Key Facts
- Hangul: 모이다 (moida)
- Meaning: to gather
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 모이
- Class: regular
- Objects: intransitive
- Honorific polite: 모이세요
What Does 모이다 Mean?
모이다 has two senses. The first is a group arriving at one spot, as in 사람들이 모이다. The second is accumulation: 돈이 모이다 means the savings pile grows. In both senses the thing that gathers is the subject and takes 이/가, and the verb has no object. The noun 모임, a meeting or get-together, comes from the same stem.
How Do You Pronounce 모이다?
The dictionary form is read as written, and so is the polite present 모여요. Other endings bring the usual sound changes: in the formal present 모입니다 the ㅂ becomes ㅁ before ㄴ, giving [모임니다], and in the past 모였어요 the ㅆ links to the next vowel, giving [모여써요].
How Do You Use 모이다 in a Sentence?
주말에 친구들이 우리 집에 모여요.
My friends gather at my house on weekends.
The gathering group, 친구들이, takes 이 and 우리 집에 names the spot. 주말에 (on weekends) shows it is a repeated event, so the polite present 모여요 fits.
학생들이 교실에 모였어요.
The students gathered in the classroom.
A past event: 학생들이 is the subject and 교실에 is the place. In the past 모였어요, the 이 of the stem and the vowel of the past ending contract to 였.
사람이 많이 모이면 시끄러워요.
When many people gather, it gets noisy.
사람이 많이 모이면 is a condition clause with 이 on the subject. The second half states a typical result, so the sentence reads as a general rule.
How Does Moida Conjugation Work?
모이다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 모여요 | ||
| Polite past | 모였어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 모일 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 모이겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 모입니다 | ||
| Formal past | 모였습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 모일 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 모여 | ||
| Casual past | 모였어 | ||
| Casual future | 모일 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 모이고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 모이세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 모여서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 모이면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 모이는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 모인 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 모일 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 모여요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 모이지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 모여요 | — |
| Polite past | 모였어요 | [모여써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 모일 거예요 | [모일꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 모이겠어요 | [모이게써요] |
| Formal present | 모입니다 | [모임니다] |
| Formal past | 모였습니다 | [모엳씀니다] |
| Formal future | 모일 것입니다 | [모일꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 모여 | — |
| Casual past | 모였어 | [모여써] |
| Casual future | 모일 거야 | [모일꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 모이고 싶어요 | [모이고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 모이세요 | — |
| Because / and then | 모여서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 모이면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 모이는 | — |
| Modifier, past | 모인 | — |
| Modifier, future | 모일 | — |
| Short negative | 안 모여요 | — |
| Long negative | 모이지 않아요 | [모이지 아나요] |
Is 모이다 Regular or Irregular?
모이다 is regular. The stem 모이 ends in ㅣ, and ㅣ + 어 contracts into ㅕ, so 모이 + 어요 becomes 모여요. Nothing is dropped or swapped; only the vowels merge. Compare 모이는 and 모인, where no contraction is needed. The same contraction is covered in how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense.
Common Mistake with 모이다
Wrong: ✗ 친구들을 모여요
Correct: ✓ 친구들이 모여요
Why: The common slip is to give 모이다 an object, as if it were 모으다. Because 모이다 is intransitive, the group is the subject with 이/가. To gather people on purpose, switch to 모으다.
모이다 Versus 모으다 and 만나다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 모으다 | 모으다 is to collect something yourself (it takes an object); 모이다 is what happens when things or people come together on their own. |
| 만나다 | 만나다 is to meet someone; 모이다 is for a group assembling in one place. |
Finding the Group before an Outing
Two classmates are checking the meeting point for a group outing. Some students have already arrived.
Yuna
어디에 모여요?
Eodie moyeoyo?
Where are we gathering?
Minho
학교 앞에 모여요.
Hakgyo ape moyeoyo.
We’re gathering in front of the school.
Yuna
친구들이 벌써 모였어요?
Chingudeuri beolsseo moyeosseoyo?
Have our friends already gathered?
Minho
네. 우리도 모여서 같이 가요.
Ne. Urido moyeoseo gachi gayo.
Yes. Let’s join them and go together.
The dialogue moves from the meeting arrangement, 모여요, to completed arrivals, 모였어요. The final 모여서 connects assembling with going together afterward. The verb can describe a planned event: using 모이다 does not mean that the gathering happened accidentally.
The Place, Time and People in a Gathering
학교 앞에 모이다 means to gather in front of the school. The phrase names the meeting point with 에. 앞, “front”, makes the location more precise than simply 학교, “school”. For a large building or station, that extra location word can prevent people waiting in different places.
한자리에 모이다 means to gather in one place. The focus is on everyone being together. It can describe relatives who usually live apart or colleagues brought into the same room. 한자리에 adds that shared-place emphasis without telling you why they assembled.
모여서 attaches “and then” or a connecting sense to the gathering. In the dialogue, the group assembles before leaving together. The next action belongs to the same practical plan. You can recognise 모여 inside the longer form rather than looking for a separate dictionary verb.
사람들이 모이다 says that people gather. 사람이 많이 모이다 says that many people gather. The second pattern can describe a busy festival or a crowd around a performance. Korean does not need the plural marker 들 every time the meaning involves more than one person.
What Gathers in News and Everyday Talk?
관심이 모이다 means that attention gathers or becomes focused. In news about an announcement, the subject may be 관심, “attention”, rather than people standing together. The same coming-together image explains the figurative meaning: many people's attention turns toward one topic.
의견이 모이다 can describe opinions converging toward a shared view. Compare 의견을 모으다, gathering opinions from people. The first focuses on convergence; the second focuses on collecting the contributions. Watch the particle and the verb together rather than translating both phrases simply as “gather opinions”.
돈이 모이다 describes money accumulating. It can concern personal savings or contributions from several people. The sentence alone does not say that the money appeared without effort. It places the growing total in the subject position and leaves the saving process in the background.
모이다, 만나다 and 모임
만나다 is useful when the central point is meeting someone. 모이다 highlights assembling as a group. Two friends arranging coffee may use 만나다; classmates gathering before a trip may use 모이다. The size of the group helps set the scene, but it is the speaker's focus that selects the verb.
모임 is a noun for a meeting, gathering or social group. It can refer to a get-together among friends, so it does not automatically mean a formal business meeting. In invitations and group messages, recognising 모임 helps you connect the event name with the action 모이다.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 모임 | gathering / get-together | Names the event or social group. |
| 장소 | place / location | Helps identify the meeting point. |
| 약속 | appointment / arrangement | Explains an agreed plan to meet. |
| 참석하다 | to attend | Says someone takes part in the event. |
The outdoor activities vocabulary lesson gives you useful words for group outings and the activities that follow the meeting.
Mini Drill: Gathering Grammar
- Choose the subject phrase: 친구들이 or 친구들을 모여요?
- Change 모여요 to the polite past.
- Give the conditional form of 모이다.
- Add the present modifier ending 는 to the stem 모이.
Show drill answers
- 친구들이 모여요. The gathering group is the subject.
- 모였어요.
- 모이면.
- 모이는. The stem keeps 이 before 는.
Quick Self-Test
- Can 모이다 describe an organised class outing?
- What does 관심이 모이다 describe?
- In 돈이 모이다, is money the subject or the object?
Show answers
- Yes. The verb focuses on the group assembling, even when someone planned it.
- Attention becoming focused on something.
- The subject, marked with 이.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does 모이다 Become 모여요?
The ㅣ of the stem and the 어 of the ending merge into ㅕ. This is a spelling contraction, not an irregular change.
Can Money Gather with 모이다?
Yes. 돈이 모이다 means money accumulates, with 돈 as the subject.
What Does 모임 Have to Do with 모이다?
모임 is the noun for a meeting or get-together, formed from the same stem.
Is 친구들을 모여요 Correct?
No. Say 친구들이 모여요 when they gather, or switch to 모으다 when you bring them together yourself.
Which Words Are Related to 모이다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Pair 모이다 with 모으다, then try 참석하다 (attend) and 초대하다 (invite), the verbs people use around a get-together. You can check other forms in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.