Key Facts
- Hangul: 넣다 (neota)
- Meaning: to put in
- Level: A2
- Stem: 넣
- Class: regular
- Object marking: transitive
- Dictionary form sounds like: [너타]
What Does 넣다 Mean?
넣다 means to place something inside another thing. Typical examples are 가방에 책을 넣다 (put a book in a bag) and 커피에 설탕을 넣다 (put sugar in coffee). It also covers adding salt in cooking: 소금을 넣다.
The word is pronounced [너타]: the final ㅎ merges with the ㄷ of 다 into an aspirated ㅌ. Before a vowel the ㅎ is silent, so 넣어요 is read [너어요].
Meanings:
- to put in. Place something inside another thing, as in 가방에 책을 넣다 or 커피에 설탕을 넣다.
How Is 넣다 Used?
넣다 is transitive. The thing that goes in takes 을/를 and the container takes 에. A good test: the word after 에 is where the object ends up. The honorific is 넣으세요.
Cooking and packing are the natural homes for this verb, as the example with milk and the fridge suggests.
How Do You Pronounce 넣다?
넣다 is romanized neota. Learners often search for it as neotda, spelling out each letter, but Revised Romanization follows the sound, and ㅎ plus ㄷ is heard as t. It is pronounced [너타].
Example Sentences
저는 가방에 책을 넣어요.
I put the book in my bag.
This is the polite present form. 가방에 marks the container and 책을 the thing. The order container, thing, verb is typical.
커피에 설탕을 넣었어요.
I put sugar in the coffee.
This is the polite past form. The coffee is the container here, and the sugar the thing. 넣었어요 is the polite past.
냉장고에 우유를 넣을 거예요.
I will put the milk in the fridge.
This is the polite future (plan) form. 넣을 거예요 is the polite future. The milk goes in the fridge, again with 에.
Neotda Conjugation: What Are the Forms of 넣다?
넣다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 넣어요 | ||
| Polite past | 넣었어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 넣을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 넣겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 넣습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 넣었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 넣을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 넣어 | ||
| Casual past | 넣었어 | ||
| Casual future | 넣을 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 넣고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 넣으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 넣어서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 넣으면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 넣는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 넣은 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 넣을 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 넣어요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 넣지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 넣어요 | [너어요] |
| Polite past | 넣었어요 | [너어써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 넣을 거예요 | [너을꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 넣겠어요 | [너케써요] |
| Formal present | 넣습니다 | [너씀니다] |
| Formal past | 넣었습니다 | [너얻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 넣을 것입니다 | [너을꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 넣어 | [너어] |
| Casual past | 넣었어 | [너어써] |
| Casual future | 넣을 거야 | [너을꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 넣고 싶어요 | [너코 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 넣으세요 | [너으세요] |
| Because / and then | 넣어서 | [너어서] |
| If (conditional) | 넣으면 | [너으면] |
| Modifier, present | 넣는 | [넌는] |
| Modifier, past | 넣은 | [너은] |
| Modifier, future | 넣을 | [너을] |
| Short negative | 안 넣어요 | [안 너어요] |
| Long negative | 넣지 않아요 | [너치 아나요] |
Is 넣다 Regular or Irregular?
넣다 is regular, even though its final ㅎ looks like the ㅎ of the ㅎ-irregular adjectives. Verbs whose stem ends in ㅎ, such as 넣다 and 놓다, are regular; the ㅎ-irregular pattern belongs to adjectives, mostly color words. The irregular look-alikes lesson explains why 넣어요 stays unchanged.
Common Mistake with 넣다
Wrong: ✗ 가방을 책을 넣어요
Correct: ✓ 가방에 책을 넣어요
Why: The container takes 에; only the thing being put in takes 을/를. 가방을 책을 넣어요 gives the sentence two objects, which does not work here.
Similar Words
| Word | How it differs from 넣다 |
|---|---|
| 빼다 | 넣다 is to put in; 빼다 is to take out. |
| 담다 | 넣다 is to put something inside; 담다 is to put food or items into a container, often on a dish or in a bowl. |
넣다 and 빼다 are a natural pair when you adjust a recipe: 소금을 넣다 adds salt, and the reverse takes something out.
Packing a Bag before Leaving
Two housemates are packing for a day out. Jisu asks about a wallet, and Alex explains what is already packed and what still needs to go in the bag.
Jisu
가방에 지갑을 넣었어요?
Gabange jigabeul neoeosseoyo?
Did you put your wallet in the bag?
Alex
네, 넣었어요. 우산도 넣을 거예요.
Ne, neoeosseoyo. Usando neoeul geoyeyo.
Yes, I did. I’ll put an umbrella in too.
Jisu
그럼 이 물병도 넣으세요.
Geureom i mulbyeongdo neoeuseyo.
Then put this water bottle in too.
가방에 identifies the destination and 지갑을 identifies the object. The reply can omit both because they are already understood. 도 means “too,” so the umbrella and bottle join the things already packed. 넣었어요 confirms a completed action; 넣을 거예요 leaves the umbrella as a plan.
Useful Combinations beyond Packing
설탕을 넣다 means to add sugar, as in the coffee example above. Recipes also use 소금을 넣다, “add salt.” English often chooses “add,” while Korean uses the same verb as putting an object in a bag. The mixture or dish acts as the destination.
주머니에 손을 넣다 means to put your hand in a pocket. 주머니 takes 에, just as 가방 does. This phrase is useful in descriptions of posture or movement. The verb tells you that the hand goes inside, rather than simply resting on top of something.
바람을 넣다 means to pump air into something, such as a tire or ball. 바람 often means wind, but here it is the air going inside. The combination shows that the object of 넣다 does not have to be a solid thing you can hold.
Where Will You Hear or See 넣다?
Cooking videos use 넣다 when ingredients go into a bowl, pan or mixture. A full sentence may name both ingredient and destination. Once the bowl is visible, the speaker can leave the destination out. This explains why a short cooking instruction can remain clear without repeating the container.
Packing conversations use the same pattern for a bag, pocket or refrigerator. A destination marked by 에 answers “where does it go?” The place where you perform the action is a different role. In “put a book in a bag,” the bag receives the book; it is more than the general location of the activity.
At a machine, 넣으세요 can ask you to insert something. The object might be a card or a coin, depending on the machine. The 시 ending makes the instruction polite. It does not change the central meaning of moving an object into a space.
Words for Containers and Contents
| Korean | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 가방 | bag | A destination marked by 에. |
| 주머니 | Another enclosed place something goes into. | |
| 냉장고 | refrigerator | A common destination for food and drinks. |
| 물병 | water bottle | Can be something packed inside a bag. |
The everyday objects lesson introduces more items you may put away or carry.
Mini Drill: Preserve the Written ㅎ
- Give the polite present of 넣다.
- Give the polite past.
- Give the polite instruction form.
- Complete the particles: 가방__ 책__ 넣어요.
Show drill answers
- 넣어요.
- 넣었어요.
- 넣으세요.
- 가방에 책을 넣어요.
The ㅎ becomes silent before a vowel in pronunciation, but it remains in the spelling of 넣어요 and 넣으세요. Before the consonant in 넣고, it combines with ㄱ to produce an aspirated sound. These sound changes explain why listening and spelling can feel different without turning 넣다 into an irregular verb.
Quick Self-Test
- Which particle marks the destination in 가방에 책을 넣어요?
- What English verb often translates 넣다 in a recipe?
- Do you delete the written ㅎ in 넣어요 because you cannot hear it?
Show answers
- 에.
- “Add,” as when adding sugar or salt.
- No. The spelling keeps ㅎ.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Is 넣다 Pronounced?
It is [너타]: the final ㅎ merges with the ㄷ of 다 into an aspirated ㅌ. Before a vowel the ㅎ is silent, as in 넣어요 [너어요].
Is 넣다 an Irregular ㅎ Verb?
No. It is regular, so the polite present is 넣어요 and the past is 넣었어요.
Which Particle Marks the Container?
Use 에. 가방에 책을 넣어요 shows it.
Is 넣다 the Same as 놓다?
No. 넣다 puts something inside, and 놓다 puts it on a surface.
Which Words Are Related to 넣다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 놓다 next, since 넣다 and 놓다 are easy to swap by mistake, then 빼다 for the reverse.
Class lesson: Regular Korean Verbs That Look Irregular. Tool: Korean verb conjugator.