Key Facts
- Hangul: 가르치다 (gareuchida)
- Meaning: to teach
- Level: A2
- Stem: 가르치
- Class: regular
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific polite: 가르치세요
What Does 가르치다 Mean?
가르치다 means to help someone learn a subject or skill, as in 학생들에게 영어를 가르치다. It is transitive: the subject taught takes 을/를 and the student takes 에게/한테 (or 께 for a respected person). The honorific is 가르치세요, and the person who does it is a 선생님.
Meanings:
- to teach. Help someone learn a subject or skill, as in 학생들에게 영어를 가르치다.
How Do You Pronounce 가르치다?
The stem 가르치 and the ending 어 merge to 쳐, so 가르쳐요 sounds like [가르처요]. Standard pronunciation reads ㅕ after ㅈ, ㅉ or ㅊ as ㅓ, so 쳐 and 처 sound the same.
Romanized as gareuchida. How the forms sound:
- 가르쳐요 [가르처요]
- 가르쳤어요 [가르처써요]
- 가르칠 거예요 [가르칠꺼예요]
- 가르치겠어요 [가르치게써요]
- 가르칩니다 [가르침니다]
- 가르쳤습니다 [가르첟씀니다]
- 가르칠 것입니다 [가르칠꺼심니다]
- 가르쳐 [가르처]
- 가르쳤어 [가르처써]
- 가르칠 거야 [가르칠꺼야]
- 가르치고 싶어요 [가르치고 시퍼요]
- 가르쳐서 [가르처서]
- 안 가르쳐요 [안 가르처요]
- 가르치지 않아요 [가르치지 아나요]
How Do You Use 가르치다 in a Sentence?
선생님이 영어를 가르쳐요.
The teacher teaches English.
The agent comes first: 선생님이 is the subject, 영어를 the thing taught. No student is named. (가르쳐요)
어제 동생에게 수학을 가르쳤어요.
I taught math to my younger sibling yesterday.
Here the student is 동생에게 and the subject is 수학을, showing the 에게 + 을/를 frame in full. (가르쳤어요)
내일 아이들에게 노래를 가르칠 거예요.
I will teach the children a song tomorrow.
Future teaching: 아이들에게 names the learners, and 가르칠 거예요 uses the future ending. (가르칠 거예요)
How Does Gareuchida Conjugation Work?
가르치다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 가르쳐요 | ||
| Polite past | 가르쳤어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 가르칠 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 가르치겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 가르칩니다 | ||
| Formal past | 가르쳤습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 가르칠 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 가르쳐 | ||
| Casual past | 가르쳤어 | ||
| Casual future | 가르칠 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 가르치고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 가르치세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 가르쳐서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 가르치면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 가르치는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 가르친 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 가르칠 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 가르쳐요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 가르치지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 가르쳐요 | [가르처요] |
| Polite past | 가르쳤어요 | [가르처써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 가르칠 거예요 | [가르칠꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 가르치겠어요 | [가르치게써요] |
| Formal present | 가르칩니다 | [가르침니다] |
| Formal past | 가르쳤습니다 | [가르첟씀니다] |
| Formal future | 가르칠 것입니다 | [가르칠꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 가르쳐 | [가르처] |
| Casual past | 가르쳤어 | [가르처써] |
| Casual future | 가르칠 거야 | [가르칠꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 가르치고 싶어요 | [가르치고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 가르치세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 가르쳐서 | [가르처서] |
| If (conditional) | 가르치면 | as written |
| Modifier, present | 가르치는 | as written |
| Modifier, past | 가르친 | as written |
| Modifier, future | 가르칠 | as written |
| Short negative | 안 가르쳐요 | [안 가르처요] |
| Long negative | 가르치지 않아요 | [가르치지 아나요] |
Is 가르치다 Regular or Irregular?
가르치다 is regular. The stem 가르치 ends in 치, and 치 plus 어 contracts to 쳐, so you get 가르쳐요 and 가르쳤어요.
Common Mistake with 가르치다
Wrong: ✗ 가르켜요
Correct: ✓ 가르쳐요
Why: The verb is spelled 가르치다 (가르쳐요), not 가르키다; 가리키다 is a different verb meaning 'to point at'.
The mix-up runs both ways: 가르치다 (to teach) and 가리키다 (to point at) are separate verbs, and blends such as 가르키다 are not standard. Many speakers blur them in fast speech, but in writing keep them apart.
가르치다 Versus 배우다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 배우다 | 가르치다 is to teach; 배우다 is to learn. They are the two sides of one lesson: 선생님이 가르쳐요, and the students learn. |
| 알려주다 | 가르치다 emphasizes teaching a subject or skill; 알려주다 emphasizes giving information or showing someone how. |
A New Teacher Discusses Tomorrow’s Class
Two teachers talk in the staff room. Alex asks about Jisu’s subject and the lesson planned for the next day.
Alex
무엇을 가르쳐요?
Mueoseul gareuchyeoyo?
What do you teach?
Jisu
영어를 가르쳐요.
Yeongeoreul gareuchyeoyo.
I teach English.
Alex
내일은 무엇을 가르칠 거예요?
Naeireun mueoseul gareuchil geoyeyo?
What will you teach tomorrow?
Jisu
어제는 문법을 가르쳤어요. 내일은 발음을 가르칠 거예요.
Eojeneun munbeobeul gareuchyeosseoyo. Naeireun bareumeul gareuchil geoyeyo.
Yesterday I taught grammar. Tomorrow I’ll teach pronunciation.
The first question asks about Jisu’s general teaching work. 내일은 narrows the next question to a particular class. English, grammar and pronunciation all take 을/를 because they are what Jisu teaches. The students are understood, so neither speaker needs to name them in every line.
Common Teaching Combinations
영어를 가르치다 means “to teach English”; 수학을 가르치다 means “to teach mathematics.” These name subjects. 방법을 가르치다 means “to teach a method” or “show someone how.” The object can therefore be a practical skill as well as a school subject.
운전을 가르치다 means “to teach driving.” A driving instructor or a family member can be the teacher. 가르치다 does not imply that the person has a school job, and a single useful lesson can count as teaching. The action matters more than the teacher's occupation.
잘 가르치다 means “to teach well.” In a review of a class, 잘 comments on the teaching, not necessarily on how easy the subject is. A learner might praise a teacher for making difficult material understandable without saying that the material itself is simple.
가르치다 can also concern manners or a lesson learned from experience. English “teach someone a lesson” can suggest punishment; the Korean verb by itself does not carry that threat. Read the object and the whole situation before choosing that stronger English translation.
Where Will You Hear It, and What Needs Care?
School introductions, tutoring conversations and academy advertisements use 가르치다 to explain who teaches what. In ordinary conversation, the student can take 한테. 에게 is neutral in writing. 께 respects the recipient of teaching, while 가르치세요 respects the person doing the teaching; those two choices concern different people.
A teacher speaking about their own work can say 가르쳐요. Using the honorific 가르치세요 for yourself would place respect on the wrong person. 요 already makes the statement polite to the listener, even when the subject is the speaker.
The 르 inside 가르치다 does not make this a 르-irregular verb. Find the end of the stem: 가르치 ends in 치. That is where the ending attaches, producing 쳐 before 요. The spelling sequence earlier in the word does not control its conjugation class.
가르치다 and 알려주다 overlap when someone shows you how to do something. 알려주다 can cover information, directions or an explanation; 가르치다 emphasizes instruction. Duration alone does not decide between them: a brief lesson can still use 가르치다.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 선생님 | teacher | Names the person who teaches, with a respectful title. |
| 학생 | student | The learner who can take 에게 or 한테. |
| 수업 | class / lesson | The teaching session, rather than the school subject. |
| 과목 | school subject | The category, such as English or mathematics. |
| 발음 | pronunciation | A specific thing a language teacher may teach. |
See school subject vocabulary for objects you can use with 가르치다. The polite present lesson explains the regular contraction.
Mini Drill: Teach the Right Form
- Complete the learner: 학생___ 영어를 가르쳐요. Use the neutral written particle.
- Give the polite past of 가르치다.
- Give its future plan form.
- Choose the standard polite present: 가르쳐요 or 가르켜요?
Show teaching drill answers
- 학생에게 영어를 가르쳐요.
- 가르쳤어요.
- 가르칠 거예요.
- 가르쳐요. The other spelling blends separate verbs.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 가르치다 require the teacher to work at a school?
- In a teaching sentence, does 께 honor the teacher or the recipient?
- Why is 가르치다 outside the 르-irregular class?
Show answers
- No. Anyone instructing someone in a subject or skill can teach.
- The recipient; the verb's honorific ending concerns the teacher.
- The stem ends in 치, not 르.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Spell the Polite Present?
가르쳐요, with 쳐. The spelling 가르켜요 is the typical error.
Which Verb Means 'to Point At'?
가리키다, a different verb. Do not mix it with 가르치다.
What Particle Marks the Student?
에게 or 한테, or 께 for a respected person. The subject taught takes 을/를.
Is the Honorific Different?
가르치세요 is the honorific polite form, and the teacher noun is 선생님.
Which Words Are Related to 가르치다?
- 배우다
- 알려주다
- 설명하다
- 공부하다
- Dictionary
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 배우다 for the learner's side, then 알려주다, 설명하다 and 공부하다 from the related list. Test any form in the Korean verb conjugator.