Key Facts
- Hangul: 마시다 (masida)
- Meaning: to drink
- Level: A1
- Stem: 마시
- Class: regular
- Object marking: transitive
What Does 마시다 Mean?
마시다 takes a liquid into the mouth, as in 물을 마시다. The same verb handles alcohol (술을 마시다), so a night out with beer and a quiet morning with coffee both use it. It is also used for breathing air in: 공기를 마시다 means to breathe in the air.
A handy shortcut: if you drink it straight from a cup or glass, use 마시다. That rule removes most of the confusion with 먹다, which covers solids, spooned soup and pills.
Meaning in brief:
- to drink. Take a liquid into the mouth, as in 물을 마시다; also used for drinking alcohol (술을 마시다) and breathing in (공기를 마시다).
How Is 마시다 Used?
마시다 is transitive, so the drink takes 을/를, as in 커피를 마셔요. The honorific is 드시다, which covers both eating and drinking, so one honorific verb replaces both 먹다 and 마시다 when you speak about someone you respect. Example: 물 드세요. See the honorific verb guide for more.
The stem 마시 ends in the vowel ㅣ, which contracts with the ending: everyday Korean says 마셔요, and the full form 마시어요 is rarely used.
How Do You Pronounce 마시다?
마시다 is romanized masida and read as written, [마시다]. The ㅅ before ㅣ sounds close to English "sh", so the middle syllable is nearer "shi" than "see".
Example Sentences
저는 아침에 커피를 마셔요.
I drink coffee in the morning.
This is the polite present form, used for a morning routine: the time 아침에, the drink 커피를, and 마셔요 at the end. Swap the drink to build new sentences at once.
어제 친구와 맥주를 마셨어요.
I drank beer with a friend yesterday.
This is the polite past form. The sentence adds a companion with 와 (친구와) and a different drink. 마셨어요 is the contracted past, with ㅕ standing for the merged vowels.
시원한 물을 마시고 싶어요.
I want to drink some cold water.
This is the want to (polite) form. 시원한 is a describing word placed before the noun, and 마시고 싶어요 expresses the wish. The pattern is the same one you would use with any verb stem.
Masida Conjugation: What Are the Forms of 마시다?
The stem 마시 plus the polite ending contracts: ㅣ and 어 fuse into ㅕ, giving 마셔요 and, in the past, 마셨어요. The same fusion happens in the casual forms 마셔 and 마셨어. The table below keeps every form together, and the brackets show how the stronger consonants are actually pronounced.
마시다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 마셔요 | ||
| Polite past | 마셨어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 마실 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 마시겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 마십니다 | ||
| Formal past | 마셨습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 마실 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 마셔 | ||
| Casual past | 마셨어 | ||
| Casual future | 마실 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 마시고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 마시세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 마셔서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 마시면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 마시는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 마신 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 마실 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 마셔요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 마시지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 마셔요 | - |
| Polite past | 마셨어요 | [마셔써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 마실 거예요 | [마실꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 마시겠어요 | [마시게써요] |
| Formal present | 마십니다 | [마심니다] |
| Formal past | 마셨습니다 | [마셛씀니다] |
| Formal future | 마실 것입니다 | [마실꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 마셔 | - |
| Casual past | 마셨어 | [마셔써] |
| Casual future | 마실 거야 | [마실꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 마시고 싶어요 | [마시고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 마시세요 | - |
| Because / and then | 마셔서 | - |
| If (conditional) | 마시면 | - |
| Modifier, present | 마시는 | - |
| Modifier, past | 마신 | - |
| Modifier, future | 마실 | - |
| Short negative | 안 마셔요 | - |
| Long negative | 마시지 않아요 | [마시지 아나요] |
Is 마시다 Regular or Irregular?
마시다 is a regular verb. Nothing is dropped and nothing is swapped; only the ordinary vowel contraction applies. The contracted form can look like a change at first, but it is the standard pattern for stems ending in ㅣ.
Common Mistake with 마시다
Wrong: ✗ 약을 마셔요 (for pills or tablets)
Correct: ✓ 약을 먹어요
Why: Pills and tablets are 'eaten' in Korean: 약을 먹다. Learners who have just learned that drinks use 마시다 often over-apply it to medicine taken with water. Liquid medicine can be drunk with 마시다, but tablets cannot.
Casual, not wrong: 물을 먹어요 for water is common in everyday speech. 물을 마셔요 is the neutral choice and the one to use in writing.
Similar Words
| Word | How it differs from 마시다 |
|---|---|
| 먹다 | 마시다 is for liquids; 먹다 is for solid food (and for soup eaten with a spoon). |
| 드시다 | 드시다 is the honorific that covers both eating and drinking; 마시다 is for yourself or equals. |
Liquids use 마시다; solids and soup eaten with a spoon use 먹다. For a respected person, 드시다 stands in for both.
Choosing Drinks at a Café
Two friends are deciding what to order. One has already had coffee today and chooses tea instead.
Jisu
뭐 마시고 싶어요?
Mwo masigo sipeoyo?
What would you like to drink?
Alex
아침에 커피를 마셨어요. 지금은 차를 마실 거예요.
Achime keopireul masyeosseoyo. Jigeumeun chareul masil geoyeyo.
I had coffee this morning. Now I will have tea.
Jisu
저도 차를 마시고 싶어요.
Jeodo chareul masigo sipeoyo.
I would like tea, too.
The past 마셨어요 explains the choice. 마실 거예요 announces the next drink, while 마시고 싶어요 expresses a wish. The dialogue names preferences between friends; an order to a server normally uses the drink name and 주세요.
Common Combinations with 마시다
한 잔 마시다 literally means “to drink one cup or glass”. The object may be coffee, tea, or alcohol, depending on the scene. In an evening invitation, 한잔 can refer to an alcoholic drink or a drinking occasion. Listen for the setting before assuming someone is offering coffee.
술을 마시다 means “to drink alcohol”. 술 is the general word for alcoholic drinks; 맥주 narrows the choice to beer. A person saying 술을 안 마셔요 may be describing a general habit or declining alcohol today. The occasion supplies the time frame.
물을 한 모금 마시다 means “to take a sip of water”. 모금 measures a mouthful or sip rather than a whole cup. This is useful when describing a small amount without suggesting that the speaker finished the drink.
Where Will You Hear 마시다?
At cafés, friends use 마시다 to discuss what they want before ordering. At home, 아침에 커피를 마셔요 describes a routine. In an exercise class, 공기를 마시다 refers to taking in air, so the object is essential for interpreting the action.
The honorific ending in 마시세요 can make an instruction polite. 드세요 is the familiar respectful alternative when offering someone a drink. For your own wish, keep 마시고 싶어요: using the honorific for yourself would raise the wrong person.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 음료 | beverage | A general category on menus. |
| 차 | tea | The café context distinguishes it from 차 meaning car. |
| 잔 | cup / glass counter | Counts servings of drinks. |
| 모금 | sip / mouthful | Describes an amount smaller than a cup. |
The drinks vocabulary lesson adds drink names for café conversations.
Mini Drill: Choose the Drink Form
- Change 마시다 to the polite present.
- Put it in the polite past.
- Write “I don't drink” with 안.
- Complete the future: ___ 거예요.
Show drinking drill answers
- 마셔요, with the vowel contraction.
- 마셨어요.
- 안 마셔요.
- 마실 거예요, with a space before 거예요.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 모금 measure?
- Does 한 잔 always refer to alcohol?
- Which verb is the usual choice for taking a tablet?
Show answers
- A sip or mouthful.
- No. It can refer to a cup or glass of another drink.
- 먹다: 약을 먹다.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It 마시다 or 먹다 for Soup?
Soup eaten with a spoon is usually 먹다. 마시다 is for liquids you drink straight, such as water, coffee or beer, and you may hear it when someone drinks broth from the bowl.
Why Is the Polite Form 마셔요 and Not 마시어요?
The vowels ㅣ and ㅓ contract into ㅕ. The full form 마시어요 is grammatical but rarely used, so learners should say 마셔요 and 마셨어요.
How Do I Offer Someone a Drink Politely?
Use the honorific 드시다, as in 물 드세요. It works for both eating and drinking, so one honorific serves for the whole table.
Can 마시다 Mean Anything besides Drinking?
Yes. It is also used for breathing in, as in 공기를 마시다 (to breathe in the air). The idea of taking something in carries over.
What Is the Want-to Form?
Add 고 싶어요 to the stem: 마시고 싶어요. The sentence 시원한 물을 마시고 싶어요 shows it in context.
Which Words Are Related to 마시다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Practise 마시다 together with its partner 먹다, then try the conjugator on both. Say each example with the audio, and change the drink in the first sentence three times.
Class lesson: How to Conjugate Korean Verbs in the Present Tense. Tool: Korean verb conjugator.