ㅂ.
- 도는: ㄹ drops before ㄴ.
- 돌면: ㄹ stays before ㅁ.
- 돌 거예요: keep one ㄹ and a space before 거예요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 공원을 한 바퀴 돌다 necessarily mean running?
- Which verb describes turning a handle yourself: 돌다 or 돌리다?
- Does 소문이 돌다 describe physical rotation?
Show answers
- No. It describes one circuit; the pace comes from context.
- 돌리다. The handle is the object you turn.
- No. It means a rumor is circulating.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'the Top Spins Fast' in Korean?
팽이가 빨리 돌아요. The spinning thing is the subject with 이/가.
How Is 돌다 (to turn) Different from 돌리다?
돌다 is something turning by itself; 돌리다 is making something turn, with an object.
How Is 돌다 (to turn) Different from 돌아가다?
돌아가다 is to go back, or to go around on the way somewhere; 돌다 is the turning or circling itself.
Is 돌습니다 Correct Korean?
No, use 돕니다. The ㄹ drops before ㅂ, so the formal polite form is 돕니다.
What Is the Polite past of 돌다?
For 'to turn', the polite past is 돌았어요; the polite present is 돌아요 and the formal present is 돕니다.
How Do You Say 'Not Turn' with 돌다?
For 'not turn', the short negative is 안 돌아요 and the long one is 돌지 않아요.
Which Words Are Related to 돌다?
- 돌리다 (to turn)
- 돌아가다 (to go back)
- 돌아오다 (to come back)
- 흔들다 (to shake)
- Korean verb dictionary
What Should You Learn Next?
Try other forms of 돌다 in the Korean verb conjugator, then continue with 돌리다 (to turn). More entries like 돌다 (to turn) sit together in the Korean verb dictionary.