Kkeulda Conjugation: 끌다 Meaning, Forms & Examples

Key Facts

• Hangul: 끌다 (kkeulda)
• Meaning: to drag
• Level: B2
• Stem: 끌
• Conjugation class: ㄹ-drop
• Polite present: 끌어요
• Object marking: transitive

What Does 끌다 Mean?

끌다 has a physical sense (가방을 끌다, pulling a bag) and a figurative one (관심을 끌다, drawing interest). Both take 을/를. The figurative sense turns up in news and reviews, and 시간을 끌다 means to drag things out or stall.

Both senses involve drawing something after you: a suitcase follows behind you, and attention follows a film. The abstract use is the harder part, which is why the word is listed at B2. Keep it apart from 끄다, which is for lights and devices.

How Do You Pronounce 끌다?

Start with a tense ㄲ, held tight with no puff of air. The ㄹ links to a following vowel: 끌어요 is read [끄러요] and 끌었어요 [끄러써요]. In the formal 끕니다 the ㄹ has dropped and ㅂ becomes ㅁ before ㄴ: [끔니다].

How Do You Use 끌다 in a Sentence?

The examples show a suitcase, a film that draws attention and a warning against stalling.

여행 가방을 is the suitcase, and the verb matches the physical pulling sense.

관심을 끌었어요 shows the figurative sense with 영화가 as subject.

With 시간 (time) as the object, 끌다 means stalling, and -면 안 돼요 turns it into a warning.

Useful Patterns with 끌다

In the abstract case the subject is the thing that attracts, such as a film, not the person who is interested. The ㄹ drop gives 끄는 and 끈 as modifiers, which are spelled exactly like the modifiers of 끄다, so the noun after them tells you which verb is meant.

How Does Kkeulda Conjugation Work?

끌다 is an ㄹ-drop verb: the ㄹ drops before ㅂ, ㄴ and ㅅ, giving 끕니다, 끄는, 끈 and the honorific 끄세요. Before other endings it stays: 끌어요, 끌면. ㄹ stems never add an extra vowel before -면, so the conditional is simply 끌면.

Sound Changes

Common Mistake

Wrong: ✗ 불을 끌어요

Correct: ✓ 불을 꺼요

Why: Turning off a light is 끄다 (꺼요), not 끌다. The two verbs sound close, and because of the ㄹ drop some of their forms are spelled the same, so learners mix them up.

How It Differs from Similar Words

Moving a Suitcase through the Station

Two travelers reach the stairs with a heavy suitcase. One has been pulling it along, and the other suggests carrying it on the next part of the route.

Mina

Alex

Mina

Alex

끌었어요 asks about the journey already completed. 끌어요 describes how the traveler moves the bag, and 끌면 sets the condition in a warning. 들다 changes the method: the suitcase is lifted rather than pulled along the ground.

What Do the Figurative Phrases Mean?

관심을 끌다 means to attract interest or attention. Literally, the subject “pulls” interest toward itself. A film, product or unusual event can be the subject. The interested audience does not have to be named. This is useful in reviews and news about something people have started discussing.

눈길을 끌다 means to catch the eye. 눈길 concerns where someone’s gaze goes, so the expression often highlights a striking appearance, display or detail. 관심을 끌다 is broader: an idea can attract interest even without a memorable visual feature. Neither phrase guarantees approval; something can attract attention because it is controversial.

시간을 끌다 means to stall or drag things out. Literally it presents time as something stretched or pulled along. The phrase commonly criticizes an unnecessary delay. It differs from simply saying that a task takes a long time: the focus is on delaying progress, often through someone’s behavior.

말을 끌다 means to draw out your words. It can describe speaking in a stretched or hesitant way. The object 말 points to speech rather than physical movement. As with 시간을 끌다, an English translation using only “drag” would leave out what the Korean phrase actually describes.

Where Will You Hear 끌다?

During travel, 가방을 끌다 describes pulling a suitcase or bag along. The bag may roll on wheels, so “drag” can sound rougher in English than the actual movement. If the speaker is carrying the bag off the ground, 들다 is the relevant neighboring verb.

In news and reviews, 관심을 끌다 and 눈길을 끌다 describe what gets noticed. The thing attracting attention is usually the subject, and attention takes 을/를. This arrangement is the reverse of English sentences that start with an interested viewer, such as “I’m interested in the film”.

In meetings or drama dialogue, 시간을 끌다 can suggest that somebody is deliberately delaying a decision. The existing warning 시간을 끌면 안 돼요 asks someone not to stall. The phrase can sound critical, so use it when delay is the point rather than as a neutral substitute for every slow activity.

Why Can 끄는 Belong to Two Different Verbs?

끌다 loses ㄹ before endings beginning with ㄴ, ㅂ or ㅅ. This gives 끄는, 끕니다 and 끄세요. 끄다, “turn off”, can produce these same spellings. A form ending in 는 therefore cannot identify the dictionary verb on its own; the object and the situation must supply the meaning.

In the polite present, the difference is visible again: 끌어요 means “pull along”, while 꺼요 means “turn off”. Use these two as a checkpoint when sorting the pair. A light or a device being switched off points to 끄다; a suitcase being pulled points to 끌다.

Keep ㄹ in 끌면, 끌고 and 끌어요. The future 끌 거예요 also keeps it and needs a space before 거예요. The short negative 안 끌어요 has a space after 안. These spellings preserve the verb’s identity in forms where a learner may otherwise remove ㄹ too widely.

당기다 focuses on pulling something toward you. 끌다 often describes pulling it along over a surface or making it follow. For a door marked “pull”, 당기다 is the useful verb to recognize; a wheeled suitcase is a natural setting for 끌다.

The travel vocabulary lesson supplies words for stations, luggage and journeys. The ㄹ-drop lesson explains the forms that overlap with 끄다.

Mini Drill: Where Does ㄹ Go?

1. Give the formal present of 끌다.
2. Give its present modifier.
3. Give its conditional form.
4. Choose the verb for switching off a light: 끌다 or 끄다.

Quick Self-Test

1. Does 관심을 끌다 necessarily mean people approve?
2. What does 시간을 끌다 mean?
3. Does 끄는 alone prove that the verb is 끄다?

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Tell 끌다 from 끄다?

끄다 is to turn off a light or device. 끌다 is to drag something or to attract attention. In the polite present they differ clearly: 꺼요 versus 끌어요.

Which Phrase with 끌다 Is Most Common?

관심을 끌다, to attract attention or interest, is the one you will meet most in news and reviews.

What Is the Opposite of 끌다?

밀다 (to push) is the opposite direction. 당기다 is a close neighbour that means pulling something toward you rather than dragging it behind.

Why Does 끄는 Look Like a Form of 끄다?

The ㄹ of 끌다 drops before ㄴ, so its modifier 끄는 is spelled the same as the modifier of 끄다. The noun that follows tells you which verb it is.

Which Words Are Related to 끌다?

• 밀다
• 당기다
• 끄다
• 들다

What Should You Learn Next?

Look at 끄다 to separate the pair, then 밀다 for the opposite direction. The ㄹ drop in 끕니다 and 끄는 is explained in Korean ㄹ irregular verbs. You can check other forms in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.