Key Facts
- Hangul: 이르다 (ireuda)
- Meaning: to reach; to arrive at
- Level: B2
- Stem: 이르
- Conjugation class: 러-irregular
- Grammar: intransitive
How Do You Say Reach in Korean?
이르다 is a formal verb for arriving at a stage or point: 결론에 이르다 (to reach a conclusion), 산 정상에 이르다 (to reach the summit). The destination takes 에 and the subject takes 이/가. It is intransitive.
In writing you will see ~에 이르기까지, 'up to'. For an ordinary arrival message about a train station, 도착하다 is more natural. The level is B2.
There are three homographs: 이르다 (to reach), 이르다 (early) and 이르다 (to tell). This page conjugates only the 'reach' sense.
How Do You Pronounce 이르다?
이르다 is read as written, i-reu-da. In 이릅니다 the ㅂ becomes ㅁ before ㄴ, so it is [이름니다], and the future 이를 거예요 is said [이를꺼예요] with a tense 꺼. Because 이르러요 ends with 러, say it clearly so listeners do not hear 일러요.
How Do You Use 이르다 in a Sentence?
회의는 결론에 이르러요.
The meeting reaches a conclusion.
이르러요 with 회의는 and 결론에: the meeting arrives at a conclusion.
우리는 산 정상에 이르렀어요.
We reached the summit.
이르렀어요 with 정상에: a group reached the top. The ending 렀 marks the 러 pattern in the past.
결론에 이르면 알려 주세요.
Please tell me when you reach a conclusion.
이르면 asks to be told when a conclusion is reached. 알려 주세요 is the request, so this sentence uses two verbs in one line.
How Does 이르다 Conjugation Work?
In 러-irregular verbs the ending 어 turns into 러, so 이르 + 어요 becomes 이르러요 and the past is 이르렀어요. The casual form is 이르러. Before other endings the stem stays regular: 이릅니다, 이르세요, 이르면, 이르는. The future is 이를 거예요.
이르다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 이르러요 | ||
| Polite past | 이르렀어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 이를 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 이르겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 이릅니다 | ||
| Formal past | 이르렀습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 이를 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 이르러 | ||
| Casual past | 이르렀어 | ||
| Casual future | 이를 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 이르고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 이르세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 이르러서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 이르면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 이르는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 이른 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 이를 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 이르러요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 이르지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 이르렀어요 | [이르러써요] |
| Future plan | 이를 거예요 | [이를꺼예요] |
| Future guess | 이르겠어요 | [이르게써요] |
| Formal now | 이릅니다 | [이름니다] |
| Formal past | 이르렀습니다 | [이르럳씀니다] |
| Formal future | 이를 것입니다 | [이를꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 이르렀어 | [이르러써] |
| Casual future | 이를 거야 | [이를꺼야] |
| Want to | 이르고 싶어요 | [이르고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 이르지 않아요 | [이르지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 이라요 / 일러요
Correct: ✓ 이르러요
Why: 이르다 (reach) is a 러 irregular verb: 어 becomes 러, so the polite form is 이르러요, not the 르 irregular 일러요. Compare the 르-irregular words, where ㄹ doubles to give 일러요. The 'reach' verb adds 러 instead.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 이르다 |
|---|---|
| 도착하다 | 도착하다 is to arrive at a place (everyday); 이르다 is more formal and works for conclusions and levels. |
| 이르다 | The homograph 이르다 means early (일러요) or to tell; this one means reach (이르러요). |
Giving an Update after a Long Discussion
Two colleagues are talking after a project meeting. They use the reach sense of 이르다 to discuss whether the group has arrived at a conclusion.
Jisu
결론에 이르렀어요?
Gyeollone ireureosseoyo?
Have you reached a conclusion?
Alex
아직 결론에 이르지 않았어요.
Ajik gyeollone ireuji anasseoyo.
We have not reached a conclusion yet.
Jisu
결론에 이르면 알려 주세요.
Gyeollone ireumyeon allyeo juseyo.
Please let me know when you reach a conclusion.
Alex
네. 오후에 다시 이야기할게요.
Ne. Ohue dasi iyagihalgeyo.
Yes. We will talk again this afternoon.
이르렀어요 asks about a completed result. The negative reply says the discussion has not reached that point yet. 이르면 makes reaching the conclusion a condition for the next message. Although 이르다 has a formal flavour, it fits this workplace conversation because 결론에 이르다 is an established combination.
Which Phrases Carry the Reach Meaning?
결론에 이르다 means to reach a conclusion after discussion or thought. 합의에 이르다 means to reach an agreement. The first concerns what people conclude; the second concerns what they agree to. A team might reach a conclusion about a problem without everyone agreeing on what to do next, so the nouns are useful distinctions.
한계에 이르다 means to reach a limit. 절정에 이르다 means to reach a peak or climax. These phrases describe a boundary or high point reached through a process. They can appear in reporting about a person's ability, an ongoing event, or a changing situation. The destination marker 에 works even though there is no physical journey.
오늘에 이르기까지 means “up to today” or “until the present day”. The phrase looks back across a span of time. A company history, biography, or account of a tradition may use it to connect earlier developments with the present. In the broader pattern 에 이르기까지, the noun before 에 identifies the endpoint of the span.
Reading Numbers and Levels with 이르다
In reporting, 이르다 can describe a quantity reaching a stated level. The number or amount takes 에, just as 결론 does in the conclusion phrase. This use concerns the level attained, not a person arriving somewhere. Before translating “arrive”, check whether the sentence is about a place, a stage, or a quantity.
A form such as 이르는 can modify a following noun in a report. Its 르 is unchanged because the ending is 는, not 어. The visible extra 러 in 이르러요 is therefore not a feature of every form of the verb. A long sentence can contain the reach sense even when its ending looks the same as a homograph's.
The destination or result also helps resolve ambiguity. 결론에, 합의에, and 한계에 strongly point to reaching something. By contrast, an early hour or a report of telling on someone belongs to another 이르다 entry. When the ending alone is inconclusive, read the noun and its marker before choosing the meaning.
Where Will You Meet This Verb?
News, histories, essays, and workplace reports use 이르다 for endpoints and results. In a hiking narrative, 산 정상에 이르다 describes reaching the summit after a journey. The physical meaning is real, but its written flavour differs from an everyday message saying that you have arrived at a station.
For ordinary travel messages, 도착하다 is the more natural first choice. The difference is register and emphasis, rather than a ban on using 이르다 with a physical place. 이르다 often draws attention to the endpoint of a process or journey. 도착하다 simply reports arrival and suits routine practical updates.
Words for Results and Endpoints
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 결론 | conclusion | A result reached through thought or discussion. |
| 합의 | agreement | A result shared by the parties involved. |
| 한계 | limit | A boundary that a process or ability reaches. |
| 도착하다 | to arrive | The everyday verb for an arrival message. |
The office vocabulary lesson provides the meeting context for conclusions and agreements. Compare 도착하다 when you need to tell someone where you have arrived.
Why 러-Irregular Is Different from 르-Irregular
The reach verb keeps the full stem 이르 before adding 러 in 이르러요. The look-alike early and tell verbs instead use 일러요. Learn the present and past as a pair: 이르러요 and 이르렀어요. This pair makes the reach sense visible more clearly than the shared dictionary spelling does.
The conditional 이르면, formal 이릅니다, and modifier 이르는 do not add 러. Their endings do not trigger that change. The irregular label predicts a specific change before 어, rather than telling you that every ending must look unusual. Keep the result phrase 결론에 beside the form when practising, so the intended meaning stays clear.
Mini Drill: Choose the Right Form
- Give the polite present for 이르다 meaning reach.
- Give the polite past for having reached a conclusion.
- Complete “if we reach a conclusion”: 결론에 ____.
- Choose the destination marker for 결론: 에 or 을.
Show drill answers
- 이르러요. Keep 르 and add 러.
- 이르렀어요.
- 결론에 이르면. No extra 러 before 면.
- 에. The result is an endpoint, not a direct object.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase means reaching an agreement: 합의에 이르다 or 한계에 이르다?
- Is 일러요 the polite present of the reach sense?
- Which verb is the usual first choice for a routine arrival message?
Show answers
- 합의에 이르다. 한계 means a limit.
- No. The reach sense uses 이르러요.
- 도착하다.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of This 이르다?
It is 이르러요, with 러 added to the stem.
What Does 일러요 Mean?
It belongs to the other homographs, 이르다 meaning early or to tell. This page's verb does not use it.
Can I Use 이르다 for Arriving at a Station?
Yes, in formal or narrative writing. For an ordinary arrival message, 도착하다 is more natural; 이르다 also suits conclusions and levels.
Which Phrase Should I Memorize?
Learn 결론에 이르다, 'to reach a conclusion', and ~에 이르기까지, 'up to'.
Which Words Are Related to 이르다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 도착하다 for everyday arriving, 성공하다 and 결정하다 for results, and the early-or-late 이르다 page for the other homograph.
The reo and u irregular lesson explains the pattern behind 이르러요, and the conjugator checks any other form. The dictionary lists the rest.