Key Facts
- Hangul: 일어서다 (ireoseoda)
- Pronunciation: [이러서다]
- Meaning: to stand up
- Level: A2
- Stem: 일어서
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: intransitive
What Does 일어서다 Mean?
The core meaning is physical: 의자에서 일어서다 (to stand up from a chair). The place you rise from takes 에서 and the person standing takes 이/가, with no object. A second, figurative sense is to get back on your feet after trouble, as in 어려움에서 일어서다.
This verb is the usual choice for stand-up moments in class and meetings, such as a student getting to their feet when the teacher enters.
How Do You Pronounce 일어서다?
일어서다 is read [이러서다] because the ㄹ at the end of 일 moves across to fill the empty ㅇ of 어. It has four syllables: i-reo-seo-da. The same linking shows up in the conjugated forms: 일어서요 is said [이러서요], and the past form 일어섰어요 is said [이러서써요] with a tense 써.
How Do You Use 일어서다 in a Sentence?
선생님이 들어오면 일어서요.
When the teacher comes in, we stand up.
일어서요 follows a 면 clause: when the teacher comes in, everyone stands. The plain present describes a habit here.
아이가 갑자기 일어섰어요.
The child suddenly stood up.
일어섰어요 with 갑자기 describes one sudden movement, which is why English translates it as a simple past.
일어서서 인사하세요.
Stand up and say hello.
일어서서 is the 'and then' link. Two 서 syllables in a row are correct: the first belongs to the stem, the second is the connector, so the polite command is 일어서서 인사하세요 (stand up and greet).
How Does Ireoseoda Conjugation Work?
Stems ending in ㅓ absorb the 어 of the ending, so 일어서 + 어요 is just 일어서요. That is why the because form doubles up as 일어서서 and the casual form is the short 일어서. Consonant endings attach directly: 일어섭니다, 일어서면, 일어서는. The past modifier is 일어선.
일어서다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 일어서요 | ||
| Polite past | 일어섰어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 일어설 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 일어서겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 일어섭니다 | ||
| Formal past | 일어섰습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 일어설 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 일어서 | ||
| Casual past | 일어섰어 | ||
| Casual future | 일어설 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 일어서고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 일어서세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 일어서서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 일어서면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 일어서는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 일어선 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 일어설 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 일어서요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 일어서지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite now | 일어서요 | [이러서요] |
| Polite past | 일어섰어요 | [이러서써요] |
| Future plan | 일어설 거예요 | [이러설꺼예요] |
| Future guess | 일어서겠어요 | [이러서게써요] |
| Formal now | 일어섭니다 | [이러섬니다] |
| Formal past | 일어섰습니다 | [이러섣씀니다] |
| Formal future | 일어설 것입니다 | [이러설꺼심니다] |
| Casual now | 일어서 | [이러서] |
| Casual past | 일어섰어 | [이러서써] |
| Casual future | 일어설 거야 | [이러설꺼야] |
| Want to | 일어서고 싶어요 | [이러서고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific | 일어서세요 | [이러서세요] |
| Because | 일어서서 | [이러서서] |
| If | 일어서면 | [이러서면] |
| Modifier now | 일어서는 | [이러서는] |
| Modifier past | 일어선 | [이러선] |
| Modifier next | 일어설 | [이러설] |
| Short negative | 안 일어서요 | [안 이러서요] |
| Long negative | 일어서지 않아요 | [이러서지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Meaning contrast (not a grammar error): 아침 일곱 시에 일어서요 vs 아침 일곱 시에 일어나요
For 'I wake up at seven', say: ✓ 아침 일곱 시에 일어나요.
Why: 일어서요 is correct Korean, but it means rising to your feet. Waking up is 일어나다, while 일어서다 is standing up from sitting. For waking up, the intended action calls for 일어나다. A time of day alone does not decide the verb.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 일어서다 |
|---|---|
| 일어나다 | 일어나다 means to get up from bed or from a seat, and also to happen. 일어서다 specifically means to rise to a standing position. |
| 서다 | 서다 is to stand or to stop; 일어서다 is the act of rising up to stand. |
Standing for a Photograph
A photographer needs a seated guest to stand beside a chair. The guest checks whether to stand and then asks about the position.
Photographer
잠깐 일어서세요.
Jamkkan ireoseoseyo.
Please stand up for a moment.
Guest
일어서서 찍어요?
Ireoseoseo jjigeoyo?
Are we taking the photo standing up?
Photographer
네. 의자 옆에 서 주세요.
Ne. Uija yeope seo juseyo.
Yes. Please stand beside the chair.
Guest
네. 일어섰어요. 여기 괜찮아요?
Ne. Ireoseosseoyo. Yeogi gwaenchanayo?
Yes. I have stood up. Is here okay?
일어서세요 requests the movement, 일어섰어요 confirms that it is complete, and 일어서서 connects standing with taking the photo. The two 서 syllables have different jobs: one ends the stem and one connects the actions. The guest asks whether to take the photo after rising to stand.
Which Combinations Describe the Movement Precisely?
자리에서 일어서다 means to rise from one's seat or place. 의자에서 일어서다 names the chair more explicitly. The marker 에서 identifies the starting point, so it is useful in descriptions of someone leaving a seated position at a meeting, meal, or performance.
벌떡 일어서다 means to spring to one's feet. The word 벌떡 adds a sudden, energetic movement. 천천히 일어서다 means to stand up slowly, and 조심히 일어서다 means to stand up carefully. The verb itself does not tell you the speed, so these surrounding words can change the picture significantly.
다시 일어서다 means to stand up again. After a fall it can describe a physical movement. After a failure or a difficult period, the same combination can mean getting back on one's feet figuratively. A story about an athlete or a struggling business may use this image without describing anyone actually leaving a chair.
Where Will You Hear 일어서세요?
In a classroom or group activity, 일어서세요 tells the listener to stand up. A teacher can give it before a greeting, a game, or a presentation. The ending is a respectful instruction. Between close friends, 일어서 can be a casual instruction, but that bare ending is too abrupt for many interactions with customers or strangers.
A photographer may ask someone to rise for a pose, as in the dialogue. A person describing the completed movement uses 일어섰어요. This reports what happened; it does not by itself say whether the person remained standing for the whole photograph or sat down again immediately.
In narrative writing, 일어서는 describes someone in the act of rising. 일어선 can describe the person after they have risen. These modifiers let the writer place another event alongside the movement or after it. The distinction is about the action's stage, rather than two unrelated meanings of the verb.
The figurative sense appears in recovery stories and encouragement. Read the nearby nouns before choosing an English translation: a chair suggests a literal rise, while failure or adversity suggests recovery. “Stand up” may sound too physical when the passage is about rebuilding a life or career.
Nearby Verbs and Nouns
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 의자 | chair | A common starting point marked with 에서. |
| 자리 | seat / place | 자리에서 일어서다 describes leaving a seated position. |
| 앉다 | to sit | The movement that commonly comes before standing up. |
| 서다 | to stand | Focuses on standing rather than the rise from sitting. |
The classroom vocabulary lesson gives words for the setting where learners often hear stand-up instructions.
What Makes the Endings Look Unusual?
일어서서 has two 서 syllables because the stem already ends in 서. The connecting ending does not replace that final syllable. Read the form as 일어서 plus 서; the repeated sound is expected. In the existing greeting example, the connector joins two linked actions: rise, then greet while standing.
The past 일어섰어요 keeps only one 서 syllable before the past marker. It comes from the stem 일어서 and 었어요, with the adjacent ㅓ vowels contracting. The present 일어서요 has no past marker. Compare those written shapes before deciding that the repeated 서 of the connector belongs in every form.
일어서다 is one dictionary word, so write it without a space in the middle. Its source location remains separate: 의자에서 일어서요. The ㄹ in 일 links into the following vowel in speech, but the spelling keeps 일. That linking explains the pronunciation; it does not move a letter in the written word.
Mini Drill: Choose the Right Form
- Ask a guest politely to stand using the honorific form.
- Change 일어서요 to the polite past.
- Connect standing to the next action with the 서 connector.
- Choose the source marker: 의자에 or 의자에서.
Show drill answers
- 일어서세요.
- 일어섰어요. The past marker is ㅆ.
- 일어서서. Keep both 서 syllables.
- 의자에서: from the chair.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 벌떡 일어서다 suggest a slow movement?
- Which verb is needed for waking up: 일어서다 or 일어나다?
- Can 다시 일어서다 describe recovery after failure?
Show answers
- No. It suggests springing up suddenly.
- 일어나다.
- Yes. Context can make it figurative.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite past of 일어서다?
It is 일어섰어요, as in 아이가 갑자기 일어섰어요.
Why Does the Because Form Have Two 서 in a Row?
The first 서 is the end of the stem and the second is the connector: 일어서서. This is normal for any stem that ends in 서.
Can 일어서다 Mean 'to Wake Up'?
No. Waking up is 일어나다. 일어서다 is only for rising to a standing position or, figuratively, recovering from a setback.
Does It Take an Object?
No. It is intransitive. The person standing takes 이/가 and the place they rise from takes 에서.
Which Words Are Related to 일어서다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 일어나다 and 서다 from the table above, then look at 앉다, the sitting verb that is the natural opposite, and 올라가다 for going up.
The polite present recipe explains the pattern behind 일어서요, and the conjugator checks any other form. The dictionary lists the rest.