Key Facts
- Hangul: 먹다 (meokda)
- Meaning: to eat
- Level: A1
- Stem: 먹
- Class: regular
- Object marking: transitive
- Dictionary form sounds like: [먹따]
What Does 먹다 Mean?
먹다 is the everyday verb for eating. The core sense is putting food into the mouth, as in 밥을 먹다. Korean also uses it for taking medicine (약을 먹다) and for the way a person gathers years: 나이를 먹다 literally means to eat age, so it describes getting older.
Soup eaten with a spoon is usually 먹다 as well, so a bowl of soup is something you 먹다. English speakers sort verbs by 'eat' versus 'drink', but Korean leans on the kind of thing and how you take it: solids and spooned food go with 먹다, drinks go with 마시다. In casual speech 먹다 also stretches to drinks, as you will hear in phrases about water or alcohol.
Meaning in brief:
- to eat. Take food into the mouth; also used for taking medicine (약을 먹다) and for 'eating' age (나이를 먹다).
How Is 먹다 Used?
먹다 is transitive, and the food takes 을/를, as in 밥을 먹어요. The verb is for yourself or for people at your own level. When you talk about a person you must respect, the honorific verbs take over: 드시다 is the everyday polite choice, and 잡수시다 is more formal and a little old-fashioned. You can read more in the guide to Korean honorific verbs.
Because 먹다 is so frequent, you will hear its forms constantly in cafes, homes and restaurants. The related causative 먹이다 means to feed, a different verb with its own meaning, so keep the two apart.
Object marking. The food takes 을/를 (밥을 먹어요).
How Do You Pronounce 먹다?
먹다 is romanized meokda and pronounced [먹따]: after the final ㄱ, the ㄷ of 다 becomes tense. Before a vowel the ㄱ links over and is voiced, so 먹어요 sounds like [머거요]. Both vowels are ㅓ, an open, unrounded "uh".
Example Sentences
저는 아침에 빵을 먹어요.
I eat bread in the morning.
This is the polite present form. The time word 아침에 comes first, then the food with 을/를, and the verb closes the sentence in the polite present. A habit or a routine is exactly what 먹어요 is best at.
점심에 김밥을 먹었어요.
I ate gimbap for lunch.
This is the polite past form. Here 점심에 gives the meal and 먹었어요 puts the eating in the past. The past stem is 먹었, built from 먹 plus 었; the ending has 어 rather than 아 because the stem vowel ㅓ is not ㅏ or ㅗ.
오늘은 떡볶이를 먹고 싶어요.
I want to eat tteokbokki today.
This is the want to (polite) form. The pattern 먹고 싶어요 attaches the wish to the plain stem. Note that the food, 떡볶이를, still takes 을/를 even inside this want-to pattern.
Meokda Conjugation: What Are the Forms of 먹다?
The stem vowel ㅓ selects 어-endings, and because 먹 ends in a consonant nothing contracts, giving 먹어요 and 먹었어요. The formal ending also differs from vowel-stem verbs: consonant stems take 습니다, which is why you see 먹습니다 and not a form with ㅂ alone. The forms below are the same ones the conjugator produces.
먹다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 먹어요 | ||
| Polite past | 먹었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 먹을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 먹겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 먹습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 먹었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 먹을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 먹어 | ||
| Casual past | 먹었어 | ||
| Casual future | 먹을 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 먹고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 먹으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 먹어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 먹으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 먹는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 먹은 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 먹을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 먹어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 먹지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 먹어요 | [머거요] |
| Polite past | 먹었어요 | [머거써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 먹을 거예요 | [머글꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 먹겠어요 | [먹께써요] |
| Formal present | 먹습니다 | [먹씀니다] |
| Formal past | 먹었습니다 | [머걷씀니다] |
| Formal future | 먹을 것입니다 | [머글꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 먹어 | [머거] |
| Casual past | 먹었어 | [머거써] |
| Casual future | 먹을 거야 | [머글꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 먹고 싶어요 | [먹꼬 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 먹으세요 | [머그세요] |
| Because / and then | 먹어서 | [머거서] |
| If (conditional) | 먹으면 | [머그면] |
| Modifier, present | 먹는 | [멍는] |
| Modifier, past | 먹은 | [머근] |
| Modifier, future | 먹을 | [머글] |
| Short negative | 안 먹어요 | [안 머거요] |
| Long negative | 먹지 않아요 | [먹찌 아나요] |
Is 먹다 Regular or Irregular?
먹다 is a regular verb. The stem 먹 never changes shape, and the only choice is between 아 and 어 endings, which follows the last vowel of the stem. If you can conjugate 먹다, you have a model for hundreds of consonant-ending regular verbs.
Common Mistake with 먹다
Wrong (too plain for an elder): ✗ 할머니, 밥 먹으세요.
Correct: ✓ 할머니, 진지 드세요. / 밥 드세요.
Why: 먹으세요 is grammatical, but adding the honorific ending to the plain verb sounds flat for a person you should honour. For elders, swap the verb itself for 드시다 (드세요); the respectful noun 진지 for 'meal' makes 진지 드세요 even more polite.
Similar Words
| Word | How it differs from 먹다 |
|---|---|
| 마시다 | 먹다 is for solid food and soup eaten with a spoon; 마시다 is for drinks. |
| 드시다 | 드시다 is the honorific form of 먹다 for someone you respect; 먹다 is for yourself or equals. |
Choose by what is being taken in: 마시다 for liquid drinks, 먹다 for food and spooned soup. Choose 드시다 when the eater deserves respect.
Lunch with a Coworker
Two coworkers are deciding what to eat. The question uses the past, the answer expresses a wish, and the final line makes a suggestion.
Jisu
점심 먹었어요?
Jeomsim meogeosseoyo?
Have you had lunch?
Alex
아니요. 김밥을 먹고 싶어요.
Aniyo. Gimbabeul meokgo sipeoyo.
No. I want to eat gimbap.
Jisu
저도요. 같이 먹어요.
Jeodoyo. Gachi meogeoyo.
Me too. Let’s eat together.
같이 먹어요 uses the polite present as an invitation: “let’s eat together”. The situation makes it a suggestion rather than a report of a daily habit. 점심 먹었어요 leaves out the object marker in everyday conversation; the question still asks about having lunch.
Phrases You Will Hear around Meals
잘 먹겠습니다 is said before eating to express appreciation for the meal. 잘 먹었습니다 is said afterward to thank the person who provided it. Their literal wording concerns eating well, but their social purpose is gratitude. They do not require you to describe exactly how much you ate.
Remember the spacing in 먹고 싶어요 and 안 먹어요: the wish expression and the short negative are written separately. In 먹는, pronounced [멍는], the ㄱ changes in sound before ㄴ; the spelling still keeps 먹. Sound changes do not make 먹다 irregular.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 밥 | cooked rice / a meal | 밥을 먹다 can mean having a meal, even without focusing on rice. |
| 약 | medicine | 약을 먹다 means taking medicine. |
| 먹이다 | to feed | Someone feeds another person or an animal. |
See restaurant vocabulary for meal and ordering words.
Mini Drill: Choose the Eating Form
- Fill the blank for “I ate”: 먹____.
- Give the present modifier before a noun: 먹다 → ____.
- Say “I don’t eat” with the short negative.
- Choose the respectful verb when offering food to your grandmother: 먹다 or 드시다?
Show drill answers
- 먹었어요.
- 먹는. The spelling retains ㄱ even though the sound changes.
- 안 먹어요, with a space after 안.
- 드시다; the familiar invitation is 밥 드세요.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb is the usual careful choice for drinking water?
- Does adding 요 to 먹어요 automatically honor the person eating?
- What does 약을 먹다 mean?
Show answers
- 마시다.
- No. 요 makes the sentence polite to the listener; 드시다 honors the eater.
- To take medicine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Use 먹다 for Drinking Water?
In careful Korean, water and other drinks go with 마시다. In casual speech you will often hear 먹다 used for drinks too, and that is common rather than wrong. Medicine (약을 먹다) and soup eaten with a spoon normally use 먹다.
What Do I Say to an Older Person Who Is Eating?
Use the honorific verb 드시다, as in 밥 드세요. 잡수시다 is a more formal, old-fashioned option. Plain 먹으세요 is correct grammar but sounds too plain for an elder.
What Is the Formal Present of 먹다?
It is 먹습니다. Stems that end in a consonant take 습니다, which is why this form looks different from the formal present of vowel-ending verbs. News, announcements and business Korean use it.
How Do I Say That I Want to Eat Something?
Add 고 싶어요 to the stem to get 먹고 싶어요. The example 오늘은 떡볶이를 먹고 싶어요 shows the food keeping its 을/를 marker.
What Does 나이를 먹다 Mean?
It means to get older. The age is the thing that is 'eaten', so the object takes 을/를 like any food would. It is a fixed phrase, not a sign that the verb has two unrelated meanings.
Which Words Are Related to 먹다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 먹다 with 마시다 next, because the two are the most common pair in daily food talk. Then say the three example sentences aloud with the audio, and write one sentence about your own breakfast using 먹어요.
Class lesson: How to Conjugate Korean Verbs in the Present Tense. Tool: Korean verb conjugator.