Key Facts
- Hangul: 내다 (naeda)
- Meaning: to pay; to put out, hand in; to make (a sound)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 내
- Class: regular
- Object marking: transitive
What Does 내다 Mean?
내다 has two main senses:
- to pay, hand in, put out: 돈을 내다 (to pay money), 숙제를 내다 (to hand in homework), 시간을 내다 (to make time).
- to make or show something from inside: 소리를 내다 (to make a sound), 화를 내다 (to get angry, to show anger).
How Is 내다 Used?
내다 is transitive. It is the everyday spoken word for paying, while 지불하다 is formal.
Object marking. Takes an object with 을/를: 돈을 내요.
How Do You Pronounce 내다?
내다 is romanized naeda. For most speakers of modern Seoul Korean the vowel ㅐ sounds the same as ㅔ (like the e in 'bed'), so 내요 sounds like ne-yo. The past forms link the double ㅆ into the next syllable: 냈어요 sounds like [내써요].
Example Sentences
제가 커피값을 내요.
I pay for the coffee.
Offering to pay for something specific: 커피값 is 'the price of the coffee', and 제가 (humble 'I') stresses who pays. 내요 is the polite present.
어제 숙제를 냈어요.
I handed in my homework yesterday.
The handing-in sense: you 'put out' your homework to the teacher. 냈어요 is the polite past, contracted from the stem 내 plus the past ending.
돈을 내면 들어갈 수 있어요.
If you pay, you can go in.
내면 is the 'if' form, so 돈을 내면 means 'if you pay'. 들어갈 수 있어요 means 'you can go in', the kind of line you hear at an entrance or ticket gate.
Naeda Conjugation: What Are the Forms of 내다?
내다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 내요 | ||
| Polite past | 냈어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 낼 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 내겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 냅니다 | ||
| Formal past | 냈습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 낼 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 내 | ||
| Casual past | 냈어 | ||
| Casual future | 낼 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 내고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 내세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 내서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 내면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 내는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 낸 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 낼 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 내요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 내지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 내요 | as written |
| Polite past | 냈어요 | [내써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 낼 거예요 | [낼꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 내겠어요 | [내게써요] |
| Formal present | 냅니다 | [냄니다] |
| Formal past | 냈습니다 | [낻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 낼 것입니다 | [낼꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 내 | as written |
| Casual past | 냈어 | [내써] |
| Casual future | 낼 거야 | [낼꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 내고 싶어요 | [내고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 내세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 내서 | as written |
| If (conditional) | 내면 | as written |
| Modifier, present | 내는 | as written |
| Modifier, past | 낸 | as written |
| Modifier, future | 낼 | as written |
| Short negative | 안 내요 | as written |
| Long negative | 내지 않아요 | [내지 아나요] |
Is 내다 Regular or Irregular?
내다 is regular. The stem 내 ends in the vowel ㅐ, so the 어 of 어요 drops out: 내요, and in the past 냈어요. Endings that start with a consonant attach directly: 냅니다, 내고 싶어요, 내세요.
Four Collocations to Remember
Four everyday phrases are built on 내다: 돈을 내다 (pay money), 화를 내다 (get angry), 시간을 내다 (make time) and 소리를 내다 (make a sound). The same verb carries a small idea behind all of them: something that was held inside or set aside comes out into the open. Money leaves your hand, anger leaves your mouth, and free time is carved out of a busy day.
The first sense and the second sense need different objects. Payment, homework and time are things you hand over, while sound and anger are things you emit. Related verbs show how the family grows: 화내다 is the one-word version of getting angry, 보내다 means to send, and 지불하다 and 계산하다 handle the formal and the bill-settling ends of payment.
Common Mistake with 내다
Wrong: ✗ 화를 하다.
Correct: ✓ 화를 내다.
Why: 하다 is the default 'do' verb, so learners attach it to 화 (anger). Korean pairs 화 with 내다 instead: 화를 내다, or the one-word verb 화내다, means to get angry at someone.
Similar Words
| Word | How it differs from 내다 |
|---|---|
| 계산하다 | 계산하다 is settling a bill at a counter; 내다 means handing over money, often a specific amount or your share. |
| 지불하다 | 지불하다 is formal and common in writing; 내다 is the everyday spoken word for paying. |
Taking Turns Paying for Coffee
Two coworkers have reached a café counter. Jisu remembers who paid yesterday and offers to cover today's coffee. Alex accepts and offers to pay next time.
Jisu
어제 커피값을 냈어요?
Eoje keopigapseul naesseoyo?
Did you pay for the coffee yesterday?
Alex
네, 제가 냈어요.
Ne, jega naesseoyo.
Yes, I paid.
Jisu
그럼 오늘은 제가 낼 거예요.
Geureom oneureun jega nael geoyeyo.
Then I’ll pay today.
Alex
고마워요. 다음에는 제가 내요.
Gomawoyo. Daeumeneun jega naeyo.
Thank you. Next time it’s on me.
제가 stresses who takes responsibility for the bill. 오늘은 contrasts today with yesterday, and 다음에는 moves the offer to next time. The final 내요 works as an offer about a future occasion because the time expression supplies that context; Korean does not always require a future ending.
More Phrases with 내다
용기를 내다 means to gather courage or be brave enough to act. The literal image is bringing courage out. The phrase fits someone deciding to speak up or try something frightening. It concerns making courage available for action, rather than giving courage to another person.
결정을 내다 means to make a decision. 결정 is a decision, so this object changes the English translation of 내다 again. Once you recognize the combination, a meeting report about a decision fits the same verb family as a café conversation about paying.
화를 내다 describes expressing anger. 화가 나다 describes becoming angry or feeling anger arise. The particles help show the difference: 화를 is an object with 내다, while 화가 is a subject with 나다. Someone can feel angry without showing it, so these phrases focus on different parts of the experience.
Where Will You Hear 내다?
At a restaurant or café, 내다 often appears when people decide who pays. The object can be the cost, such as 커피값, or the money itself. Once the bill is understood, 제가 내요 can stand without repeating the object. It identifies the payer.
At school, 숙제를 내다 needs context. A student can hand in homework, while a teacher can give or assign homework. The same object and verb occur on both sides of the exchange. Who is speaking and the surrounding sentence tell you whether the homework is being assigned or submitted.
In requests to meet, 시간을 내다 means to make time in a schedule. It does not mean sending time away. The person makes some time available for a purpose, such as a conversation or visit. This is why the phrase works even when no physical object changes hands.
Words for Paying and Handing Things In
| Korean | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 값 | price / cost | Appears inside 커피값, the cost of coffee. |
| 요금 | charge / fare | Used for services such as transport or phone use. |
| 숙제 | homework | Can be assigned or handed in with 내다. |
| 제출하다 | to submit | Makes the handing-in meaning explicit. |
The money vocabulary lesson teaches costs and payment words for everyday situations.
Mini Drill: Payment Forms
- Say “I paid” using 제가.
- Give the polite future plan of 내다.
- Give the formal present.
- Write the short negative “I don't pay.”
Show drill answers
- 제가 냈어요.
- 낼 거예요.
- 냅니다.
- 안 내요, with a space after 안.
내다 and 내리다 are different verbs. The short spelling 내 in the table belongs to 내다; it does not stand for every verb beginning with those letters. For payment, keep the stem 내 and choose the needed ending: 내요 for everyday polite speech or 냈어요 for a completed payment.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 용기를 내다 mean?
- Does 숙제를 내다 always describe a student's action?
- Which phrase focuses on showing anger: 화를 내다 or 화가 나다?
Show answers
- To gather courage or act courageously.
- No. A teacher can assign homework; a student can submit it.
- 화를 내다.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say 'Get Angry' with 내다?
Use 화를 내다, or the one-word verb 화내다. Do not use 하다 with 화.
What Is the Polite past of 내다?
It is 냈어요, pronounced [내써요]. The formal past is 냈습니다.
How Do I Say 'Make Time'?
Use 시간을 내다: you 'put out' time for someone.
Can 내다 Mean 'Make a Sound'?
Yes. 소리를 내다 means to make a sound, and 화를 내다 means to show anger.
Which Words Are Related to 내다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 지불하다 and 계산하다.
Class lesson: How to Conjugate Korean Verbs in the Present Tense. Tool: Korean verb conjugator.