Key Facts
- Hangul: 지불하다 (jibulhada)
- Meaning: to pay
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 지불하
- Class: 하다 type
- Polite present: 지불해요
- Polite past: 지불했어요
- Formal present: 지불합니다
- Objects: transitive
What Does 지불하다 (to pay) Mean?
지불하다 means to pay money for a price, fee or bill: 요금을 지불하다 (to pay a fee). It belongs to formal Korean, so you meet it in notices, contracts and business settings more than between friends.
Particles. The fee or bill takes 을/를 (요금을 지불해요, I pay the fee), and the method of payment takes 로 (카드로, by card).
How Do You Pronounce 지불하다?
The dictionary form is romanized jibulhada and is read as written. In relaxed speech the ㅎ after ㄹ is often weakened, so it can sound close to jiburada; the careful pronunciation keeps the h.
Forms whose sound differs from the spelling:
- 지불했어요 sounds like [지불해써요]
- 지불할 거예요 sounds like [지불할꺼예요]
- 지불하겠어요 sounds like [지불하게써요]
- 지불합니다 sounds like [지불함니다]
- 지불했습니다 sounds like [지불핻씀니다]
How Do You Use 지불하다 in a Sentence?
카드로 요금을 지불해요.
I pay the fee by card.
요금 (fee, charge) is a typical object for this verb, and 카드로 adds the method: by card. 지불해요 is the polite present.
어제 집세를 지불했어요.
I paid the rent yesterday.
집세 is the rent for a home. 어제 (yesterday) goes with the polite past, 지불했어요.
먼저 지불하면 할인돼요.
If you pay first, you get a discount.
지불하면 is the 'if' form, so 먼저 지불하면 means 'if you pay first'. The result clause 할인돼요 means 'it is discounted'.
How Does Jibulhada Conjugation Work?
지불하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 지불해요 | ||
| Polite past | 지불했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 지불할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 지불하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 지불합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 지불했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 지불할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 지불해 | ||
| Casual past | 지불했어 | ||
| Casual future | 지불할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 지불하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 지불하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 지불해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 지불하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 지불하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 지불한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 지불할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 지불 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 지불하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 지불해요 | as written |
| Polite past | 지불했어요 | [지불해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 지불할 거예요 | [지불할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 지불하겠어요 | [지불하게써요] |
| Formal present | 지불합니다 | [지불함니다] |
| Formal past | 지불했습니다 | [지불핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 지불할 것입니다 | [지불할꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 지불해 | as written |
| Casual past | 지불했어 | [지불해써] |
| Casual future | 지불할 거야 | [지불할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 지불하고 싶어요 | [지불하고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 지불하세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 지불해서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 지불하면 | as written |
| Present modifier | 지불하는 | as written |
| Past modifier | 지불한 | as written |
| Future modifier | 지불할 | as written |
| Short negative | 지불 안 해요 | as written |
| Long negative | 지불하지 않아요 | [지불하지 아나요] |
Is 지불하다 Regular or Irregular?
지불하다 is a regular 하다 verb. Before endings that start with 아/어, 하 becomes 해 (지불해요, 지불했어요); before endings that start with a consonant it stays 하 (지불합니다, 지불하면). Lesson: 하다 to 해요. Tool: conjugator.
What Is the Most Common Mistake with 지불하다?
Wrong: ✗ 돈을 지불에요.
Correct: ✓ 돈을 지불해요.
Why: 지불에요 does not conjugate 지불하다. The verb follows the 하다 pattern, so its polite present is 지불해요. Keep the 하다 ending when you change this payment verb into a sentence.
Related lesson: negating 하다 verbs.
How Is 지불하다 Different from Similar Words?
| Word | How it differs from 지불하다 |
|---|---|
| 계산하다 | 계산하다 is paying at a counter; 지불하다 is more formal, for fees or bills. |
| 내다 | 내다 is a common spoken verb for paying; 지불하다 sounds more formal. |
Confirming Payment for a Course
A student is checking a course payment with an administrator. The setting suits 지불하다 because the conversation concerns a specified fee and deadline.
Course administrator
수강료를 지불했어요?
Sugangnyoreul jibulhaesseoyo?
Have you paid the course fee?
Student
아니요. 내일 지불할 거예요.
Aniyo. Naeil jibulhal geoyeyo.
No. I’ll pay tomorrow.
Course administrator
내일까지 지불하세요.
Naeilkkaji jibulhaseyo.
Please pay by tomorrow.
Student
네. 카드로 지불할 거예요.
Ne. Kadeuro jibulhal geoyeyo.
Okay. I’ll pay by card.
The first line checks whether payment has happened. The student’s future form instead describes a plan. 내일까지 means “by tomorrow”, so the administrator supplies a deadline. 카드로 names the method of payment; it does not tell you whether the charge has already gone through.
Money Paid, Payment Method, and Recipient
The object of 지불하다 can be a fee, a cost, or an amount of money. 비용을 지불하다 means to pay the cost, and 요금을 지불하다 means to pay a charge. The verb focuses on handing over money in return for something.
카드로 지불하다 and 현금으로 지불하다 mean to pay by card and in cash. 카드 ends in a vowel and takes 로; 현금 ends in a consonant and takes 으로. The method marker attaches to the payment method, while 을/를 marks the fee or amount.
If you mention who receives the money, that person can take 에게. Keep the recipient separate from the thing paid. The course administrator is a person, while 수강료 is the course fee. In a short exchange, the recipient is usually obvious and can be omitted.
이미 지불했어요 means “I already paid”. 이미 tells the listener that the payment happened before the present question or request. The word can be helpful when a reminder arrives after you have paid, without changing the verb’s past ending.
Common Combinations in Notices and Contracts
대금을 지불하다 means to pay the price or purchase amount. 대금 is common in business writing about goods or services. It is more specific than 돈, the general word for money.
추가 비용을 지불하다 means to pay an additional cost. Look for 추가 when reading terms for an extra service: it tells you that the cost is in addition to another charge. The verb itself does not tell you whether the fee was included in the original price.
대가를 지불하다 can mean to pay a price in a figurative sense. In a story about a bad decision, the “price” may be a harmful consequence rather than money. The noun 대가 and the wider situation make that meaning clear.
These combinations explain why 지불하다 appears in business and policy language. They specify what payment covers. In a restaurant, 계산하다 is more usual for settling the bill, while 돈을 내다 is a broad everyday expression for paying money.
What Makes 지불하다 Tricky?
The last ㄹ in 지불 belongs to the noun. The verb stem is 지불하, ending in 하. This is why the planned future is 지불할 거예요: you add ㄹ to 하, rather than treating the whole verb as a ㄹ-ending stem.
지불해요 is an action, while 지불 is a noun. A noun ending cannot replace the 해요 in the verb. Also, the sounds of 에요 and 해요 are not identical in careful speech: the ㅎ is part of 해요.
The modifier 지불한 can describe something already paid, as in 지불한 금액, “the amount paid”. 지불할 금액 means “the amount to pay”. This distinction helps you tell a completed payment record from an amount still due.
Words around a Payment
| Korean | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 수강료 | course fee | A common cost when registering for classes. |
| 현금 | cash | Use 현금으로 for the payment method. |
| 영수증 | receipt | A record you may receive after payment. |
| 환불 | refund | Money returned after an earlier payment. |
The money vocabulary lesson teaches payment methods and money terms together.
Mini Drill: Describe the Payment
- Give the polite past of 지불하다.
- Complete 현금___ 지불해요.
- Complete “the amount already paid”: ____ 금액.
- Give the long negative form.
Show drill answers
- 지불했어요.
- 현금으로 지불해요.
- 지불한 금액.
- 지불하지 않아요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 지불할 거예요 mean the money has already been paid?
- What does 추가 비용 mean?
- Can 대가를 지불하다 concern consequences rather than money?
Show answers
- No. It states a future plan.
- An additional cost.
- Yes. In a figurative use, it means to pay the price for something.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 지불하다 Regular or Irregular?
지불하다 is a regular 하다 verb: 하 becomes 해 before 아/어 endings, giving 지불해요 in the polite present and 지불했어요 in the polite past.
How Do You Say "I Pay the Fee by Card" in Korean?
Say 카드로 요금을 지불해요. 카드로 means 'by card', 요금을 is the fee, and 지불해요 is the polite present.
How Do You Make 지불하다 Negative?
There are two ways. The short form puts 안 before 해요: 지불 안 해요. The long form is 지불하지 않아요. Both mean 'I don't pay'.
Can You Say "I Want to Pay" with 지불하다?
Yes: 지불하고 싶어요. It is correct but formal. In a shop or restaurant, the everyday verb 계산하다 is more usual.
Which Particles Go with 지불하다?
The fee or bill takes 을/를 (요금을 지불해요), and the method of payment takes 로 (카드로 요금을 지불해요).
What Is the Difference between 지불하다 and 계산하다?
계산하다 is the everyday word for paying at a counter. 지불하다 is more formal and is used for fees, rent and bills, especially in writing.
Which Words Are Related to 지불하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next: 계산하다, the everyday word for paying at a counter, or browse the verb dictionary.