갈아입다 (garaipda) Conjugation: Meaning, Forms & Examples

Key Facts

• Hangul: 갈아입다 (garaipda)
• Meaning: to change clothes
• Level: B1
• Stem: 갈아입
• Class: regular
• Objects: transitive
• Honorific polite: 갈아입으세요

What Does 갈아입다 Mean?

• to change clothes. Used for changing into other clothes: 옷을 갈아입다.

갈아입다 is a B1 everyday verb. It takes an object with 을/를, and the object is almost always 옷 (clothes): 옷을 갈아입다. It combines 갈아- (replacing) with 입다 (to wear), so it literally means 'to replace what you wear'.

How Do You Pronounce 갈아입다?

The dictionary form is read [가라입따] and romanized garaipda. The ㄹ of 갈 moves into the next syllable, so the word starts with [가라].

The final ㅂ of 입 works the same way. Before a vowel it moves into the next syllable, so 갈아입어요 sounds like [가라이버요]. Before a consonant it stays and makes the next sound tense, as in 갈아입고 싶어요 [가라입꼬 시퍼요]. Before ㄴ it is pronounced [ㅁ]: 갈아입는 is read [가라임는]. The table below lists every form.

How Do You Use 갈아입다 in a Sentence?

This describes a habit: 집에서 (at home) marks the place, 옷을 is the object, and 갈아입어요 is the polite present.

운동 후에 (after exercising) places the change in time, and 갈아입었어요 is the polite past.

저녁에 (in the evening) sets the time, and 갈아입을 거예요 is the future plan form; the stem ends in a consonant, so the ending is -을 거예요.

How Does Garaipda Conjugation Work?

Is 갈아입다 Regular or Irregular?

갈아입다 is regular. The stem ends in the consonant ㅂ, but it is not the ㅂ-irregular type: the ending simply attaches with 어 or 으, giving 갈아입어요 and 갈아입으세요. For the pattern behind it, see polite present recipe.

Common Mistake with 갈아입다

Wrong: ✗ 옷을 바꿔요 (when you mean 'I change into other clothes')

Correct: ✓ 옷을 갈아입어요

Why: English 'change' leads learners to 바꾸다, but 바꾸다 means to swap or exchange something, so 옷을 바꿔요 sounds like exchanging clothes in a shop. Changing what you are wearing is 갈아입다.

갈아입다 Versus 입다

Changing after a Workout

Two friends have finished exercising and are getting ready to leave the gym. The same verb appears as a completed action, a request and a plan.

Jisu

Alex

Jisu

Alex

The past question asks whether the change is already complete. Alex’s negative answer says it is not, and the final future form gives the plan to change there. The place takes 에서 because changing clothes is an action performed there. A room is the setting, rather than the thing being changed.

Clothes, Replacements and Destinations

편한 옷으로 갈아입다 means to change into comfortable clothes. Here 으로 marks the clothes you change into. Compare 옷을 갈아입다, “change clothes”, with 잠옷으로 갈아입다, “change into pajamas”. The first names the action; the second identifies the new outfit. You can make a useful sentence without translating English “into” as a location particle.

교복으로 갈아입다 means to change into a school uniform. 운동복으로 갈아입다 means to change into workout clothes. These are ordinary combinations, not idioms: the meaning comes from the new clothes plus the changing action. For a noun ending in a vowel, use 로 instead of 으로.

갈아입다 implies replacing what you were wearing. 입다 can simply mean putting clothes on. If someone is getting dressed after a shower, 입다 may be enough; if they replace a work outfit with pajamas, 갈아입다 tells the listener about the switch.

Where Will You Hear 갈아입다?

You will hear 갈아입으세요 from staff who ask you to change before a medical examination, a fitness class or a uniformed activity. At home, the verb appears in conversations about wet clothes, school uniforms and getting ready for bed. A sign saying 탈의실 identifies a changing room; it names the place without using the verb.

In a clothing shop, trying something on is 입어 보다. That focuses on testing how a garment looks or fits. 갈아입다 focuses on the change of clothing itself. A fitting room and a gym changing room can involve similar movements, but the reason for changing determines which phrase is most helpful.

What Makes This Compound Tricky?

Write 갈아입다 as one word. The 갈아 part stays in place while the final 입 part takes the endings. This is why the table has 갈아입어서 and 갈아입으면, with the same final pattern as 입다. You do not conjugate each half as a separate verb in these forms.

The last stem vowel is ㅣ in 입, so the polite ending is 어요 even though 갈아 contains ㅏ. The final ㅂ stays in the spelling. Before the vowel of 어요 it links forward in pronunciation; before ㄴ in 갈아입는 it sounds nasal. Neither change turns the verb into the ㅂ-irregular class.

The respectful request is 갈아입으세요 because the stem ends in a consonant. It means “please change clothes” when addressed to someone. In a gym or clinic, the surrounding instructions tell you which clothes to put on and where to change.

Build the clothing set with Korean clothing vocabulary.

Mini Drill: Change the Outfit

1. Give the polite past of 갈아입다.
2. Make a polite request to change clothes.
3. Complete “change into pajamas”: 잠옷____ 갈아입다.
4. Choose the correct spelling: 갈아입어요 or 갈아 입어요.

Quick Self-Test

1. Does 갈아입다 mean exchanging an item at a shop?
2. Which particle marks the place where you change?
3. Does the final ㅂ disappear before 어요?

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does 갈아- Mean in 갈아입다?

It means 'replacing'. 갈아입다 is to replace what you wear (change clothes), and 갈아타다 is to replace the vehicle you ride (change trains or buses).

Is 갈아입다 a ㅂ-Irregular Verb?

No. It is regular, like 입다, so the ㅂ stays: 갈아입어요, 갈아입었어요 and 갈아입으세요.

Why Not Use 바꾸다?

바꾸다 means to swap or exchange something. 옷을 바꿔요 sounds like exchanging clothes, not changing into different ones.

What Is the Usual Object of 갈아입다?

Almost always 옷 (clothes): 저는 집에서 옷을 갈아입어요 (I change clothes at home).

Which Words Are Related to 갈아입다?

• 입다
• 벗다
• 갈아타다
• 바꾸다

What Should You Learn Next?

Look at 입다 and 벗다 for putting on and taking off, then 갈아타다 for the transport version. Test any form in the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the verb dictionary.