Key Facts
- Hangul: 이렇다 (ireota)
- Pronunciation: [이러타]
- Meaning: to be like this
- Level: A1
- Stem: 이렇
- Conjugation class: ㅎ-irregular
- Grammar: descriptive
What Does 이렇다 Mean?
이렇다 describes the state of things near you: 이래요 (it is like this). Two uses cover most speech. One describes a situation, as in 상황이 이래요. The other is a complaint or a surprise at someone's behaviour, as in 왜 이래요? (What is wrong with you?).
It is an everyday spoken word, and several forms sit at the heart of everyday Korean: 이래서 (so, for this reason), 이러면 (if so) and 이런 (this kind of). It has no want-to form because it is descriptive.
Together with 그렇다 and 저렇다, this word forms a three-way pointing set: 이렇다 for what is close to the speaker, 그렇다 for what was just said or sits with the listener, and 저렇다 for what is far from both. Use it when you can gesture at the situation, and you will sound natural almost immediately.
How Do You Pronounce 이렇다?
이렇다 is read [이러타] with ㅎ + ㄷ merging into ㅌ. 이렇습니다 is [이러씀니다], 이렇지 않아요 is [이러치 아나요], and 이랬어요 is [이래써요]. These match the spelling only partly, so learn the sound with the letters.
How Do You Use 이렇다 in a Sentence?
요즘 날씨가 이래요.
The weather is like this these days.
이래요 with 요즘 날씨가: the weather these days is like this, with the speaker pointing at the situation around them.
이런 가방을 사고 싶어요.
I want to buy a bag like this.
이런 before 가방을 means 'a bag like this'. Because it is a modifier, there is no 요.
이러면 안 돼요.
You must not do it like this.
이러면 with 안 돼요 is a prohibition: you must not do it like this. 이러면 안 돼요 is a set pattern.
How Does Ireota Conjugation Work?
Before 아/어 the stem 이렇 loses its ㅎ and takes ㅐ: 이렇 + 어요 = 이래요, past 이랬어요, because 이래서. With 으 endings only ㅎ drops: 이러세요, 이러면. The future is 이럴 거예요. Consonant endings keep ㅎ: 이렇습니다, 이렇지 않아요.
이렇다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 이래요 | ||
| Polite past | 이랬어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 이럴 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 이렇겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 이렇습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 이랬습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 이럴 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 이래 | ||
| Casual past | 이랬어 | ||
| Casual future | 이럴 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 이러세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 이래서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 이러면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 이런 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 이랬던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 이럴 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 이래요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 이렇지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 이랬어요 | [이래써요] |
| Future plan | 이럴 거예요 | [이럴꺼예요] |
| Future guess | 이렇겠어요 | [이러케써요] |
| Formal now | 이렇습니다 | [이러씀니다] |
| Formal past | 이랬습니다 | [이랟씀니다] |
| Formal future | 이럴 것입니다 | [이럴꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 이랬어 | [이래써] |
| Casual future | 이럴 거야 | [이럴꺼야] |
| Modifier past | 이랬던 | [이랟떤] |
| Long negative | 이렇지 않아요 | [이러치 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 이렇어요
Correct: ✓ 이래요
Why: 이렇다 is a ㅎ irregular adjective: ㅎ drops, giving 이래요 and 이런, not 이렇어요. Consonant endings keep the ㅎ (이렇습니다, 이렇지 않아요), but before 어 it always drops.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 이렇다 |
|---|---|
| 그렇다 | 그렇다 means like that, referring to what was just said or is near the listener. |
| 저렇다 | 저렇다 means like that far away. |
Showing a Broken Bag to a Shop Assistant
A customer points to a damaged bag. The assistant asks whether it was already in that condition the day before, and the customer explains the problem.
Customer
가방이 이래요.
Gabangi iraeyo.
The bag is like this.
Assistant
어제도 이랬어요?
Eojedo iraesseoyo?
Was it like this yesterday too?
Customer
네. 이런 가방은 못 써요.
Ne. Ireon gabangeun mot sseoyo.
Yes. I cannot use a bag like this.
Assistant
죄송해요. 바꿔 드릴게요.
Joesonghaeyo. Bakkwo deurilgeyo.
I am sorry. I will exchange it for you.
The customer shows the fault, so 이래요 can point to what both speakers see. 이랬어요 asks about the earlier condition. 이런 moves the description before 가방 and refers to this kind of bag, here meaning one in this damaged condition. Without the visible fault, the first line would need more explanation.
Phrases That Point to a Situation
이래서 means “for this reason” or “this is why”. It points back to the situation the speaker is showing or explaining. In a discussion about a broken bag, 이래서 can introduce the consequence: the fault is why the item cannot be used. The phrase needs a reason that the listener can identify from the scene or earlier words.
이런 일 means “this kind of thing” or “an incident like this”. 이런 사람 means “this kind of person”. The noun after 이런 matters: 일 names a situation, while 사람 describes a person. Depending on the rest of the sentence, the combination can express admiration, concern, or criticism. 이런 by itself does not make the description negative.
이럴 때 means “at a time like this” or “in this situation”. The form 이럴 sits before 때, “time” or “occasion”. It is useful when asking what to do in the present circumstances. The English translation often refers to a situation rather than a literal clock time.
Is 왜 이래요? Rude?
왜 이래요? can express surprise at someone's behaviour, but it can also sound like a complaint or challenge. A raised voice can make the English equivalent “What is wrong with you?” fit. The polite 요 ending does not remove that critical force. Use it carefully when talking directly to someone you do not know well.
When looking at a device or damaged item, 왜 이래요? can instead mean “Why is it like this?” or “What is wrong with it?” Korean can leave the subject unstated, so the object being examined and the speaker's gaze help determine the meaning. The sentence does not always criticise a person.
이런! on its own can be an exclamation of dismay, rather like “Oh dear!” Context distinguishes that reaction from 이런 followed by a noun. In subtitles, punctuation and the next line can help you decide whether the speaker is reacting or starting a description.
Where Will You Hear 이렇다?
이래요 belongs naturally in demonstrations, explanations, and conversations about a shared scene. A speaker can point to a drawing, a screen, or an item's condition while saying it. In a phone conversation without a shared picture, the speaker usually needs enough surrounding explanation for the listener to know what “this” refers to.
이렇습니다 is useful in a formal explanation of the current situation. The same pointing idea remains, but the ending suits a presentation or report. 이런 appears in product descriptions and stories whenever a writer identifies a type of item or situation. The dictionary form alone will therefore miss many of the shapes a learner actually encounters.
The Pointing Family to Learn Next
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 그렇다 | to be like that | Often refers to what another person has just said. |
| 저렇다 | to be like that over there | Points to a more distant visible situation. |
| 어떻다 | to be how | Asks about a condition or quality. |
| 이렇게 | like this / in this way | Describes the way an action is done. |
The demonstratives lesson teaches the wider 이, 그, 저 pointing system.
Keep the Sentence, Noun, and Action Patterns Apart
이래요 can finish a statement about a condition. 이런 needs a noun, as in 이런 가방. 이렇게 describes a manner, as in 이렇게 해요, “do it like this”. If the message is a demonstration of how to act, 이렇게 is often the form you need. If you are describing what a thing is like, 이래요 fits.
The spelling 이래서 uses ㅐ, while 이런 keeps ㅓ and adds ㄴ. Consonant endings such as 이렇습니다 retain ㅎ in writing. These differences follow the ending attached to the stem; trying to build every form from the shortened 이래 will hide the pattern. Use 이렇다 as the starting form when checking an unfamiliar ending.
Mini Drill: Choose the Right Form
- Give the polite present of 이렇다.
- Complete “a bag like this”: ____ 가방.
- Give the polite past for an earlier condition.
- Give the connector meaning “this is why”.
Show drill answers
- 이래요.
- 이런 가방. The modifier is 이런.
- 이랬어요.
- 이래서. It introduces a reason based on this situation.
Quick Self-Test
- Which form describes how to do an action: 이런 or 이렇게?
- Does 요 guarantee that 왜 이래요? sounds friendly?
- What does 이럴 때 mean?
Show answers
- 이렇게. 이런 goes before a noun.
- No. It can still sound critical or confrontational.
- At a time like this, or in this situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 이렇다?
It is 이래요.
How Do I Say 'a Bag Like This'?
Use the modifier 이런: 이런 가방을 사고 싶어요.
What Does 왜 이래요? Mean?
It means 'What is wrong with you?' or 'Why are you doing this?', used when someone's behaviour surprises you.
Do Consonant Endings Keep ㅎ?
Yes: 이렇습니다 and 이렇지 않아요 both keep it.
Which Words Are Related to 이렇다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Continue with 그렇다 and 저렇다 for the other pointing words, 어떻다 for asking, and 같다 for 'the same'.
The ㅎ-irregular lesson explains the pattern behind 이래요, and the conjugator checks any other form. The dictionary lists the rest.