Key Facts
- Hangul: 걱정되다 (geokjeongdoeda)
- Meaning: worried
- Part of speech: verb (feeling) (동사)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 걱정되
- Class: regular
- Dictionary-form sound: [걱쩡되다]
What Does 걱정되다 Mean?
걱정되다 reports worry that arises by itself. 시험이 걱정돼요 means "I'm worried about the exam", and 아이가 아파서 걱정됐어요 explains a child's illness as the cause. The thing worried about takes 이/가, and no 을/를 object is allowed. Think of it as "the exam becomes a worry" rather than "I worry about the exam".
How Do You Pronounce 걱정되다?
The dictionary form is said [걱쩡되다], because the ㄱ of 걱 tenses the ㅈ that follows. The same tensing shows in 걱정돼요, read [걱쩡돼요]. The past 걱정됐어요 is [걱쩡돼써요], and the formal 걱정됩니다 is [걱쩡됨니다].
How Do You Use 걱정되다 in a Sentence?
내일 시험이 걱정돼요.
I'm worried about tomorrow's exam.
내일 means "tomorrow" and 시험이 is the cause of worry. Notice 이, not 을.
아이가 아파서 걱정됐어요.
The child was sick, so I was worried.
아이가 아파서 gives the cause: the child is sick. The past tense says the worry belonged to that time.
걱정되는 일이 있어요.
I have something worrying me.
The modifier 걱정되는 sits before 일, and 있어요 says that you have something on your mind.
Usage Notes for 걱정되다
걱정돼요 and 걱정되네요 are the everyday ways to share a worry. A caring phrase such as 걱정하지 마세요 uses the active verb 걱정하다 instead, because you are telling someone not to worry. Between the two, 걱정되다 is passive in feeling, and 걱정하다 is the active, object-taking verb. Nervousness before an event is a different word, 긴장되다.
How Does Geokjeongdoeda Conjugation Work?
걱정되다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 걱정돼요 | ||
| Polite past | 걱정됐어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 걱정될 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 걱정되겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 걱정됩니다 | ||
| Formal past | 걱정됐습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 걱정될 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 걱정돼 | ||
| Casual past | 걱정됐어 | ||
| Casual future | 걱정될 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 걱정돼서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 걱정되면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 걱정되는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 걱정된 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 걱정될 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 걱정돼요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 걱정되지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 걱정돼요 | [걱쩡돼요] |
| Polite past | 걱정됐어요 | [걱쩡돼써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 걱정될 거예요 | [걱쩡될꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 걱정되겠어요 | [걱쩡되게써요] |
| Formal present | 걱정됩니다 | [걱쩡됨니다] |
| Formal past | 걱정됐습니다 | [걱쩡됃씀니다] |
| Formal future | 걱정될 것입니다 | [걱쩡될꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 걱정돼 | [걱쩡돼] |
| Casual past | 걱정됐어 | [걱쩡돼써] |
| Casual future | 걱정될 거야 | [걱쩡될꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 걱정돼서 | [걱쩡돼서] |
| Conditional (if) | 걱정되면 | [걱쩡되면] |
| Modifier, present | 걱정되는 | [걱쩡되는] |
| Modifier, past | 걱정된 | [걱쩡된] |
| Modifier, future | 걱정될 | [걱쩡될] |
| Short negative | 안 걱정돼요 | [안 걱쩡돼요] |
| Long negative | 걱정되지 않아요 | [걱쩡되지 아나요] |
Is 걱정되다 Regular or Irregular?
걱정되다 is regular. The stem 걱정되 contracts with 어 into 돼, giving 걱정돼요, 걱정돼서 and 걱정됐어요. Endings that start with a consonant sound attach unchanged: 걱정됩니다, 걱정되면 and 걱정되지 않아요. As with other 되다 words, the contraction is what makes it look irregular on first sight. The regular present-tense lesson lists the endings used above.
Common Mistake with 걱정되다
Wrong: ✗ 저는 시험을 걱정돼요
Correct: ✓ 저는 시험이 걱정돼요
Why: 걱정되다 marks the cause with 이/가, not 을/를. If you want an object with 을/를, use 걱정하다.
걱정되다 Versus 걱정하다 and 긴장되다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 걱정하다 | 걱정하다 is the active verb that takes 을/를, as in 아이를 걱정해요. 걱정되다 is worry that arises by itself, with 이/가. |
| 긴장되다 | 긴장되다 is nervous tension before an event. 걱정되다 is worry that something may go wrong. |
Studying with a Classmate before an Exam
Mina is worried about the next day's test. Jisu recalls an earlier test, and Mina points to a particular practice question. The dialogue uses 걱정돼요 for the current feeling, 걱정됐어요 for an earlier worry and 걱정되는 before a noun.
Mina
내일 시험이 걱정돼요.
Naeil siheomi geokjeongdwaeyo.
I’m worried about tomorrow’s exam.
Jisu
저도 지난번에 많이 걱정됐어요.
Jeodo jinanbeone mani geokjeongdwaesseoyo.
I was very worried last time too.
Mina
걱정되는 문제가 있어요. 같이 볼까요?
Geokjeongdoeneun munjega isseoyo. Gachi bolkkayo?
There’s a question I’m worried about. Shall we look at it together?
시험이 names the cause of Mina's worry. In the last line, 걱정되는 문제 narrows a broad feeling to a specific question. 문제 can mean a problem or an exam question; the study setting makes the second reading natural here. Offering to look at it together gives the speakers something concrete to do about the worry.
Common Combinations: What Is on Your Mind?
건강이 걱정돼요 means “I'm worried about health”, often someone's health already mentioned in the conversation. The noun 건강 takes 이. You can name the person when needed, but Korean does not require a possessive in every sentence when the topic is clear.
걱정되는 일 is “something worrying” or “a matter that worries me”. The modifier describes the matter from the speaker's point of view. It does not mean the matter itself experiences an emotion. This is useful when you want to introduce a concern before giving private or complicated details.
걱정이 되다 uses the noun 걱정 with the subject marker 이 and a separate 되다. It is another natural way to express becoming worried. The single verb 걱정되다 is written together; the noun construction 걱정이 되다 has a space after the particle. Both are about concern arising, rather than an instruction to someone else.
괜히 걱정돼요 means “I feel worried for no particular reason” or “I can't help worrying”. 괜히 can signal that the speaker sees no clear reason for the feeling. It does not establish that the situation is safe; it reports how the speaker understands their own worry.
Where Will You Hear 걱정되다?
Friends and family use 걱정돼요 when discussing a late arrival, illness, a test or an uncertain plan. The phrase can communicate care as well as anxiety. Saying that you are worried about a friend is different in tone from accusing that friend of doing something wrong.
In a drama, 걱정됐어요 often appears after someone finally returns or makes contact. The past form reports the worry felt before that moment. It does not necessarily say every concern is now resolved, but it places the feeling earlier in the story.
걱정됩니다 fits a formal message or public statement of concern. The change from 돼요 to 됩니다 changes the speaking style, while the underlying concern stays the same. 걱정되네요 often presents the worry as a response to something just heard or noticed. The ending can sound conversational, without making the worry small.
What Makes 걱정되다 Tricky?
The English phrase “worried about” can tempt you to attach an object marker. With 걱정되다, keep the cause as the subject: 시험이 걱정돼요. If you switch to 걱정하다, the pattern changes to 시험을 걱정해요. The two often describe the same real situation, so the difference is grammatical rather than a rule that one feeling must be deliberate.
For spelling, 돼요 contains the contraction of 되어요. In 걱정되면 and 걱정되는, there is no 어 to contract, so 되 remains. Learn these pairs together: 돼요 beside 되면, and 됐어요 beside 되는. The letters follow the ending; you do not choose 되 or 돼 according to how serious the worry feels.
Reassurance often uses 걱정하지 마세요, “please don't worry”, from 걱정하다. This is a familiar set phrase addressed to the worried person. Use it with a concrete explanation when you can: a reassuring phrase alone does not tell someone why a concern has been resolved.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 걱정 | worry; concern | The noun for the feeling or concern. |
| 긴장되다 | to feel nervous | Often connected to performing or facing an event. |
| 불안하다 | anxious; uneasy | Can describe a broader sense of insecurity. |
| 안심하다 | to feel relieved | Useful when new information eases a worry. |
The emotions vocabulary lesson places worry beside other feelings so you can choose what best matches the situation.
Mini Drill: Cause, Contraction and Modifier
- Complete the marker: 시험____ 걱정돼요.
- Give the polite past of 걱정되다.
- Complete “a worrying matter”: ____ 일.
- Give the conditional, “if you are worried”.
Show drill answers
- 시험이 걱정돼요.
- 걱정됐어요.
- 걱정되는 일.
- 걱정되면. Keep 되 before 면.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb takes 시험을: 걱정되다 or 걱정하다?
- Does 걱정됐어요 place the worry in the past?
- Is 걱정하지 마세요 a form of 걱정하다?
Show answers
- 걱정하다: 시험을 걱정해요.
- Yes. It does not by itself explain what changed afterward.
- Yes. It is the familiar reassurance “please don't worry”.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say I'm Worried about the Exam?
Say 시험이 걱정돼요. The exam takes 이.
Can I Say 시험을 걱정돼요?
No. With 걱정되다, the cause takes 이/가. With an object you need 걱정하다, as in 시험을 걱정해요.
What Does 걱정되네요 Mean?
It is a soft remark that you are worried, often said while looking at a situation.
How Do I Say Worrying Matter?
Use the modifier 걱정되는, as in 걱정되는 일.
Which Words Are Related to 걱정되다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Study 걱정하다 next to see the object-taking partner, then 긴장되다 for nerves and 무섭다 for fear. Compare the underlying verbs 하다 and 되다 to understand the two endings. Try the Korean verb conjugator on a similar stem, then look up its entry in the Korean verb dictionary.