Key Facts
- Hangul: 기다리다 (gidarida)
- Meaning: to wait
- Level: A1
- Stem: 기다리
- Class: regular
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific polite: 기다리세요
What Does 기다리다 Mean?
기다리다 means to wait: 친구를 기다리다. It is transitive: the one waited for takes 을/를, not 에게. It is one of the first verbs learners meet: the honorific 기다리세요 appears in 잠깐만 기다리세요, 'please wait a moment', and 버스를 기다리다 (to wait for the bus) is the classic everyday example.
Meanings:
- to wait. Stay until someone or something comes, as in 친구를 기다리다.
How Do You Pronounce 기다리다?
Most forms are read as written. The past is [기다려써요] and the formal present is [기다림니다].
Romanized as gidarida. How the forms sound:
- 기다렸어요 [기다려써요]
- 기다릴 거예요 [기다릴꺼예요]
- 기다리겠어요 [기다리게써요]
- 기다립니다 [기다림니다]
- 기다렸습니다 [기다렫씀니다]
- 기다릴 것입니다 [기다릴꺼심니다]
- 기다렸어 [기다려써]
- 기다릴 거야 [기다릴꺼야]
- 기다리고 싶어요 [기다리고 시퍼요]
- 기다리지 않아요 [기다리지 아나요]
How Do You Use 기다리다 in a Sentence?
저는 버스를 기다려요.
I am waiting for the bus.
A present wait: 버스를 is the object, with 저는 marking the speaker. (기다려요)
한 시간 동안 친구를 기다렸어요.
I waited for my friend for an hour.
A measured wait: 한 시간 동안 gives the length and 친구를 the person waited for. (기다렸어요)
여기서 기다릴 거예요.
I will wait here.
A decision to stay put. 여기서 (here) places the wait, and 기다릴 거예요 is the future. (기다릴 거예요)
How Does Gidarida Conjugation Work?
기다리다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 기다려요 | ||
| Polite past | 기다렸어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 기다릴 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 기다리겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 기다립니다 | ||
| Formal past | 기다렸습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 기다릴 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 기다려 | ||
| Casual past | 기다렸어 | ||
| Casual future | 기다릴 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 기다리고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 기다리세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 기다려서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 기다리면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 기다리는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 기다린 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 기다릴 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 기다려요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 기다리지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 기다려요 | as written |
| Polite past | 기다렸어요 | [기다려써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 기다릴 거예요 | [기다릴꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 기다리겠어요 | [기다리게써요] |
| Formal present | 기다립니다 | [기다림니다] |
| Formal past | 기다렸습니다 | [기다렫씀니다] |
| Formal future | 기다릴 것입니다 | [기다릴꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 기다려 | as written |
| Casual past | 기다렸어 | [기다려써] |
| Casual future | 기다릴 거야 | [기다릴꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 기다리고 싶어요 | [기다리고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 기다리세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 기다려서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 기다리면 | as written |
| Modifier, present | 기다리는 | as written |
| Modifier, past | 기다린 | as written |
| Modifier, future | 기다릴 | as written |
| Short negative | 안 기다려요 | as written |
| Long negative | 기다리지 않아요 | [기다리지 아나요] |
Is 기다리다 Regular or Irregular?
기다리다 is regular. The stem 기다리 ends in 리, and 리 plus 어 contracts to 려: 기다려요 and 기다렸어요.
Common Mistake with 기다리다
Wrong: ✗ 친구에게 기다려요
Correct: ✓ 친구를 기다려요
Why: The one you wait for takes 을/를; English 'wait for' misleads learners into using a different particle.
친구에게 기다려요 copies the English preposition. The one you wait for takes 을/를: 친구를 기다려요.
기다리다 Versus 찾다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 찾다 | 기다리다 is to wait for someone or something to come to you; 찾다 is to go looking for it. |
| 기대하다 | 기다리다 is the act of waiting for something to arrive; 기대하다 is to look forward to it or expect it. You can wait for a bus without looking forward to it. |
Meeting a Friend outside a Station
Alex arrives late at a station and calls Jisu, who is waiting outside. The exchange uses the present, past and future to establish where they are and how long Jisu has waited.
Alex
어디에서 기다려요?
Eodieseo gidaryeoyo?
Where are you waiting?
Jisu
역 앞에서 기다려요.
Yeok apeseo gidaryeoyo.
I am waiting in front of the station.
Alex
많이 기다렸어요?
Mani gidaryeosseoyo?
Have you been waiting long?
Jisu
아니요. 여기서 기다릴 거예요. 천천히 오세요.
Aniyo. Yeogiseo gidaril geoyeyo. Cheoncheonhi oseyo.
No. I will wait here. Take your time getting here.
많이 기다렸어요? literally asks whether the person waited a lot, but here it means “have you been waiting long?” The past form looks back over the wait so far. It does not mean that Jisu has stopped waiting. 여기서 is a shorter version of 여기에서, giving the place where Jisu will stay.
Waiting Phrases You Can Use Immediately
잠깐만 기다리세요 means “please wait just a moment”. 잠깐 names a short time and 만 adds “just”. You will hear this in shops and everyday interactions when someone needs a brief pause. 조금만 기다리세요 similarly asks for just a little more waiting.
기다려 주세요 is another everyday request: “please wait”. The 주세요 part presents the waiting as something you do for the speaker. Staff may say 잠시만 기다려 주세요 while checking information. 잠시 is a slightly more formal word for a short time, so it suits customer service.
오래 기다리다 means to wait a long time. 차례를 기다리다 means to wait for your turn. The first phrase tells you the duration; the second identifies what must come next. When a clinic receptionist talks about your 차례, the issue is your position in the queue, not necessarily the clock time.
답장을 기다리다 means to wait for a reply. The person writing the reply does not need 에게 after 기다리다. It is the reply itself that takes 을/를. This pattern is useful in messages, job applications and conversations about unanswered invitations.
Where Will You Hear 기다리다?
Restaurants, clinics and shops use polite waiting requests when customers cannot be served immediately. Friends use the verb when arranging meeting points. In messages, 어디에서 기다려요? asks for the waiting location, while 누구를 기다려요? asks who the person is waiting for.
기다리세요 is polite, but it is still an instruction. 기다려 주세요 often suits a request for someone’s patience. The casual 기다려 is common between close friends and in drama dialogue; it can sound abrupt with a stranger. The choice depends on the relationship as well as the length of the wait.
Waiting for an event can also mean anticipating it. A birthday or holiday can be something you eagerly 기다리다. That emotional reading comes from context; waiting for a delayed bus does not itself express excitement. 기대하다 makes expectation or looking forward to something more explicit.
Duration, Deadline and the Unchanged Stem
Use 동안 for how long a wait lasts: 한 시간 동안, “for an hour”. Use 까지 for the endpoint: 세 시까지, “until three o’clock”. The first measures elapsed time; the second gives a stopping point. They answer different questions even though both can accompany 기다리다.
The stem 기다리 keeps 리 before 면 or 고, as in 기다리면 and 기다리고 싶어요. It contracts before 어요 to give 기다려요. The final stem syllable is 리, not 르, so this is not a 르-irregular verb. For a plan, attach ㄹ to the vowel-ending stem: 기다릴 거예요.
Review the polite present pattern if the 리-to-려 contraction is unfamiliar.
| Related word | Meaning | How it connects to waiting |
|---|---|---|
| 차례 | turn | What you wait for in an ordered queue. |
| 줄 | line / queue | The line of people waiting. |
| 도착 | arrival | The event that often ends a wait. |
| 답장 | reply | Something you may wait for after a message. |
For station and bus contexts, use Korean transportation vocabulary.
Mini Drill: Place, Time and Form
- Complete “wait for a friend”: 친구____ 기다려요.
- Give the polite past of 기다리다.
- Give the polite future for “I will wait”.
- Choose the phrase meaning “until three”: 세 시까지 or 세 시간 동안.
Show drill answers
- 친구를 기다려요.
- 기다렸어요.
- 기다릴 거예요.
- 세 시까지. 세 시간 동안 means “for three hours”.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 많이 기다렸어요? usually ask at a meeting?
- Does 기다리다 automatically mean looking forward to something?
- Which particle marks the place where someone waits?
Show answers
- Whether someone has been waiting long.
- No. It can simply mean waiting.
- 에서, as in 역 앞에서.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Particle Marks the Person I Wait For?
을/를. 친구를 기다려요 is correct; the one waited for takes 을/를, not 에게, even though English 'wait for' suggests a preposition.
How Do I Say 'Please Wait a Moment'?
잠깐만 기다리세요.
How Does It Differ from 찾다?
찾다 is to go looking for something; 기다리다 is to wait for it to come to you.
What Is a Typical Object?
버스를, as in 저는 버스를 기다려요. A friend works too, as in 한 시간 동안 친구를 기다렸어요, where the duration comes before the object.
Which Words Are Related to 기다리다?
- 찾다
- 멈추다
- 도착하다
- 약속하다
- Dictionary
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 찾다, 멈추다 and 도착하다. Test any form in the Korean verb conjugator.