Key Facts
- Hangul: 끝나다 (kkeunnada)
- Meaning: to end; to be over
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 끝나
- Class: regular
- Object marking: intransitive
What Does 끝나다 Mean?
- to end; to be over. Used for something coming to an end: 수업이 끝나다.
끝나다 means to end or be over: 수업이 끝나다 (class ends). It is intransitive, so what ends takes 이/가 and there is no object. The noun 끝 means end, and 끝난 후에 means after it ends.
To say you want to finish your own task, use 끝내고 싶어요. 끝나다 describes the event ending, so it does not express the same action.
Grammar. Takes 이/가 for what ends; it does not take an object.
Usage note. Very common. Collocations: 수업이 끝나다, 끝난 후에 (after it ends). The noun 끝 means end.
Compare the three examples: a timetable (수업이 세 시에), a finished event (회의가 끝났어요) and a forecast (일이 곧 끝날 거예요). In each, the thing that ends is the subject with 이/가 and the verb has no object. When a person completes something on purpose, the partner verb 끝내다 takes over.
How Do You Pronounce 끝나다?
The final ㅌ of 끝 is first neutralized to [ㄷ] and then nasalized to [ㄴ] before ㄴ: 끝나요 is read [끈나요], 끝났어요 is [끈나써요], and 끝납니다 is [끈남니다].
How Do You Use 끝나다 in a Sentence?
수업이 세 시에 끝나요.
Class ends at three.
A schedule: 세 시에 means at three.
회의가 끝났어요.
The meeting is over.
The past 끝났어요 says the meeting is already over.
일이 곧 끝날 거예요.
The work will be done soon.
곧 means soon, and 끝날 거예요 is a prediction.
How Does Kkeunnada Conjugation Work?
The stem 끝나 ends in a vowel, so it behaves like any regular verb: 끝나요, 끝났어요, 끝나서, 끝나면. The modifiers are 끝나는 and 끝난, the latter as in 끝난 후에.
끝나다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 끝나요 | ||
| Polite past | 끝났어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 끝날 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 끝나겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 끝납니다 | ||
| Formal past | 끝났습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 끝날 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 끝나 | ||
| Casual past | 끝났어 | ||
| Casual future | 끝날 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 끝나세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 끝나서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 끝나면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 끝나는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 끝난 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 끝날 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 끝나요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 끝나지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 끝나요 | [끈나요] |
| Polite past | 끝났어요 | [끈나써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 끝날 거예요 | [끈날꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 끝나겠어요 | [끈나게써요] |
| Formal present | 끝납니다 | [끈남니다] |
| Formal past | 끝났습니다 | [끈낟씀니다] |
| Formal future | 끝날 것입니다 | [끈날꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 끝나 | [끈나] |
| Casual past | 끝났어 | [끈나써] |
| Casual future | 끝날 거야 | [끈날꺼야] |
| Honorific polite | 끝나세요 | [끈나세요] |
| Because / and then | 끝나서 | [끈나서] |
| If (conditional) | 끝나면 | [끈나면] |
| Modifier, present | 끝나는 | [끈나는] |
| Modifier, past | 끝난 | [끈난] |
| Modifier, future | 끝날 | [끈날] |
| Negative, short | 안 끝나요 | [안 끈나요] |
| Negative, long | 끝나지 않아요 | [끈나지 아나요] |
The pattern for this verb is explained in polite present recipe.
Common Mistake with 끝나다
Wrong: ✗ 수업을 끝나요
Correct: ✓ 수업이 끝나요
Why: 끝나다 is intransitive, so the thing that ends takes 이/가.
English "end" can take an object ("end the class"), so learners add an object particle. 끝나다 cannot take one; if a person ends something, use 끝내다 instead.
끝나다 Versus Similar Verbs
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 끝내다 | 끝내다 is transitive: someone finishes something; 끝나다 is what happens by itself. |
| 시작하다 | 시작하다 is the opposite: to begin. |
Waiting for a Class to End
Two friends are arranging to meet outside a classroom. They check the finishing time before deciding when to leave.
Mina
수업이 언제 끝나요?
Sueobi eonje kkeunnayo?
When does class end?
Alex
곧 끝날 거예요.
Got kkeunnal geoyeyo.
It will end soon.
Mina
수업이 끝나면 같이 가요.
Sueobi kkeunnamyeon gachi gayo.
Let’s go together when class ends.
The first line asks about a schedule; the second predicts an ending soon. 끝나면 then makes the end of class the condition for leaving together. The friends do not need to repeat a person as the subject of 끝나다: 수업, the class, is what ends.
Expressions for Schedules and Endings
수업이 끝나다 and 회의가 끝나다 describe a class or meeting reaching its end. 방학이 끝나다 means a school vacation ends. The event or period takes 이/가. A person may decide the timetable, but the grammar still presents the event as the thing that comes to an end.
끝난 후에 means “after it ends” or “after it has ended.” The modifier 끝난 places the ending before the next action. It can refer to a future plan too: the ending will already be complete by the time the planned action happens. A past-looking modifier therefore does not force the whole conversation into yesterday.
끝나는 시간 means the finishing time. The present modifier 끝나는 identifies when an event ends, such as the time printed on a schedule. Compare it with 끝난 후에: one phrase identifies a time, while the other places an action after a completed event.
다 끝났어요 means “It is all over” or “Everything is finished.” 다 emphasizes completion. 아직 안 끝났어요 means “It is not over yet.” 아직 makes the unfinished state clear, and the negative says that the expected ending has not happened.
Where Will You Hear or See 끝나다?
Learners often hear 끝나다 when making plans around school, work or an appointment. A question about when something ends helps arrange a pickup, a meal or a meeting afterward. 끝나요 works for a scheduled ending even when that ending is later today; the time expression supplies the future reference.
A film or television story can also end. In conversation, 영화가 끝났어요 reports that the movie is over. It does not tell you whether someone stopped playback halfway through. Stopping an activity and reaching its normal ending are different events, so a translation such as “finished” needs context.
In a tense conversation, 끝났어 can mean “It’s over.” The same casual past form may concern a relationship, a chance or a plan rather than a lesson. The tone can feel final because the speaker presents the ending as already complete. With a teacher or coworker you address politely, 끝났어요 is the corresponding everyday polite form.
What Is Tricky about 끝나다?
끝나다 does not mean an event had no cause or organizer. A teacher can choose when a class ends, and 수업이 끝나요 remains natural. “Intransitive” only tells you that the verb has no direct object: the event goes with 이/가. Use 끝내다 when someone actively finishes a task or brings an event to an end.
The table’s 끝나세요 contains an honorific marker, but that does not make it the normal command for ending a class. A class is not a person to honor or instruct. For the beginner pattern here, choose the plain event subject and an appropriate tense: 수업이 끝나요 or 수업이 끝났어요.
Sound changes leave the spelling intact. Keep 끝 in 끝나다 even though you hear a nasal sound in [끈나다]. The middle vowel is also important: 끝나요 belongs to 끝나다; 끝내요 belongs to the partner 끝내다. Their particles and meanings change together.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 끝 | end | The noun inside the verb. |
| 시작 | beginning / start | The opposite boundary of an event. |
| 수업 | class / lesson | A common subject of 끝나다. |
| 회의 | meeting | Another event with a finishing time. |
See time expressions for the words you need to describe when events start and finish.
Mini Drill: Make the Event the Subject
- Choose the particle: 수업____ 끝나요.
- Change 끝나다 to the polite past.
- Give the conditional for “when it ends.”
- Complete “after it ends”: ____ 후에.
Show drill answers
- 수업이 끝나요.
- 끝났어요.
- 끝나면.
- 끝난 후에.
Quick Self-Test
- Must 끝나다 describe an event with no human organizer?
- Can 끝나요 describe a scheduled ending later today?
- Which verb fits “I finish the report”: 끝나다 or 끝내다?
Show answers
- No. It describes the event ending without taking a direct object.
- Yes, when the time or context makes that clear.
- 끝내다.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 끝나다 Take an Object?
No. The thing that ends takes 이/가: 수업이 끝나요. To finish something yourself, use 끝내다, which takes an object.
How Do I Say I Want to Finish a Task?
Use 끝내고 싶어요 for wanting to finish a task yourself. 끝내다 takes the task as its object; 끝나다 presents the event or task as coming to an end.
How Is 끝나요 Pronounced?
It is read [끈나요]. The final ㅌ of 끝 is nasalized to [ㄴ] before the ㄴ of 나.
What Does 끝난 후에 Mean?
It means "after it ends". The past modifier 끝난 comes before 후에 (after).
What Is the Transitive Partner of 끝나다?
끝내다: someone finishes something on purpose, so the thing finished is an object.
Which Words Are Related to 끝나다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 끝내다 for the transitive partner and 시작하다 for the opposite. Once 끝나다 feels familiar, compare it with other entries in the verb dictionary or check a form in the conjugator.