Key Facts
- Hangul: 지내다 (jinaeda)
- Meaning: to get by; to spend time
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 지내
- Conjugation class: Regular
- Grammar: Usually intransitive with an adverb (잘 지내요); with a role or event it takes 을/를 (회장을 지내다).
- Honorific polite: 지내세요
- Usage: Very common in greetings: 잘 지내요? and 잘 지냈어요? both ask how someone has been. The honorific is 지내세요, as in 잘 지내세요 when saying goodbye to an elder.
What Does 지내다 Mean?
- to get by; to spend time: Used for how someone lives or is doing over a period, as in 잘 지내요 (I am doing well).
- to hold a role: Used with a noun in the sense of serving in a position, e.g. 반장을 지내다 (to serve as class president).
Use 지내다 for how someone lives or fares over a stretch of time. That is why English "How are you?" often becomes 요즘 어떻게 지내요? in Korean. In this first sense the verb has no object and almost always carries an adverb such as 잘 (well) or 편하게 (comfortably).
The second sense is about roles. When the noun names a position, 지내다 takes 을/를 and means "to serve as": 반장을 지내다 is to serve as class president, and 회장을 지내다 is to serve as chairperson. The same 을/를 pattern lets you say how you spent a period, as in 주말을 지내다.
Which Set Phrases Use 지내다?
- 잘 지내요?: Asks how someone is doing these days. 잘 지냈어요? is the past version and asks how they have been.
- 잘 지내세요: A warm goodbye to an elder, using the honorific 지내세요.
- 편하게 지내세요: Make yourself at home; said to a guest who will stay for a while.
How Do You Pronounce 지내다?
지내다 is read as it is spelled. The sound changes belong to the endings. The past marker gives the tensed ㅆ, so 지냈어요 is [지내써요]. In the formal present 지냅니다, the ㅂ turns into an m sound before the ㄴ that follows, giving [지냄니다]. The future 지낼 거예요 is [지낼꺼예요], where the 거 is tensed.
How Do You Use 지내다 in a Sentence?
요즘 어떻게 지내요?
How are you getting along these days?
어떻게 (how) makes this a wh-question, so it needs no rising tone. The adverb is missing from the question and arrives in the answer: 잘 지내요.
저는 주말을 집에서 지냈어요.
I spent the weekend at home.
주말을 (the weekend) is the object of 지냈어요, and 집에서 names the place where the time was spent. This is the object-taking use of 지내다.
여기서 편하게 지내세요.
Please make yourself comfortable here.
여기서 means 'here', and 편하게 tells the guest how to behave. 지내세요 turns the verb into a polite, respectful invitation.
How Does Jinaeda Conjugation Work?
지내다 is a regular verb. Its stem 지내 already ends in the wide vowel ㅐ, so the 어 of the polite ending melts into it: the polite present is 지내요 and the past is 지냈어요. Formal 지냅니다 and the honorific 지내세요 attach to the whole stem.
지내다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 지내요 | ||
| Polite past | 지냈어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 지낼 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 지내겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 지냅니다 | ||
| Formal past | 지냈습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 지낼 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 지내 | ||
| Casual past | 지냈어 | ||
| Casual future | 지낼 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 지내고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 지내세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 지내서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 지내면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 지내는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 지낸 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 지낼 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 지내요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 지내지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 지냈어요 | [지내써요] |
| Polite future | 지낼 거예요 | [지낼꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 지내겠어요 | [지내게써요] |
| Formal present | 지냅니다 | [지냄니다] |
| Formal past | 지냈습니다 | [지낻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 지낼 것입니다 | [지낼꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 지냈어 | [지내써] |
| Casual future | 지낼 거야 | [지낼꺼야] |
| Long negative | 지내지 않아요 | [지내지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 지내다
Wrong: ✗ 잘지내요
Correct: ✓ 잘 지내요.
Why: 잘 is a separate adverb, so write a space: 잘 지내요. 잘지내다 is not one word. The same goes for other manner words, as in 편하게 지내세요.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 지내다?
| Word | How to tell it from 지내다 |
|---|---|
| 보내다 | 보내다 is to spend time or to send something, with the person as the doer of an action; 지내다 describes how one lives or fares over a period. |
| 살다 | 살다 means to live (reside or be alive); 지내다 means to get along or pass time in a place or state. |
Welcoming a Returning Guest
A guest returns to a host family's home after several months away. The host asks about the time apart, then invites the guest to settle in again.
Host
잘 지냈어요?
Jal jinaesseoyo?
Have you been well?
Guest
네, 잘 지내요.
Ne, jal jinaeyo.
Yes, I am doing well.
Host
여기서 편하게 지내세요.
Yeogiseo pyeonhage jinaeseyo.
Make yourself comfortable here.
The host uses past 지냈어요 to ask about the interval since the last meeting. The guest answers about their current situation with 지내요. The final 지내세요 is an invitation concerning the stay ahead, not a question about the guest's health.
Beyond the Greeting: Relationships and Biographies
친하게 지내다 means “to be close” or “to get along as friends.” It describes an ongoing relationship. The literal idea is spending time on friendly terms; it does not necessarily mean sharing a home. The person you are close to can be introduced with 와/과 or 하고.
혼자 지내다 means “to spend time alone” or “to live alone,” depending on context. 지내다 leaves the duration open. A visitor staying alone for a week and someone managing everyday life alone can both use the phrase. 살다 more directly answers a question about residence.
In profiles and news, 회장을 지내다 means “to serve as chairperson.” Here the object names an office held, so translating 지내다 as “get by” would miss the meaning. Look at the noun before the verb: a position suggests service in a role, while 잘 describes how someone is doing.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 요즘 | these days | Sets up a question about someone's current life. |
| 잘 | well | A separate adverb in 잘 지내요. |
| 편하게 | comfortably | Common when welcoming a guest. |
| 친하게 | on close terms | Describes the relationship between people. |
See Korean greetings for the phrases surrounding a reunion or farewell.
Mini Drill: Time, Respect and Spacing
- Ask politely how someone has been since your last meeting.
- Wish an older acquaintance well using the honorific form.
- Correct the spacing in 잘지내요.
- Give the present modifier of 지내다 before a noun.
Show reunion drill answers
- 잘 지냈어요?
- 잘 지내세요.
- 잘 지내요. 잘 remains separate.
- 지내는. This action verb takes 는, unlike a present adjective modifier.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 친하게 지내다 require two people to live together?
- What does 지내다 mean after a noun naming a chairperson's role?
- Does 혼자 지내다 always describe a permanent home arrangement?
Reveal the self-test answers
- No. It describes friendly relations.
- To serve in that role.
- No. The surrounding context supplies the duration.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Ask Someone How They Have Been?
Say 잘 지냈어요? with the past tense. 잘 지내요? asks how they are doing these days.
What Do I Say When I Part from an Older Person?
잘 지내세요, with the honorific 지내세요, wishes them well until you meet again.
Does 지내다 Take 을/를?
Yes, when the noun is a role or a stretch of time, as in 회장을 지내다 or 주말을 지냈어요. For faring well it takes an adverb instead.
How Is 지내다 Different from 살다?
살다 means to live, in the sense of residing or being alive. 지내다 means to get along or pass time in a place or state.
Which Words Are Related to 지내다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Pair 지내다 with 살다 for where and how you live, and with 보내다 when you are the one spending time or sending something. Try the greeting questions in your own words, then see how 쉬다 and 놀다 describe the time you spend. For the rule behind these forms, read how ㅐ and ㅔ stems take endings, then try another stem in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.