Key Facts
- Hangul: 빼다 (ppaeda)
- Meaning: to take out; to subtract; to lose (weight)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 빼
- Class: regular
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific polite: 빼세요
What Does 빼다 Mean?
빼다 has two senses. The first is to take out or to subtract: pull something out, leave it out, or in math subtract, as in 10에서 3을 빼다. The second is to lose weight on purpose when it is paired with 살, as in 살을 빼다.
Meanings:
- to take out; to subtract. Used for pulling something out or leaving it out, and in math for subtracting: 10에서 3을 빼다.
- to lose (weight). With 살, it means to lose weight on purpose: 살을 빼다.
The verb is transitive, so what is removed takes 을/를, and the place it comes out of often takes 에서. Typical collocations are 살을 빼다 (lose weight), 이름을 빼다 (leave a name out) and the noun 빼기 (subtraction).
How Do You Pronounce 빼다?
The past 뺐어요 is read [빼써요], with the ㅆ moving across to the next syllable, and the dictionary form 빼다 is read as written. The initial ㅃ is a tense consonant, spoken with no puff of air.
How the forms sound:
- 뺐어요 [빼써요]
- 뺄 거예요 [뺄꺼예요]
- 빼겠어요 [빼게써요]
- 뺍니다 [뺌니다]
- 뺐습니다 [뺃씀니다]
- 뺄 것입니다 [뺄꺼심니다]
- 뺐어 [빼써]
- 뺄 거야 [뺄꺼야]
- 빼고 싶어요 [빼고 시퍼요]
- 빼지 않아요 [빼지 아나요]
How Do You Use 빼다 in a Sentence?
가방에서 책을 뺐어요.
I took the book out of the bag.
가방에서 marks where the book came from, 책을 marks the thing removed, and 뺐어요 is the past. The source particle 에서 is the natural partner of this verb. (뺐어요)
10에서 3을 빼면 7이에요.
If you subtract 3 from 10, it is 7.
The conditional 빼면 turns the arithmetic into an if clause. 10에서 3을 shows the pattern: the starting number, then the amount removed as the object. (빼면)
저는 살을 빼고 싶어요.
I want to lose weight.
살을 is the object, and 빼고 싶어요 is the want-to form. The sentence describes a deliberate wish, which matches the sense of intentional weight loss. (빼고 싶어요)
How Does Ppaeda Conjugation Work?
빼다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 빼요 | ||
| Polite past | 뺐어요 | ||
| Polite future | 뺄 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 빼겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 뺍니다 | ||
| Formal past | 뺐습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 뺄 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 빼 | ||
| Casual past | 뺐어 | ||
| Casual future | 뺄 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 빼고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 빼세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 빼서 | ||
| Conditional | 빼면 | ||
| Present modifier | 빼는 | ||
| Past modifier | 뺀 | ||
| Future modifier | 뺄 | ||
| Short negative | 안 빼요 | ||
| Long negative | 빼지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 빼요 | as written |
| Polite past | 뺐어요 | [빼써요] |
| Polite future | 뺄 거예요 | [뺄꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 빼겠어요 | [빼게써요] |
| Formal present | 뺍니다 | [뺌니다] |
| Formal past | 뺐습니다 | [뺃씀니다] |
| Formal future | 뺄 것입니다 | [뺄꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 빼 | as written |
| Casual past | 뺐어 | [빼써] |
| Casual future | 뺄 거야 | [뺄꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 빼고 싶어요 | [빼고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 빼세요 | as written |
| Because / and then | 빼서 | as written |
| Conditional | 빼면 | as written |
| Present modifier | 빼는 | as written |
| Past modifier | 뺀 | as written |
| Future modifier | 뺄 | as written |
| Short negative | 안 빼요 | as written |
| Long negative | 빼지 않아요 | [빼지 아나요] |
Is 빼다 Regular or Irregular?
빼다 is regular. The stem 빼 ends in the vowel ㅐ, so the ending 어 merges into it and nothing is added, as in 빼요. The past 뺐어요 is the stem plus a final ㅆ. See the polite present recipe for the pattern.
Which Mistake Do Learners Make with 빼다, to Take out/Subtract?
Wrong: ✗ 살이 빼요
Correct: ✓ 살을 빼요 / 살이 빠져요
Why: 빼다 is transitive and needs 을/를; with 이/가 you need the intransitive 빠지다.
Learners mix up the two Korean patterns and produce 살이 빼요. 빼다 needs someone doing the removing and an object with 을/를: 살을 빼요. To describe the change in weight rather than someone’s action, use the intransitive partner: 살이 빠져요.
How Does 빼다, to Take out/Subtract, Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 넣다 | 넣다 is the opposite: to put something in. 빼다 takes something out or leaves it out, and the two often appear together when adjusting a recipe or a list. |
| 빠지다 | 빠지다 is the intransitive partner. Something falls out, is missing or decreases, as in 살이 빠지다, while 빼다 presents someone doing the removing. |
Ordering a Sandwich without Onion
A customer asks about an ingredient at a sandwich counter. The worker checks whether to omit cheese too, and the customer limits the request to onion. 빼다 can describe omitting an ingredient before it is added, as well as physically removing it afterward.
Customer
양파를 빼 주세요.
Yangpareul ppae juseyo.
Please leave out the onion.
Worker
네. 치즈도 빼요?
Ne. Chijeudo ppaeyo?
Sure. Shall I leave out the cheese too?
Customer
아니요. 양파만 빼요.
Aniyo. Yangpaman ppaeyo.
No. Just leave out the onion.
Worker
네. 양파만 뺐어요.
Ne. Yangpaman ppaesseoyo.
Okay. I left out just the onion.
만 means “only”, so 양파만 limits the change to onion. 빼 주세요 makes the request, 빼요 checks and confirms the choice, and 뺐어요 reports the completed order. These forms all keep the tense initial ㅃ. Write a space between 빼 and 주세요.
Removal beyond Taking Things out of Bags
이름을 빼다 means to remove or omit a name. On a participant list, the name disappears from the group being counted. Nothing needs to be physically pulled out: 빼다 works for information as well as objects.
힘을 빼다 literally suggests taking out strength. In an exercise or movement instruction it often means relaxing unnecessary tension. A coach may want a looser shoulder or grip, rather than less effort throughout the whole activity. The body part and the demonstrated movement help explain the instruction.
시간을 빼다 means to make time available, often by freeing a slot in a schedule. The time is being set aside for something else. This use belongs in plans and requests, rather than arithmetic, even though the same verb can mean subtract.
Where Will You Meet 빼다?
At a food counter, 빼다 helps discuss an ingredient you want omitted. In a spreadsheet or meeting, it can concern removing a name, item or cost from a total. Read the object first: it tells you what kind of removal is involved.
In arithmetic, 에서 marks the starting number, not necessarily the larger number. The pattern also works when subtraction gives a negative result. In the existing example, ten happens to be larger than three; size is not what determines the particle.
When discussing weight, 살을 빼다 describes losing weight, while 살이 빠지다 presents the change in weight. The second expression does not tell you whether the change was intentional. Intent and cause come from the wider conversation, not from the subject marker alone.
A Short Stem with Several Endings
빼요 keeps the vowel ㅐ, and 뺐어요 adds the past ㅆ within the first syllable. The future 뺄 거예요 adds ㄹ and needs a space before 거예요. In 뺍니다, ㅂ belongs to the ending; it is not an irregular consonant that disappears from the dictionary stem.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 넣다 | to put in | The reverse direction when adjusting ingredients. |
| 제외하다 | to exclude | Useful in written rules and formal lists. |
| 빼기 | subtraction; minus | A noun or operation label in arithmetic. |
| 더하기 | addition; plus | The contrasting arithmetic operation. |
The math terms lesson teaches the operation names used alongside 빼기.
Mini Drill: What Is Being Removed?
- Give the polite past of 빼다.
- Complete “lose weight” with an object marker: 살____ 빼다.
- Give the polite future with 거예요.
- In subtraction, which marker follows the starting number?
Show drill answers
- 뺐어요.
- 살을 빼다.
- 뺄 거예요.
- 에서, as in 10에서 3을 빼다.
Quick Self-Test
- Must onion already be in a sandwich for 빼다 to apply?
- Does 살이 빠지다 always mean accidental weight loss?
- What can 힘을 빼다 mean in a movement instruction?
Show answers
- No. It can mean leaving the ingredient out before preparation.
- No. That expression alone does not specify intention.
- Relax unnecessary tension in the movement or body part.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Particle Goes with the Thing Removed?
을/를. 빼다 is transitive, so the thing removed takes the object particle.
How Do I Say to Lose Weight?
살을 빼다, literally 'to take out flesh'. The want-to example 저는 살을 빼고 싶어요 uses it.
How Do 빼다 and 빠지다 Differ in Use?
빼다 needs a person doing the action and takes 을/를. 빠지다 is the intransitive partner for something that falls out or is missing, such as 살이 빠지다.
How Do I Subtract in Korean?
Use 에서 for the number you start from and 을/를 for the number you take away, as in 10에서 3을 빼면 7이에요.
Which Words Are Related to 빼다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 넣다 for the opposite action and 놓다 for putting something down. 버리다 covers throwing away, and 다이어트하다 is the wider word for dieting. The Korean verb conjugator checks any form of 빼다; the whole Korean verb dictionary lists the other entries, and the class rule is on the polite present recipe page.