Jeonhwahada Conjugation: 전화하다 Meaning, Forms & Examples

Key Facts

• Hangul: 전화하다 (jeonhwahada)
• Meaning: to phone
• Part of speech: verb (동사)
• Level: A1
• Stem: 전화하
• Class: 하다 type
• Polite present: 전화해요
• Polite past: 전화했어요
• Formal present: 전화합니다
• Objects: intransitive

What Does 전화하다 (to phone) Mean?

• to phone. Call someone by phone: 친구에게 전화하다.

Particles and objects. The person called takes 에게/한테 (or 께 for respect): 친구에게 전화해요.

How Do You Pronounce 전화하다 (to phone)?

전화하다 (to phone) is read as written; Revised Romanization: jeonhwahada.

Sound changes (국립국어원 standard rules):

• 전화했어요 sounds like [전화해써요]
• 전화할 거예요 sounds like [전화할꺼예요]
• 전화하겠어요 sounds like [전화하게써요]
• 전화합니다 sounds like [전화함니다]
• 전화했습니다 sounds like [전화핻씀니다]

How Do You Use 전화하다 (to phone) in a Sentence?

Form shown: polite present (전화해요).

Form shown: polite past (전화했어요).

Form shown: polite future (plan) (전화할 거예요).

Jeonhwahada Conjugation: What Are the Forms of 전화하다 (to phone)?

Is 전화하다 (to phone) Regular or Irregular?

전화하다 follows the 하다 pattern: 하 + 여 contracts to 해, giving 전화해요 and 전화했어요. Lesson: 하다 to 해요. Tool: conjugator.

What Is the Most Common Mistake with 전화하다 (to phone)?

Wrong: ✗ 친구를 전화해요.

Correct: ✓ 친구에게 전화해요.

Why: The person called takes 에게/한테, not 을/를. English "call my friend" has a direct object, but in Korean you phone to someone, like sending something.

Related lesson: negating 하다 verbs.

How Is 전화하다 (to phone) Different from Similar Words?

Calling a Clinic before Closing Time

Two coworkers are discussing an appointment call. The question asks about a completed call, the reply gives a plan, and the next line urges action now.

Mina

Jisu

Mina

Jisu

병원에 marks the clinic as the destination of the call. For an individual, use 에게, 한테, or respectful 께. Once the clinic has been named, the replies simply use 전화하다. You can leave the destination out when both people know whom you mean.

Calling Someone Does Not Guarantee a Conversation

전화했어요 means that someone made a call. The other person may not have answered. 통화하다 means to talk on the phone, so it is useful when you need to say that a conversation actually took place.

The partner in a conversation can take 와/과 in 통화하다: 친구와 통화하다 means to talk with a friend on the phone. With 전화하다, 친구에게 identifies the person you call. The two particles follow the different roles: destination of the call and partner in the conversation.

연락하다 is broader still. A text, email, or phone call can all count as getting in touch. If a person specifically needs a spoken phone conversation, 전화하다 gives more precise information than 연락하다.

Everyday Phone Combinations

전화를 걸다 means to make or place a call. 걸다 has other meanings elsewhere, but this whole phrase concerns dialing or initiating the call. 전화하다 is a shorter way to express that same action.

전화를 받다 means to answer a call. The noun 전화 takes the object marker 를 here, because the call is what is received. A person who does not answer has not necessarily refused deliberately; they may simply be away from the phone.

전화를 끊다 means to end a call or hang up. It can describe an ordinary end to a conversation. Tone and context tell you whether someone finished politely or hung up abruptly.

다시 전화하다 means to call again. 부재중 전화 means a missed call, and 전화번호 means telephone number. On a phone screen, those nouns may appear without a full sentence. They identify a record or a number rather than instructing you to call.

Respect, Grammar, and Spacing

어머니께 전화해요 uses 께 to mark a respected person as the recipient. The ending 요 makes the sentence polite to the listener. Those are separate choices: you may be telling a coworker politely that you call your mother.

전화드리다 is a respectful way to say that you call someone senior. It presents your own action humbly. This is useful in a workplace when talking about a call you will make to a client or supervisor.

전화하다 is written as one verb. 전화를 하다 is also possible: 전화 is a separate noun with the object marker, followed by 하다. For the short negative, 전화 안 해요 puts 안 before 해요. Keep the spaces so the negative is easy to read.

The future phrase 전화할 거예요 also needs a space before 거예요. The ㄹ attaches to 전화하 to make 전화할; the following 거예요 stays separate. This is the form used for the lunch-break plan in the dialogue.

Where Will You See 전화하다?

Reservation instructions may ask you to call a restaurant, clinic, or office. A number followed by a calling instruction tells you the contact route; it does not promise an immediate answer. In everyday conversation, 도착하면 전화할 거예요 tells someone to expect a call after arrival.

The phone conversation lesson teaches openings, requests, and endings for a call.

Mini Drill: Place the Call Correctly

1. Add the person marker: 친구___ 전화해요.
2. Give the polite past of 전화하다.
3. Make the short negative with 안.
4. Give the planned future form.

Quick Self-Test

1. Does 전화했어요 guarantee that the other person answered?
2. Which phrase means to hang up?
3. Which is more specific to a phone call: 전화하다 or 연락하다?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 전화하다 Regular or Irregular?

It follows the 하다 pattern: 하 + 여 contracts to 해, so the polite present is 전화해요 and the polite past is 전화했어요.

How Do You Say "I Call My Mother Every Day" in Korean?

Say 저는 매일 어머니께 전화해요. 께 is the respectful form of 에게.

How Do You Make 전화하다 Negative?

There are two ways. The short form puts 안 between the noun and 해요: 전화 안 해요. The long form is 전화하지 않아요.

How Do I Say "I Want to Call"?

Use 전화하고 싶어요, with the person marked by 에게 or 한테.

Which Particle Marks the Person Called?

에게 or 한테, or 께 for someone you respect: 친구에게 전화해요.

What Is the Difference between 전화하다 and 연락하다?

연락하다 is getting in touch by any means, including texts; 전화하다 is specifically calling by phone.

Which Words Are Related to 전화하다 (to phone)?

• 연락하다
• 받다
• 보내다
• 이야기하다

What Should You Learn Next?

Next: 연락하다, or browse the verb dictionary.