Key Facts
- Hangul: 펴다 (pyeoda)
- Meaning: to spread
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 펴
- Conjugation class: regular
- Grammar: What is opened or spread takes 을/를 (책을 펴요).
- Usage: Teachers often say 책을 펴세요 (Open your books).
What Does 펴다 Mean?
It has two senses: spreading, as in 책을 펴다 (open a book), and unfolding, as in 우산을 펴다 (open an umbrella). Teachers say 책을 펴세요 to ask students to open their books.
Senses:
- to spread: Spread something out or open it flat: 책을 펴다.
- to unfold: Open an umbrella or unfold paper: 우산을 펴다.
How Do You Pronounce 펴다?
펴다 is read as written. The formal present 폅니다 is [폄니다], where the ㅂ turns into [ㅁ] before ㄴ. The past 폈어요 is [펴써요]: the ㅆ of 폈 moves to the front of the next syllable and is read there.
How Do You Use 펴다 in a Sentence?
책을 펴요.
I open the book.
책을 펴요 is the classroom action and uses the polite present 펴요.
우산을 폈어요.
I opened the umbrella.
우산을 폈어요 has the past 폈어요, which contracts 펴 and 었 into 폈.
손을 펴면 열쇠가 보여요.
If you open your hand, you can see the key.
손을 펴면 열쇠가 보여요 pairs the conditional 펴면 with a result clause.
How Does Pyeoda Conjugation Work?
펴다 is regular. The stem 펴 ends in a vowel, so 펴 + 어 contracts to 펴, giving 펴요 with no visible change. In the past, 펴 + 었 becomes 폈, so the polite past is 폈어요. Consonant endings leave it alone: 펴고, 펴면, 펴세요.
펴다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 펴요 | ||
| Polite past | 폈어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 펼 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 펴겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 폅니다 | ||
| Formal past | 폈습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 펼 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 펴 | ||
| Casual past | 폈어 | ||
| Casual future | 펼 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 펴고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 펴세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 펴서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 펴면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 펴는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 편 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 펼 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 펴요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 펴지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 폈어요 | [펴써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 펼 거예요 | [펼꺼예요] |
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 펴겠어요 | [펴게써요] |
| Formal present | 폅니다 | [폄니다] |
| Formal past | 폈습니다 | [펻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 펼 것입니다 | [펼꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 폈어 | [펴써] |
| Casual future | 펼 거야 | [펼꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 펴고 싶어요 | [펴고 시퍼요] |
| Negative (long form) | 펴지 않아요 | [펴지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 펴었어요
Correct: ✓ 폈어요
Why: 펴 + 었 contracts to 폈, so the past form is 폈어요. Writing the two parts apart looks natural but is not used in Korean.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 펴다?
| Word | How to tell it from 펴다 |
|---|---|
| 접다 | The opposite: to fold. |
| 열다 | To open something closed. |
| 피다 | To bloom; spelled similarly. |
접다 is the opposite and means to fold. 열다 is to open something closed, such as a door. 피다 is to bloom and is spelled much like 펴다, so check the vowel.
Where Does 펴다 Turn Up?
In class, 책을 펴세요 is the instruction to open your book. 닫다 closes doors and windows; 덮다 is the usual verb for shutting a book. Hands, books and umbrellas are the main objects. 손을 펴다 opens a clenched hand, 책을 펴다 opens a book to a page, and 우산을 펴다 puts up an umbrella. In each case something closed or folded becomes open and flat.
Opening a Workbook in Class
A teacher asks Alex to open a book before reading. The instruction, completed action and conditional use three different forms of 펴다 with the same object.
Teacher
책을 펴세요.
Chaegeul pyeoseyo.
Open your book.
Alex
네, 책을 폈어요.
Ne, chaegeul pyeosseoyo.
Yes, I have opened it.
Teacher
책을 펴면 그림이 보여요.
Chaegeul pyeomyeon geurimi boyeoyo.
When you open the book, you can see a picture.
Alex
네, 보여요.
Ne, boyeoyo.
Yes, I can see it.
펴세요 is an instruction here, while 폈어요 confirms that the action is complete. 펴면 introduces what happens when the book is open. The final reply leaves out 그림이 because the picture is already the shared topic.
Useful Objects: Paper, Blankets and Bent Limbs
종이를 펴다 means to unfold or spread out paper. It fits opening a folded sheet or flattening it enough to look at what is on it. 이불을 펴다 means to lay out bedding. In a home scene, the phrase may describe preparing a place to sleep rather than opening a hinged object.
허리를 펴다 means to straighten your back, and 무릎을 펴다 means to straighten your knees. The body part was bent and becomes straight. This is why 펴다 is useful beyond books and umbrellas: its central picture includes straightening as well as unfolding.
가슴을 펴다 literally means to open out the chest. It can describe standing with an open, upright posture and can also suggest facing something confidently. In a stretching class the physical action may be the whole point; in encouragement, the posture can carry the added idea of confidence. The surrounding sentence tells you which meaning matters.
How Do You Choose between 펴다 and 열다?
Use 펴다 when folds, a rolled shape or a bent position are central to the action. A folded map spreads out, an umbrella opens its ribs, and a clenched hand opens flat. Use 열다 for opening a door, window, container or access point. A door does not normally unfold into a flat sheet.
Books make the contrast more specific. 책을 펴다 is the everyday classroom phrase for opening a book to use it. 책을 덮다 is the usual matching expression for closing a book. The existing related verb 닫다 is useful for doors and windows, while 덮다 pictures bringing a cover over something.
접다 is the opposite when an object is folded. A sheet of paper can be spread out with 펴다 and folded with 접다. With knees or a back, the opposite action is bending, so the English pair “open/close” is not enough to choose the Korean verb.
What Makes the Short Forms Tricky?
펴요 has only two syllables because the vowel combination contracts. The past 폈어요 adds the past marker to that short shape. Keep the middle syllable visible in your mind: 폈 is one written syllable, rather than 펴 followed by a separate 었 syllable.
The formal present is 폅니다, with 펴 as the stem and ㅂ니다 attached. It is not a form of 피다. The future 펼 거예요 adds ㄹ to the vowel stem and keeps a space before 거예요. That extra ㄹ marks the future construction; it does not turn the dictionary word into 펼다.
펴다 and 피다 can share short spoken or written forms because 피어 can contract to 펴. The object and subject usually settle the meaning. A person with 책을 is opening a book; flowers with 꽃이 are blooming. The uncontracted blooming forms 피어요 and 피었어요 make that contrast easier to see.
Where Will You Hear 펴다?
Teachers use 펴세요 with textbooks and workbooks. At home, speakers use the verb for laying out bedding, opening umbrellas and unfolding clothing or paper. Exercise instructions use it with arms, knees and the back. These settings all make the object visible, so a short instruction can be clear without a long explanation.
| Related word | Meaning | One useful connection |
|---|---|---|
| 접다 | to fold | Reverses unfolding a sheet of paper. |
| 덮다 | to cover / close a book | The ordinary partner when putting a book away. |
| 펼치다 | to spread out / unfold | Often used with maps, books and things opened wide. |
| 구부리다 | to bend | Contrasts with straightening a body part. |
The classroom vocabulary lesson puts 책 and teacher instructions into a larger set. For 펴다, practice choosing the object first: paper, a book and a knee all fit, but each needs a slightly different English translation.
Mini Drill: Unfold and Straighten
- Change 펴다 to the polite past.
- Ask someone politely to open a book.
- Give the future form “I will open it.”
- Complete “if someone opens their hand”: 손을 ____.
Show drill answers
- 폈어요.
- 책을 펴세요.
- 펼 거예요.
- 손을 펴면.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 허리를 펴다 mean?
- Which verb usually pairs with opening a book when you close it again?
- Does the ㄹ in 펼 거예요 belong to the dictionary stem?
Show answers
- To straighten your back.
- 덮다.
- No. The stem is 펴; ㄹ marks the future modifier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Tell Students to Open Their Books?
책을 펴세요.
What Is the past Tense of 펴다?
폈어요.
How Is 펴다 Different from 피다?
펴다 spreads or opens something, while 피다 is for flowers blooming.
What Is the Opposite of 펴다?
접다, which means to fold.
Which Words Are Related to 펴다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 접다 and 열다, then 피다 and 닫다. The rule behind 펴요 (to spread) is in polite present recipe, and the Korean verb conjugator tests other stems. 펴다 (to spread) sits beside 접다 and 열다 in the Korean verb dictionary.