Key Facts
- Hangul: 건너다 (geonneoda)
- Meaning: to cross
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 건너
- Conjugation class: Regular
- Grammar: What is crossed takes 을/를 (길을 건너요).
- Honorific polite: 건너세요
- Usage: Frequent in directions: 길을 건너세요. In the past it is 건넜어요, with the vowel merging from 너 + 었.
What Does 건너다 Mean?
- to cross: Used for crossing a road, bridge or river, e.g. 길을 건너다 (to cross the street).
건너다 is to cross, to get to the other side of a road, a bridge or a river. It is transitive, so what you cross takes 을/를: 길을 건너다 is to cross the street, and 다리를 건너다 is to cross a bridge. 횡단보도 (the crosswalk) is a very typical object.
In directions, 건너다 means getting across, not merely going past: for passing something, use 지나가다. For handing something over to someone, there is the similar-looking 건네다.
Which Set Phrases Use 건너다?
- 길을 건너세요: Cross the street; a direction you hear all the time.
- 횡단보도를 건너다: To cross at the crosswalk.
- 다리를 건너다: To cross a bridge.
How Do You Pronounce 건너다?
건너다 is read as spelled, and the double ㄴ gives a long, clear n. The past 건넜어요 is [건너써요] and the formal 건넙니다 is [건넘니다]. The future 건널 거예요 is [건널꺼예요].
How Do You Use 건너다 in a Sentence?
저는 횡단보도를 건너요.
I cross the crosswalk.
횡단보도를 is the crosswalk and the object of 건너요. The speaker is crossing a road at a marked place.
다리를 건넜어요.
I crossed the bridge.
다리를 is the bridge, and 건넜어요 is the past. In the past form the stem's ㅓ merges with the past marker 었, so 너 + 었 becomes 넜.
길을 건너서 오른쪽으로 가세요.
Cross the street and go to the right.
The ending -서 in 건너서 means 'and then': first cross the street, then go right. 오른쪽으로 gives the direction with 으로.
How Does Geonneoda Conjugation Work?
건너다 is regular. The stem 건너 ends in ㅓ, so the vowel of 어요 drops after it: 건너요. The past is 건넜어요, where 너 and 었 merge into 넜. Consonant endings keep the stem whole: 건너면, 건넙니다.
건너다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 건너요 | ||
| Polite past | 건넜어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 건널 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 건너겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 건넙니다 | ||
| Formal past | 건넜습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 건널 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 건너 | ||
| Casual past | 건넜어 | ||
| Casual future | 건널 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 건너고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 건너세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 건너서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 건너면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 건너는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 건넌 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 건널 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 건너요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 건너지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 건넜어요 | [건너써요] |
| Polite future | 건널 거예요 | [건널꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 건너겠어요 | [건너게써요] |
| Formal present | 건넙니다 | [건넘니다] |
| Formal past | 건넜습니다 | [건넏씀니다] |
| Formal future | 건널 것입니다 | [건널꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 건넜어 | [건너써] |
| Casual future | 건널 거야 | [건널꺼야] |
| Long negative | 건너지 않아요 | [건너지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 건너다
Wrong: ✗ 길에 건너요.
Correct: ✓ 길을 건너요.
Why: 건너다 is transitive: the thing you cross is its object and takes 을/를. 에 would suggest a destination, which does not fit the idea of crossing something.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 건너다?
| Word | How to tell it from 건너다 |
|---|---|
| 지나가다 | 지나가다 is going past or through; 건너다 means going to the other side across something. |
| 건네다 | 건네다 means to hand something to someone; 건너다 means to cross. |
Finding the Café across the Street
Two coworkers are looking for a café on the opposite side of a busy road. They are speaking politely to each other.
Mina
여기서 길을 건너요?
Yeogiseo gireul geonneoyo?
Do we cross the street here?
Jun
네, 횡단보도로 건너세요.
Ne, hoengdanbodoro geonneoseyo.
Yes, cross at the crosswalk.
Mina
길을 건너서 오른쪽으로 가요?
Gireul geonneoseo oreunjjogeuro gayo?
Do we cross the street and then go right?
Jun
네, 카페는 바로 오른쪽에 있어요.
Ne, kapeneun baro oreunjjoge isseoyo.
Yes, the café is just on the right.
The question 건너요? checks the route. 건너세요 gives an instruction, and 건너서 makes crossing the first step in a longer route. Notice the difference between 길을, the road being crossed, and 횡단보도로, the route used to cross it. Both can describe the same journey.
Crossing, Passing, and Being across from Something
건너다 focuses on reaching the other side. 길을 건너다 and 강을 건너다 describe movement across a road or river; the verb itself does not specify walking, swimming or taking a boat. Add the transport or route when that detail matters. 다리를 건너다 focuses on crossing the bridge, rather than naming the water below it.
A route instruction with 지나가다 asks you to go past a place. A route instruction with 건너다 asks you to move across something. If someone mentions a bank and a road, listen for which noun is attached to which verb: passing the bank and crossing the road are separate steps.
| Expression | Meaning | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 길을 건너다 | cross the street | The street takes the object marker. |
| 횡단보도로 건너다 | cross via the crosswalk | 로 identifies the route. |
| 길 건너편 | the other side of the street | A location phrase, rather than an instruction to move. |
| 다리를 건너다 | cross a bridge | The bridge is the thing traversed. |
길 건너편 is useful when someone points out a shop. It tells you where the shop is; it does not by itself tell you whether a crossing is nearby. Keep the space in 길 건너편. In the full sentence 길을 건너요, the particle attaches to 길 and the verb remains a separate word.
Where Will You Hear 건너다?
Listen for 건너세요 in spoken directions from station staff, shop workers and people helping you find an address. 건너서 often appears midway through a route, before a turn or a destination. The final direction may come several words later, so crossing is not necessarily the last step.
Among close friends, 건너 can sound like an instruction when the situation makes that clear. With someone you do not know, 건너세요 gives the direction politely. 건넙니다 belongs more naturally in a formal description or announcement than in a quick exchange between friends.
What Makes the Spelling Tricky?
건너다 is regular even though the past looks shorter. The stem already ends in ㅓ, so adding 어 does not produce a second written 어. The same merging produces 건넜어요. The ㄴ consonants stay in place; this is not a ㄷ-irregular verb like 걷다.
The future 건널 거예요 adds ㄹ to the vowel-ending stem. Keep the space before 거예요. 건네다 differs by a vowel and means handing something over, so check whether the scene involves movement across a space or an object changing hands.
Words for Following the Route
| Word | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 횡단보도 | crosswalk | A marked route for crossing a street. |
| 신호등 | traffic light | Helps identify the crossing someone means. |
| 건너편 | opposite side | Names the destination side. |
| 오른쪽 | right | Often follows 건너서 in directions. |
The directions and position vocabulary lesson puts these location words into a larger set for finding places.
Mini Drill: Choose the Form
- Make 건너다 polite present.
- Say “I crossed the bridge.”
- Join “cross the street” to a following step with -서.
- Give the polite instruction “Cross the street.”
Show drill answers
- 건너요. The stem vowel and 어 merge.
- 다리를 건넜어요. The bridge takes 를.
- 길을 건너서. The next action follows the crossing.
- 길을 건너세요. The ending makes it a polite instruction.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb fits going past a bank: 건너다 or 지나가다?
- In 길을 건너요, why does 길 take 을?
- Does 길 건너편 describe movement or a location?
Show self-test answers
- 지나가다: the movement is past a landmark.
- The road is what you cross, so it is the object.
- A location: the other side of the street.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Tell Someone to Cross the Street?
Say 길을 건너세요.
What Is the Polite past of 건너다?
건넜어요, pronounced [건너써요].
What Particle Follows the Thing I Cross?
Use 을/를: 길을 건너요, 다리를 건넜어요.
What Is the Difference between 건너다 and 건네다?
건너다 means to cross. 건네다 means to hand something to someone.
Which Words Are Related to 건너다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Put 건너다 with 지나가다 for passing a place, 걷다 for walking and 타다 for boarding. The next transport verb is 갈아타다, which is also useful for city directions. For the rule behind these forms, read how ㅓ stems drop a vowel, then try another stem in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.