Key Facts
- Hangul: 돌리다 (dollida)
- Meaning: to turn
- Level: B1
- Syllables: 3 (돌 · 리 · 다)
- Stem: 돌리
- Conjugation class: regular
- Object marking: transitive
- Polite present: 돌려요
What Does 돌리다 Mean?
| Sense | How it is used |
|---|---|
| to turn | Make something turn or rotate: 손잡이를 돌리다. |
| to pass around | Hand something around: 돌려 보다. |
What is turned takes 을/를 (손잡이를 돌려요).
Handles, keys, wheels and heads are the things people turn: 손잡이, 열쇠, 바퀴 and 머리 are the usual objects. Its partner 돌다 is the one that turns on its own, so 바퀴가 돌아요 happens by itself and 바퀴를 돌려요 happens because you do it. The second sense, passing something around, shows up in 돌려 보다, and giving something back is another verb, 돌려주다.
How Do You Pronounce 돌리다?
Dollida has 3 syllables (돌 · 리 · 다) and is said as it is spelled.
How Do You Use 돌리다 in a Sentence?
손잡이를 돌려요.
I turn the handle.
돌려요 is the polite present form.
열쇠를 돌렸어요.
I turned the key.
돌렸어요 is the polite past form.
머리를 돌리면 뒤가 보여요.
If you turn your head, you can see behind.
돌리면 is the if (conditional) form.
Usage Notes
The three examples cover three physical actions: turning a handle, turning a key and turning your head. The conditional 머리를 돌리면 뒤가 보여요 explains the result of the movement. As in English, one verb serves every case and only the object changes. To change or replace something rather than turn it, switch to 바꾸다.
How Does Dollida Conjugation Work?
돌리다 is regular: 리 and the ending 어 contract to 려, giving 돌려요 and 돌렸어요.
The pattern behind 돌리다 (to turn) is taught step by step in polite present recipe.
돌리다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 돌려요 | ||
| Polite past | 돌렸어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 돌릴 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 돌리겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 돌립니다 | ||
| Formal past | 돌렸습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 돌릴 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 돌려 | ||
| Casual past | 돌렸어 | ||
| Casual future | 돌릴 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 돌리고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 돌리세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 돌려서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 돌리면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 돌리는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 돌린 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 돌릴 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 돌려요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 돌리지 않아요 |
Before a noun, 돌리다 (to turn) becomes 돌리는 (present) or 돌린 (past); as a link between clauses it is 돌려서 for 'because' and 돌리면 for 'if'.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 돌렸어요 | [돌려써요] |
| Future (plan) | 돌릴 거예요 | [돌릴꺼예요] |
| Future (guess) | 돌리겠어요 | [돌리게써요] |
| Formal present | 돌립니다 | [돌림니다] |
| Formal past | 돌렸습니다 | [돌렫씀니다] |
| Formal future | 돌릴 것입니다 | [돌릴꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 돌렸어 | [돌려써] |
| Casual future | 돌릴 거야 | [돌릴꺼야] |
| Want to | 돌리고 싶어요 | [돌리고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 돌리지 않아요 | [돌리지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 바퀴를 돌아요
Correct: ✓ 바퀴를 돌려요
Why: 돌다 is intransitive (바퀴가 돌아요); turning it yourself is 돌리다.
돌리다 Versus Similar Words
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 돌다 | 돌다 is intransitive: something turns or spins by itself. |
| 돌려주다 | 돌려주다 is to give something back. |
| 바꾸다 | 바꾸다 is to change or replace. |
Opening a Door with a Stiff Handle
Two coworkers are trying to open an office door. One has already tried the key; the other explains what to turn next.
Mina
열쇠를 돌렸어요.
Yeolsoereul dollyeosseoyo.
I turned the key.
Jun
이제 손잡이를 돌리세요.
Ije sonjabireul dolliseyo.
Now turn the handle.
Mina
아, 이렇게 돌려요?
A, ireoke dollyeoyo?
Oh, do I turn it like this?
돌렸어요 reports the completed attempt, 돌리세요 gives a polite instruction, and 돌려요 checks the movement. The objects change from 열쇠 to 손잡이, but both take 를. Jun’s instruction keeps 리; this verb does not follow the ㄹ-drop pattern of 돌다.
Phrases with Handles, Machines, and Conversation
손잡이를 돌리다 is a literal combination: turn a handle. 핸들을 돌리다 means to turn a steering wheel. English uses “handle” for several objects, but Korean distinguishes a door handle, 손잡이, from the steering wheel, 핸들. The movement can be the same even though the noun changes.
세탁기를 돌리다 means to run the washing machine. The speaker means operating the appliance for a wash, not rotating the entire appliance on the floor. 기계를 돌리다 similarly means to run a machine. The object tells you whether 돌리다 describes a hand movement or starting equipment.
말을 돌리다 can mean to change the subject or speak indirectly. A character who avoids a difficult question may “turn” the conversation away from it. This is a figurative use, so translating every occurrence as “turn the words” will hide the point. The physical, operating, and conversational uses are listed in the National Institute of Korean Language’s entry for 돌리다.
Where Will You Hear 돌리다?
At home, 돌리다 comes up when someone operates a washing machine or fan. In a driving lesson, 핸들 and a direction make the turning sense clear. In a drama, 말을 is a clue that the scene concerns conversation rather than a moving object.
A physical object does not have to turn by itself for 돌다 to be possible. 바퀴가 돌아요 describes the wheel turning, even when a person caused the movement. 바퀴를 돌려요 puts that person’s action in focus. The contrast is about the sentence’s subject and object, not whether a motor or human supplied the force.
돌려요 can be a statement, a question, or a suggestion in context. 돌리세요 makes an instruction clearer when explaining a procedure to someone politely. 돌려 is the casual form; a child may hear it from a parent during a game or while learning to open something.
Why 돌려요 Does Not Follow the 돌다 Pattern
The stem is 돌리, ending in the vowel ㅣ. The ㄹ inside 돌리 is not the final consonant of the stem. Therefore the ㄹ-drop rule does not turn 돌립니다 into 돕니다. That shorter form belongs to 돌다.
In 돌려요, 리 combines with 어 to make 려. The same contraction appears in the past 돌렸어요 and the linking form 돌려서. Endings that do not require that contraction leave 리 visible: 돌리면 and 돌리는. Switching between 리 and 려 is a regular vowel pattern here.
Spacing also changes what a phrase does. 돌려 보다 can describe passing something around for people to look at. 돌려주다 means giving something back and is written as one verb. When explaining that you returned a borrowed item, learn 돌려주다 as the complete expression rather than stopping at 돌리다.
Useful Objects and Nearby Actions
| Korean | Meaning | One useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 손잡이 | handle | The part held when opening a door. |
| 열쇠 | key | Turning it operates a lock. |
| 핸들 | steering wheel | Common in instructions about steering. |
| 세탁기 | washing machine | 돌리다 means running a wash cycle. |
For the steering context, use the car and driving vocabulary lesson. The same verb then connects the object, the direction, and the driver’s action.
Mini Drill: Choose the Rotating Form
- Give the polite present of 돌리다.
- Change it to the polite past.
- Ask someone politely to turn something, using the honorific form.
- Choose the form for “a wheel turns”: 돌아요 or 돌려요?
Show drill answers
- 돌려요.
- 돌렸어요.
- 돌리세요.
- 바퀴가 돌아요 describes the wheel’s movement.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 세탁기를 돌리다 usually mean?
- Is the stem of 돌리다 돌 or 돌리?
- Which complete verb means to give something back?
Show answers
- To run the washing machine.
- 돌리. Its final sound is a vowel.
- 돌려주다.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'I Turn the Handle' in Korean?
손잡이를 돌려요. What is turned takes 을/를.
How Is 돌리다 (to turn) Different from 돌다?
돌다 is intransitive: something turns or spins by itself (바퀴가 돌아요). 돌리다 is turning it yourself (바퀴를 돌려요).
How Do I Say Give Back?
That is 돌려주다, a separate verb built on 돌리다 and 주다.
Is 바퀴를 돌아요 Correct Korean?
No, use 바퀴를 돌려요. With an object, the verb must be 돌리다.
What Is the Polite past of 돌리다?
For 'to turn', the polite past is 돌렸어요; the polite present is 돌려요 and the formal present is 돌립니다.
How Do You Say 'Not Turn' with 돌리다?
For 'not turn', the short negative is 안 돌려요 and the long one is 돌리지 않아요.
Which Words Are Related to 돌리다?
- 돌다 (to turn; to spin)
- 흔들다 (to shake)
- 바꾸다 (to change)
- 돌아가다 (to go back)
- Korean verb dictionary
What Should You Learn Next?
Try other forms of 돌리다 in the Korean verb conjugator, then continue with 돌다 (to turn; to spin). More entries like 돌리다 (to turn) sit together in the Korean verb dictionary.