Key Facts
- Hangul: 일하다 (ilhada)
- Meaning: to work
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 일하
- Class: 하다 type
- Polite present: 일해요
- Polite past: 일했어요
- Formal present: 일합니다
- Objects: intransitive
What Does 일하다 (to work) Mean?
- to work. Do a job or labor, as in 회사에서 일하다.
Particles and objects. Takes no object; the workplace is marked with 에서 (회사에서 일해요).
How Do You Pronounce 일하다 (to work)?
일하다 (to work) is read as written; Revised Romanization: ilhada.
Sound changes in the conjugated forms (standard pronunciation):
- 일했어요 sounds like [일해써요]
- 일할 거예요 sounds like [일할꺼예요]
- 일하겠어요 sounds like [일하게써요]
- 일합니다 sounds like [일함니다]
- 일했습니다 sounds like [일핻씀니다]
How Do You Use 일하다 (to work) in a Sentence?
저는 은행에서 일해요.
I work at a bank.
Form shown: polite present (일해요).
어제 늦게까지 일했어요.
I worked until late yesterday.
Form shown: polite past (일했어요).
하루 종일 일해서 피곤해요.
I am tired because I worked all day.
Form shown: because / and then (일해서).
Ilhada Conjugation: What Are the Forms of 일하다 (to work)?
일하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 일해요 | ||
| Polite past | 일했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 일할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 일하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 일합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 일했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 일할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 일해 | ||
| Casual past | 일했어 | ||
| Casual future | 일할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 일하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 일하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 일해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 일하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 일하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 일한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 일할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 일 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 일하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 일해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 일했어요 | [일해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 일할 거예요 | [일할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 일하겠어요 | [일하게써요] |
| Formal present | 일합니다 | [일함니다] |
| Formal past | 일했습니다 | [일핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 일할 것입니다 | [일할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 일해 | as written |
| Casual past | 일했어 | [일해써] |
| Casual future | 일할 거야 | [일할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 일하고 싶어요 | [일하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 일하세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 일해서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 일하면 | as written |
| Present modifier | 일하는 | as written |
| Past modifier | 일한 | as written |
| Future modifier | 일할 | as written |
| Short negative | 일 안 해요 | as written |
| Long negative | 일하지 않아요 | [일하지 아나요] |
Is 일하다 (to work) Regular or Irregular?
일하다 is a 하다 verb, which counts as regular: 하 plus 여 contracts to 해, giving 일해요 and 일했어요, and the noun part 일 never changes. Lesson: 하다 to 해요. Tool: conjugator.
What Is the Most Common Mistake with 일하다 (to work)?
Wrong: ✗ 회사를 일해요
Correct: ✓ 회사에서 일해요
Why: 일하다 takes no object, so the workplace is marked with 에서, not 을/를.
For the negative, 안 goes directly before 해요: 일 안 해요. The negating 하다 verbs lesson explains the placement.
How Is 일하다 (to work) Different from Similar Words?
| Word | How it differs from 일하다 |
|---|---|
| 출근하다 | 일하다 is to work or do a job; 출근하다 is to go to work. |
| 공부하다 | 일하다 is working at a job; 공부하다 is studying. |
Arranging Lunch around a Work Schedule
Two neighbours are trying to meet for lunch. One asks about a usual schedule, then checks whether tomorrow will be different.
Sora
토요일에도 일해요?
Toyoiredo ilhaeyo?
Do you work on Saturdays too?
Jiho
네, 지난 토요일에도 일했어요.
Ne, jinan toyoiredo ilhaesseoyo.
Yes, I worked last Saturday too.
Sora
내일도 일할 거예요?
Naeildo ilhal geoyeyo?
Are you going to work tomorrow too?
Jiho
아니요, 내일은 일 안 해요.
Aniyo, naeireun il an haeyo.
No, I’m not working tomorrow.
일해요 asks about a schedule, 일했어요 reports last Saturday, and 일할 거예요 asks about tomorrow’s plan. In the reply, 내일은 sets tomorrow apart and 일 안 해요 rules out work that day. It does not mean Jiho has no job; the time expression limits the statement to tomorrow.
Common Combinations with 일하다
| Combination | Meaning | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 회사에서 일하다 | to work at a company | Gives the workplace. |
| 집에서 일하다 | to work from home | Gives the place, without specifying the job. |
| 같이 일하다 | to work together | Identifies a shared work relationship. |
| 열심히 일하다 | to work hard | Describes effort. |
| 밤새 일하다 | to work all night | Describes the time spent working. |
These are ordinary, literal combinations. 같이 일하다 can describe colleagues even when they are not physically beside each other. 집에서 일하다 says where the work happens, so it can describe paid work done remotely. The phrase alone does not explain whether someone is an employee or runs a business.
열심히 일하다 expresses effort; 오래 일하다 expresses duration. A person can work hard for a short time or work somewhere for many years. When talking about a long day, the existing example 늦게까지 일했어요 names the endpoint: the work continued until late.
Where Will You Hear 일하다?
When meeting someone, 어디에서 일해요? asks where they work. A reply can name a company, a bank or another workplace. It is different from asking for the person’s occupation: a bank employee might have several possible jobs. To describe the role, name the job separately or use a role phrase with 으로/로.
In a workplace conversation, 일해요 may refer to a particular shift rather than someone’s general employment. A question containing 오늘 or 내일 usually concerns that day’s schedule. A reply about not working then should be understood with the same time frame. This makes 일 안 해요 useful when arranging appointments on a day off.
In a formal self-introduction, 일합니다 sounds more formal than 일해요. When asking someone respectfully about their work, 일하세요 can be a question as well as an instruction. 어디에서 일하세요? is a respectful question about a workplace; the question word makes that purpose clear.
Three Traps: Space, Place and “Work”
Write 일해요 as one word. The dictionary verb is 일하다, and its 하 becomes 해. If you use 일 as a separate noun with a particle, 일을 해요 is also natural. The short negative 일 안 해요 puts 안 before the 하다 part, while 일하지 않아요 keeps the longer verb together.
Use 에서 for the workplace when describing the activity. 회사에 can mark a destination with a movement verb, but 회사에서 identifies where the working happens. The earlier contrast with 출근하다 helps here: going to work and doing the work are different events, even if both appear in the same daily routine.
English also says a machine “works”. 일하다 normally describes doing work, so it is not the general translation for a device functioning. For a broken phone or appliance, a verb about functioning or operating fits better. Keeping 일하다 attached to a worker or work activity prevents an easy literal translation error.
Related Words for a Working Day
| Korean | Meaning | Useful next step |
|---|---|---|
| 회사 | company | A workplace name, not a job title. |
| 동료 | colleague | Someone you work with. |
| 출근하다 | to go to work | Arrival or commuting, rather than the work itself. |
| 퇴근하다 | to leave work | The end of the working day. |
| 야근하다 | to work overtime at night | More specific than simply working until late. |
The office vocabulary lesson groups these words around workplace situations. Pairing 일하다 with 출근하다 and 퇴근하다 lets you describe the middle, beginning and end of the day clearly.
Mini Drill: Describe the Working Day
- Say “I work at a bank” using 은행.
- Put that sentence in the polite past.
- Say “I won’t work tomorrow” using the short negative and 내일은.
- Join “work all day” to a reason using 하루 종일 and the because-form.
Show the work phrases
- 은행에서 일해요.
- 은행에서 일했어요.
- 내일은 일 안 해요.
- 하루 종일 일해서… Continue with a result, as in the earlier example about being tired.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 집에서 일하다 necessarily mean housework?
- Which verb describes leaving work: 일하다 or 퇴근하다?
- Where does 안 go in the short negative of 일하다?
Show answers
- No. It can describe doing your job from home.
- 퇴근하다.
- Before 해요: 일 안 해요.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 일하다 Regular or Irregular?
Regular. It is a 하다 verb: 하 plus 여 contracts to 해, so the polite present is 일해요 and the polite past is 일했어요.
How Do You Say "I Work at a Bank" in Korean?
Say 저는 은행에서 일해요. In this sentence the verb is in the polite present form, 일해요.
How Do You Make 일하다 Negative?
There are two ways. The short form puts 안 directly before 해요: 일 안 해요. The long form is 일하지 않아요.
Can You Say "I Want to Work" with 일하다?
To say you want to work, use 일하고 싶어요.
Which Particles Go with 일하다?
It takes no object. The workplace is marked with 에서, as in 회사에서 일해요.
What Is the Difference between 일하다 (to work) and 출근하다?
일하다 is to work or do a job; 출근하다 is to go to work.
Which Words Are Related to 일하다 (to work)?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next: 출근하다, or browse the verb dictionary. 일하다 is to work or do a job; 출근하다 is to go to work.