Key Facts
- Hangul: 이야기하다 (iyagihada)
- Meaning: to talk; to chat (also 얘기하다)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 이야기하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Particles: The listener takes 와/과 or 한테; the topic takes 에 대해 or 을/를: 친구와 이야기해요.
What Does 이야기하다 Mean?
이야기하다 is the relaxed everyday verb for talking with someone or telling a story. The person you talk with takes 와/과 or 하고, the person you tell something to takes 한테, and the topic takes 에 대해 or 을/를, as in 친구와 이야기하다. The noun 이야기 means a story or a talk. Its spoken short form is 얘기하다, and you will hear it far more than the full word in daily conversation.
How Do You Pronounce 이야기하다?
The dictionary form has 5 syllables and is read as written. The sound changes come in the endings: the past 이야기했어요 is [이야기해써요], with the ㅆ carried into the next syllable, and the formal 이야기합니다 is [이야기함니다]. Five syllables is long for an everyday verb, which is why speakers shorten it so often.
How Do You Use 이야기하다 in a Sentence?
친구와 이야기해요.
I chat with my friend.
친구와 marks the listener with 와, so the sentence reads as a chat with a friend. 이야기해요 is the polite present.
어제 가족과 이야기했어요.
I talked with my family yesterday.
가족과 is the listener again, and 어제 sets the time to yesterday. The past form is 이야기했어요.
이야기하면 마음이 편해져요.
I feel better when I talk.
이야기하면 gives the condition, and 마음이 편해져요 gives the result. The sentence states that talking relieves stress.
How Does Iyagihada Conjugation Work?
이야기하다 is a 하다 verb. The ending 하 plus 여 contracts to 해, which gives 이야기해요, 이야기했어요 and 이야기해서. A consonant ending leaves 하 alone: 이야기하고 싶어요 and 이야기하면. The short negative is 이야기 안 해요, with 안 sitting between the noun and 하다.
이야기하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 이야기해요 | ||
| Polite past | 이야기했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 이야기할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 이야기하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 이야기합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 이야기했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 이야기할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 이야기해 | ||
| Casual past | 이야기했어 | ||
| Casual future | 이야기할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 이야기하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 이야기하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 이야기해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 이야기하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 이야기하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 이야기한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 이야기할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 이야기 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 이야기하지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 이야기했어요 | [이야기해써요] |
| Plan future | 이야기할 거예요 | [이야기할꺼예요] |
| Guess future | 이야기하겠어요 | [이야기하게써요] |
| Formal present | 이야기합니다 | [이야기함니다] |
| Formal past | 이야기했습니다 | [이야기핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 이야기할 것입니다 | [이야기할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 이야기했어 | [이야기해써] |
| Casual future | 이야기할 거야 | [이야기할꺼야] |
| Want to | 이야기하고 싶어요 | [이야기하고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 이야기하지 않아요 | [이야기하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 친구를 이야기해요.
Correct: ✓ 친구와 이야기해요.
Why: For “chat with my friend”, use 와/과 or 하고 to mark the conversation partner. With 를, the friend can instead become the topic of what you are saying.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it apart |
|---|---|
| 말하다 | 말하다 is to say or speak. 이야기하다 is closer to chat or tell a story, so it fits relaxed conversation. |
| 대화하다 | 대화하다 is a more formal conversation. 이야기하다 is the everyday choice. |
Talking over a Presentation after Class
Two classmates arrange a conversation about their presentation. One has already discussed it with the teacher and wants to share the result.
Mina
발표에 대해 이야기해요.
Balpyoe daehae iyagihaeyo.
Let’s talk about the presentation.
Jun
좋아요. 선생님과도 이야기했어요?
Joayo. Seonsaengnimgwado iyagihaesseoyo?
Sure. Did you talk with the teacher too?
Mina
네. 어제 이야기했어요.
Ne. Eoje iyagihaesseoyo.
Yes. We talked yesterday.
Jun
같이 이야기하면 좋겠어요.
Gachi iyagihamyeon jokesseoyo.
I’d like us to talk it over together.
이야기해요 is an invitation here, rather than a report of a habit. The reply asks about a past discussion with 이야기했어요. 이야기하면 introduces the conversation Jun would like to have. 발표에 대해 names the topic, while 선생님과 names the person involved in the earlier discussion.
Which Conversation Phrases Are Useful?
이야기를 나누다 literally means to share or exchange talk. Natural English translations include “have a conversation” and “chat”. It emphasizes the exchange between people. It can introduce a friendly conversation or a serious discussion, so the phrase alone does not tell you how light the subject is.
솔직하게 이야기하다 means to talk honestly. 솔직하게 describes the manner of speaking, rather than the topic. 자세히 이야기하다 means to explain or tell something in detail. These expressions help you ask for a particular kind of account without changing the core verb.
옛날이야기 is an old story or a tale about the past. 이야기를 듣다 means to listen to a story or to what someone has to say. The noun 이야기 therefore connects speaking, storytelling and listening; it does not always imply two people exchanging short conversational turns.
이야기가 길어지다 means that the story or explanation gets long. The noun 이야기 becomes the subject of 길어지다, “become long”. In a conversation, the phrase can introduce an explanation that would take time. The length concerns the account, not the number of syllables in 이야기하다.
How Do Person and Topic Markers Differ?
친구와 이야기해요 says you talk with a friend. 친구에 대해 이야기해요 says you talk about a friend. The friend can be the conversation partner in the first sentence and completely absent in the second. Check the particle before deciding who actually participates.
친구를 이야기해요 can mean talking about the friend in a suitable context; it does not mean talking with that friend. The earlier common-mistake correction is for the intended meaning “chat with my friend”. A person noun with 를 is therefore not automatically impossible: it changes the role the person has in the discussion.
한테 or 에게 can mark the person receiving information. 와/과 and 하고 focus on talking with someone. 에 대해 introduces the topic explicitly, which is helpful when a sentence also names a conversation partner. You can identify those two roles separately instead of translating every English “to” with the same Korean particle.
What Is Tricky about the Shortened Form?
얘기 is a standard shortened form of 이야기, and 얘기하다 is common in conversation and messages. Keep the vowel 얘: it reflects the shortened 이야기. The contraction makes the word shorter, while the ending still decides whether the sentence is polite, casual, present or past.
Write 이야기하다 together as the compact verb. 이야기를 하다 is the noun 이야기 plus 를 and 하다, with a space before 하다. Both patterns can express talking or telling a story. The short negative 이야기 안 해요 places 안 before 해요, while the long negative 이야기하지 않아요 follows the full verb stem.
The present modifier 이야기하는 can describe someone currently talking or a topic being discussed, depending on the following noun and sentence. 이야기한 looks back at a completed conversation or account. The earlier 이야기하면 uses 면 to make a condition; it does not describe a person the way a modifier before a noun does.
Where Will You Hear 이야기하다?
Friends use 이야기하다 when sharing news, discussing plans or telling someone what happened. Teachers and colleagues also use it to discuss a practical topic. The word can be relaxed, but it is not limited to chatting for fun. A serious conversation can use the same verb with a serious topic.
In a story or drama, 이야기 may refer to the tale itself. In an interview, a request to 이야기하다 may invite someone to describe an experience. Translate according to the task: “talk”, “discuss” and “tell” can all fit where a single English gloss would sound narrow.
말씀하다 is respectful language associated with speaking. When addressing a teacher about your own speech, the humble verb 말씀드리다 is useful; 말씀하다 is commonly used to honor someone else’s speech. Adding 요 to 이야기해요 makes the sentence polite to the listener without automatically changing the status of the person speaking.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 이야기 | story / talk | The noun behind the verb. |
| 얘기 | shortened 이야기 | Common in everyday speech and messages. |
| 주제 | topic / theme | Names what the conversation concerns. |
| 대화 | conversation | Focuses on an exchange between people. |
The small-talk lesson supplies opening questions and topics for putting this conversation language to use.
Mini Drill: Identify the Conversation
- Give the polite past of 이야기하다.
- Choose “with a friend”: 친구와 or 친구에 대해?
- Complete the conditional: 이야기____.
- Give the short present negative.
Show drill answers
- 이야기했어요.
- 친구와. 친구에 대해 means about a friend.
- 이야기하면.
- 이야기 안 해요.
Quick Self-Test
- Is 얘기 a separate unrelated noun?
- Does 친구에 대해 이야기해요 say the friend is present?
- Can 이야기하다 describe a serious discussion?
Show answers
- No. It is a shortened form of 이야기.
- No. It identifies the friend as the topic.
- Yes. The topic and situation establish the seriousness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 얘기하다 a Different Word?
No, it is the short form of 이야기하다 used in speech.
Which Particle Marks the Person I Talk With?
Use 와/과 or 하고, as in 친구와 이야기해요.
What Does the Noun 이야기 Mean?
It means a story or a talk.
How Do I Say I Talked with My Family Yesterday?
Say 어제 가족과 이야기했어요.
Which Words Are Related to 이야기하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Look at 말하다 next, then 대화하다 and 설명하다. Use 말씀하다 when referring respectfully to someone else’s speech. The pattern behind 이야기하다 is covered in how 하다 verbs become 해요; to check any other form, open the Korean verb conjugator, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.