Key Facts
- Hangul: 하다 (hada)
- Meaning: to do
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 하
- Class: 하다 type
- Object marking: transitive
What Does Hada (하다) Mean?
- to do. The basic verb of doing; also builds many verbs from nouns, as in 공부하다 (study) and 운동하다 (exercise).
하다 is one of the most frequent verbs in Korean. On its own it is the plain "do": what you do at the weekend, what homework you did. Its second job is to attach to nouns, as in 공부하다 (study) and 운동하다 (exercise), so 하 sits inside thousands of verbs and they all conjugate the way 하다 does.
The thing done takes 을/를, as in 숙제를 해요, and many nouns either take 을/를 before 하다 or fuse straight onto it. The honorific polite form is 하세요. There is no single humble verb for 하다, because the humble choice depends on the noun: for speaking to a senior, for example, Korean uses 말씀드리다.
How Do You Pronounce 하다?
하다 itself is read as written. The sound changes come from the endings: the past form is read [해써요], the formal present [함니다], and the want-to form [하고 시퍼요]. In fast speech the ㅎ of 하 often weakens after a vowel or ㄴ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅇ inside longer verbs, so do not worry if you hear it softly.
How Do You Use 하다 in a Sentence?
주말에 무엇을 해요?
What do you do on the weekend?
A question in the polite present. 무엇을 asks "what", and 해요 asks what the listener usually does on a free weekend, which makes this the pattern for open questions about plans.
어제 숙제를 했어요.
I did my homework yesterday.
Past tense with a concrete object. 숙제를 names the thing done, and 했어요 puts it at an earlier time. The sentence shows 하다 working as a plain "do" with no noun fused on.
내일 청소를 할 거예요.
I will clean tomorrow.
A plan for tomorrow. 청소를 is the thing done, and 할 거예요 marks intent. 청소 is one of the many nouns that work both ways: 청소를 하다 with the particle, or fused into a single verb with no particle.
How Does Hada Conjugation Work?
For the "to do" verb the contraction is the whole story: 하 plus 여 gives 해, which is why the polite present is 해요, the casual present 해, and the because-form 해서. Endings that start with a consonant simply attach to 하, giving 합니다, 하면 and 하는. The negative is 안 해요.
하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 해요 | ||
| Polite past | 했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 해 | ||
| Casual past | 했어 | ||
| Casual future | 할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 했어요 | [해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 할 거예요 | [할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 하겠어요 | [하게써요] |
| Formal present | 합니다 | [함니다] |
| Formal past | 했습니다 | [핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 할 것입니다 | [할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 해 | as written |
| Casual past | 했어 | [해써] |
| Casual future | 할 거야 | [할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 하고 싶어요 | [하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 하세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 해서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 하면 | as written |
| Modifier, present | 하는 | as written |
| Modifier, past | 한 | as written |
| Modifier, future | 할 | as written |
| Negative, short | 안 해요 | as written |
| Negative, long | 하지 않아요 | [하지 아나요] |
The rule behind to do (하다 type) is taught in 하다 to 해요.
Common Mistake with 하다
Wrong: ✗ 해어요
Correct: ✓ 해요
Why: 하다 is irregular: 하 + 여 gives 해, so it is 해요, 했어요, never 하아요 or 해어요.
The usual slip is adding an extra 어, as in 해어요, by treating 하다 like a regular 아/어 verb. Because the contraction to 해 already contains the ending, nothing more is added. The correct polite present is 해요.
하다 Versus Similar Verbs
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 만들다 | 만들다 means to make or create something; 하다 means to do an action. |
| 되다 | 하다 is something a person does; 되다 means to become or to be done by itself. |
Use 만들다 when the result is a physical thing or a new situation. Use 하다 for the action itself, as in 숙제를 해요.
되다 is not something a person performs. 하다 has a doer; 되다 describes becoming or being completed on its own.
Sharing the Cleaning after Dinner
Two housemates divide the chores. The object stays the same while 하다 moves from a question about a plan to a report about the past.
Sora
오늘 청소를 할 거예요?
Oneul cheongsoreul hal geoyeyo?
Are you going to clean today?
Jiho
어제 청소를 했어요.
Eoje cheongsoreul haesseoyo.
I cleaned yesterday.
Sora
그럼 오늘은 제가 해요.
Geureom oneureun jega haeyo.
Then I’ll do it today.
In the last line, 해요 refers back to the cleaning. Repeating 청소를 is unnecessary once both speakers know the task. 제가 identifies the person taking it on. Although 해요 is a present form, 오늘 and the conversation make the speaker’s intended action clear.
Everyday Combinations beyond “Do”
| Combination | Natural English | How to understand it |
|---|---|---|
| 숙제를 하다 | to do homework | A task with a direct English equivalent. |
| 전화를 하다 | to make a phone call | Korean uses 하다 where English uses “make”. |
| 운동을 하다 | to exercise | The noun names the activity. |
| 약속을 하다 | to make a promise or arrangement | Context decides whether it concerns a commitment or a meeting. |
| 말을 하다 | to speak | Literally, to do speech; naturally, to talk or say something. |
These combinations show why translating 하다 as “do” every time sounds awkward. Learn the noun and verb together: 전화를 하다 is a normal phone call, not “doing a telephone”. For homework, the English and Korean patterns happen to line up closely.
Where Will You Hear 해요, 하세요 and 합니다?
In everyday questions, 뭐 해요? asks what someone is doing. The same question can concern a regular activity if a time such as “on weekends” is included. Context supplies the scope; the verb alone does not specify a job or a hobby.
In service encounters, 하세요 often occurs in requests. It can sound like an instruction when someone has authority over a task. Adding respect to the verb does not automatically make every request gentle. In a formal introduction or presentation, 합니다 is the expected form for describing an activity. It is also part of fixed greetings such as 감사합니다, “thank you”. Learn that greeting as a complete expression.
Related Activity Words
| Korean | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 일 | work; task | The thing someone does, not necessarily employment. |
| 숙제 | homework | Often paired with 해요 or 했어요. |
| 청소 | cleaning | A practical household activity. |
| 운동 | exercise | Can refer to sport or physical exercise. |
See the daily routines lesson for activities built around these nouns. The 하다 pattern lesson explains how the shared ending changes.
Mini Drill: Keep the Task, Change the Ending
Use 숙제를 in each answer.
- Say “I do homework” politely.
- Change it to “I did homework.”
- Give a future plan: “I’m going to do homework.”
- Make the present sentence negative with 안.
Show the completed forms
- 숙제를 해요.
- 숙제를 했어요.
- 숙제를 할 거예요.
- 숙제를 안 해요.
Quick Self-Test
- Which part changes in 공부하다 and 운동하다 when you conjugate them?
- What does 전화를 하다 mean in natural English?
- Can 해요 refer back to a task without repeating its noun?
Show answers
- The 하다 part changes; the noun stays the same.
- To make a phone call.
- Yes, when the task is already clear from context.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 하다 Regular or Irregular?
Korean grammars class 하다 as irregular, in its own 하다-type (yeo-irregular) group: the stem 하 plus 여 contracts to 해. That one contraction is the only special step, and every verb ending in 하다 follows it.
How Do I Say "I Did My Homework" with 하다?
Use the polite past: 어제 숙제를 했어요. The past form is 했어요.
What Is the Negative of 하다?
The short negative is 안 해요, and the long negative is 하지 않아요. For noun + 하다 verbs the short 안 goes before 하다: 공부 안 해요.
Which Particle Goes with 하다?
The thing done takes 을/를, as in 숙제를 해요. Many nouns can also sit directly in front of 하다 without a particle.
What Is the Honorific of 하다?
The honorific polite form is 하세요. Humble choices depend on the noun; for speaking to a senior, use 말씀드리다.
Which Words Are Related to 하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next, see how the ending attaches to a noun in 공부하다, then compare a made object with 만들다. When to do feels familiar, compare it with other entries in the verb dictionary or check a form in the conjugator.