Mitda Conjugation: 믿다 Meaning, Forms & Examples

Key Facts

• Hangul: 믿다 (mitda)
• Meaning: to believe
• Level: A2
• Stem: 믿
• Class: regular
• Object marking: transitive
• Dictionary form sounds like: [믿따]

What Does 믿다 Mean?

• to believe; to trust. Used for believing a statement or trusting a person: 친구를 믿다 (to trust a friend), 그 말을 믿다 (to believe those words).

The noun 믿음 means trust or faith, and the phrase 믿을 수 없다 means 'cannot be believed' or 'unbelievable'.

How Is 믿다 Used?

믿다 is transitive: the person or statement takes 을/를. Common combinations are 말을 믿다 (to believe what someone says), 사람을 믿다 (to trust a person) and 믿을 수 없다 (unbelievable).

How Do You Pronounce 믿다?

믿다 is romanized mitda and pronounced [믿따]: the final ㄷ makes the next ㄷ tense. Before a vowel the ㄷ moves into the next syllable, so 믿어요 is read [미더요]. Before ㄴ it becomes [ㄴ]: 믿는 is read [민는].

Example Sentences

This is the polite present form. The person trusted, 친구, takes 를.

This is the polite past form, describing a story you believed at some point in the past.

This is the long negative form. 믿지 않아요 rejects a claim, here a rumor (소문).

Mitda Conjugation: What Are the Forms of 믿다?

Is 믿다 Regular or Irregular?

믿다 is regular. Its stem ends in ㄷ, which may suggest the ㄷ-irregular class, but only some ㄷ verbs are irregular, and 믿다 keeps its ㄷ before a vowel: 믿어요, 믿었어요. See the look-alike lesson.

Believing a Story Versus Trusting a Person

믿다 covers two things English separates. With a statement, as in 그 말을 믿다 or 그 이야기를 믿었어요, it means accepting that something is true. With a person, as in 친구를 믿다, it means trust. The grammar is identical: the thing or the person takes 을/를.

The negative forms are especially useful. 믿을 수 없다 means something cannot be believed, and 믿지 않아요 rejects a claim such as a rumor. Compare 알다: knowing a fact needs no leap of faith, but 믿다 accepts something without proof. 생각하다 is weaker again, because it only holds an opinion. Choose by how much commitment the speaker is making.

Common Mistake with 믿다

Wrong: ✗ 친구에게 믿어요

Correct: ✓ 친구를 믿어요

Why: English 'believe in' or 'trust in' leads learners to add 에게/한테. 믿다 takes the person you trust as a direct object, with 을/를.

Similar Words

Checking a Rumor with a Friend

Two friends are discussing a rumor about their school. Jisu is surprised that Alex accepted it. Alex now distinguishes believing the story from trusting the friend who is correcting it.

Jisu

Alex

Jisu

Alex

The object changes from 소문, the rumor, to 지수 씨, the person trusted. English chooses “believe” or “trust,” while Korean keeps 믿다. The last line uses a name with 씨 instead of automatically translating English “you” as 당신, which can sound awkward in this friendly exchange.

Phrases for Confidence and Disbelief

믿을 수 없다 means “cannot believe” or “unbelievable.” It can express surprise at wonderful news as well as doubt about a claim. The words alone do not tell you whether the speaker is delighted or suspicious; the event and tone supply that difference.

자신을 믿다 means to believe in yourself. 자신 takes 을 because it is the object of 믿다. You may meet this phrase in encouragement before an exam, performance or difficult decision. It concerns confidence in your own ability rather than deciding whether a rumor is true.

믿고 맡기다 means to trust someone and leave something in their care. 맡기다 adds the action of entrusting a task, object or responsibility. 믿다 by itself expresses trust; the longer phrase tells you that the trust leads to giving someone responsibility.

Where Will You Hear 믿다?

In dramas, 믿어요 can reassure someone who is worried about being doubted. When the person is clear from the scene, the object can disappear. The same short sentence can mean “I believe you” or “I trust you,” so the surrounding conversation matters more than finding a separate Korean word for each English version.

믿습니다 is common in formal statements of confidence or faith. The 습니다 ending makes the delivery formal; it does not automatically make the belief stronger than 믿어요. A friend speaking quietly may express complete trust with the everyday polite form.

In religious writing, 믿음 often means faith. In a friendship or working relationship, it may mean trust. The noun belongs to the same family as 믿다, and the topic identifies what kind of belief is meant.

Words for Trust and Claims

The emotions vocabulary lesson provides related words for describing how people feel in these conversations.

안 믿어요 rejects a belief; 믿고 싶어요 expresses wanting to believe. A person can want a hopeful story to be true while still doubting it. The wish form therefore leaves room for uncertainty.

Mini Drill: Keep ㄷ in the Spelling

1. Give the polite present of 믿다.
2. Give the conditional meaning “if someone believes.”
3. Add 는 to describe someone who believes.
4. Correct the particle in the labelled mistake: Wrong: 친구에게 믿어요.

믿다 keeps ㄷ before vowel endings, unlike ㄷ-irregular verbs such as 묻다 “ask.” Hearing a linked consonant in 믿어요 is a pronunciation change, not a new spelling. The present modifier 믿는 also keeps the original stem on the page.

Quick Self-Test

1. Does 믿을 수 없다 always express suspicion?
2. Which particle marks the person trusted?
3. Does 믿습니다 automatically express stronger belief than 믿어요?

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Say 'I Trust You'?

Use 믿어요 with the person marked by 을/를. For example, 저는 친구를 믿어요 means 'I trust my friend'.

Is 믿다 a ㄷ-Irregular Verb?

No. It is regular, so the ㄷ stays before a vowel: 믿어요, 믿었어요.

What Is 믿음?

믿음 is the noun formed from 믿다. It means trust or faith.

How Is 믿다 Pronounced?

It is pronounced [믿따]. The polite present 믿어요 is read [미더요].

Which Words Are Related to 믿다?

• 생각하다 (saenggakada)
• 알다 (alda)
• 이해하다 (ihaehada)
• 기억하다 (gieokada)

What Should You Learn Next?

Compare 생각하다 and 알다, then 이해하다, or browse the Korean verb dictionary.

Class lesson: Regular Korean Verbs That Look Irregular. Tool: Korean verb conjugator.