Key Facts
- Hangul: 슬프다 (seulpeuda)
- Meaning: sad
- Part of speech: adjective (형용사)
- Level: A1
- Stem: 슬프
- Class: ㅡ-drop
What Does 슬프다 Mean?
슬프다 covers both the feeling and what causes it. You can be sad yourself (슬퍼요), or a movie can be sad (슬픈 영화), or a song can be (슬픈 노래). The related verb 슬퍼하다 describes someone grieving. For your own mood, 마음이 슬퍼요 is a gentle way to put it. Since the word is descriptive, no extra verb is needed.
How Do You Pronounce 슬프다?
The word is read as spelled in the dictionary form. Listen instead to what the ㅡ drop does: 슬프 + 어 becomes 슬퍼, so 슬퍼요 has no ㅡ. The past 슬펐어요 is [슬퍼써요], the formal 슬픕니다 is [슬픔니다], and the long negative 슬프지 않아요 is [슬프지 아나요].
How Do You Use 슬프다 in a Sentence?
이 영화는 너무 슬퍼요.
This movie is too sad.
이 영화는 너무 슬퍼요 names the cause of the feeling as the subject, a film, and 너무 means 'too' or 'very'.
친구가 떠나서 슬펐어요.
I was sad because my friend left.
친구가 떠나서 슬펐어요 gives the reason first with 떠나서, then reports the feeling in the past form.
슬픈 노래를 들어요.
I listen to sad songs.
슬픈 노래를 들어요 uses the modifier 슬픈 before the object 노래를 and the verb 들어요 means 'listen'.
How Does Seulpeuda Conjugation Work?
슬프다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 슬퍼요 | ||
| Polite past | 슬펐어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 슬플 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 슬프겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 슬픕니다 | ||
| Formal past | 슬펐습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 슬플 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 슬퍼 | ||
| Casual past | 슬펐어 | ||
| Casual future | 슬플 거야 | ||
| Because / and then | 슬퍼서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 슬프면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 슬픈 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 슬펐던 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 슬플 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 슬퍼요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 슬프지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 슬퍼요 | — |
| Polite past | 슬펐어요 | [슬퍼써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 슬플 거예요 | [슬플꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 슬프겠어요 | [슬프게써요] |
| Formal present | 슬픕니다 | [슬픔니다] |
| Formal past | 슬펐습니다 | [슬펃씀니다] |
| Formal future | 슬플 것입니다 | [슬플꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 슬퍼 | — |
| Casual past | 슬펐어 | [슬퍼써] |
| Casual future | 슬플 거야 | [슬플꺼야] |
| Because / and then | 슬퍼서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 슬프면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 슬픈 | — |
| Modifier, past | 슬펐던 | [슬펃떤] |
| Modifier, future | 슬플 | — |
| Short negative | 안 슬퍼요 | — |
| Long negative | 슬프지 않아요 | [슬프지 아나요] |
Is 슬프다 Regular or Irregular?
슬프다 is a ㅡ-drop word: its stem ends in ㅡ, and that vowel disappears when 어 follows. The earlier syllable 슬 also has ㅡ, not ㅏ or ㅗ, so the ending is 어 rather than 아, which gives 슬퍼요. Before consonants the stem is intact: 슬프지 않아요. The lesson on ㅡ-drop verbs and adjectives shows how to choose between 아 and 어.
Common Mistake with 슬프다
Wrong: ✗ 슬프어요
Correct: ✓ 슬퍼요
Why: Attaching 어요 to the full stem leaves two vowels side by side. Korean removes the ㅡ of 슬프 and merges the ending into the ㅍ, giving 슬퍼요.
슬프다 Versus 우울하다 and 기쁘다
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 우울하다 | 우울하다 is a depressed or gloomy mood that lasts, while 슬프다 is a feeling of sadness. |
| 기쁘다 | 기쁘다 is the opposite: glad. |
Talking after a Film
Two friends discuss a film they have just watched. One felt sad throughout it; the other was especially affected by the ending.
Jisu
이 영화는 정말 슬퍼요.
I yeonghwaneun jeongmal seulpeoyo.
This film is really sad.
Minho
저는 마지막 장면이 슬펐어요.
Jeoneun majimak jangmyeoni seulpeosseoyo.
I found the last scene sad.
Jisu
맞아요. 슬픈 장면이 기억에 남아요.
Majayo. Seulpeun jangmyeoni gieoge namayo.
Yes. The sad scene stays with me.
슬퍼요 evaluates the film as a whole, 슬펐어요 recalls the reaction to a scene, and 슬픈 describes the scene before the noun. The friends do not need to add a separate word meaning “am” or “is”: the adjective already completes the description.
Phrases for Sad Stories and Feelings
슬픈 소식 means sad news. The adjective describes the emotional character of what you hear, rather than saying that the news itself has feelings. 슬픈 이야기 is a sad story, and 슬픈 결말 is a sad ending. These combinations work much like 슬픈 영화 and 슬픈 노래 in the existing examples.
슬퍼서 울다 means to cry because one is sad. The because-form 슬퍼서 connects the feeling to an action. 울다 names the crying; 슬프다 names the feeling. Someone may feel sad without crying, so these words describe related but distinct parts of an experience.
슬픔 is the noun “sadness” or “sorrow”. You may see it in writing about loss or in a title where a noun is needed. Compare the roles: 슬퍼요 states that someone feels sad, 슬픈 modifies a noun, and 슬픔 names the emotion itself. Their shared meaning does not give them the same grammar.
Where Will You Hear 슬프다?
Film discussions, song descriptions and everyday talk about parting are familiar settings. A viewer calling a film 슬프다 is describing its emotional effect. The statement does not automatically say the film is bad; a viewer may value a story precisely because it moves them.
The adjective also works for your own direct feeling. 슬퍼요 is a simple personal statement, while 친구가 떠나서 슬펐어요 adds a reason and places the experience in the past. Naming a reason can make the sentence easier to understand without changing the emotion word.
너무 슬퍼요 may mean “too sad” or “very sad”, depending on context. In a film reaction it can simply intensify the feeling. If someone says a story is 너무 슬퍼요, listen to the rest of the conversation before deciding whether they want to avoid it or are praising its emotional power.
Your Feeling and Another Person’s Grief
For a direct statement about yourself, 슬퍼요 is a reliable choice. For describing someone else’s grieving behavior, the related verb 슬퍼하다 is useful. It presents sadness through the person’s response, rather than simply announcing access to their inner feeling.
This is a viewpoint distinction, rather than a ban on ever using 슬프다 about another person. Stories can report a character’s feelings, and conversation can quote what someone has said. For a first personal sentence, state your own feeling with 슬퍼요; for observing grief, recognize the different role of 슬퍼하다.
슬프겠어요 can express a sympathetic guess about how someone must feel. The 겠 ending here is a judgment from the situation, rather than a plan to be sad later. The table’s label covers several uses, so choose the interpretation that fits a feeling someone cannot simply schedule.
Keep the Remaining ㅡ
Only the final ㅡ of 슬프 drops in 슬퍼요. The ㅡ in the first syllable 슬 stays. Before a consonant ending, the full stem remains, as in 슬프면 and 슬프지 않아요. Before a noun, use 슬픈, with the stem’s final syllable still 프.
Keep the negative separate in 안 슬퍼요. Its meaning is “not sad”; it does not necessarily mean “happy”. A person can feel calm, neutral or relieved instead. The same caution applies when choosing an opposite: 기쁘다 names gladness, which is more specific than merely lacking sadness.
| Related word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 슬픔 | sadness / sorrow | The noun for the emotion. |
| 울다 | to cry | An action that may accompany sadness. |
| 외롭다 | lonely | Concerns loneliness rather than sadness in general. |
| 기쁘다 | glad | Names a positive feeling, rather than just “not sad”. |
The emotions vocabulary lesson helps you choose the feeling that fits the situation.
Mini Drill: Where Does ㅡ Stay?
- Give the polite present of 슬프다.
- Give the polite past.
- Complete “a sad story”: ____ 이야기.
- Give the conditional “if sad”.
Show drill answers
- 슬퍼요. Only the final ㅡ drops.
- 슬펐어요.
- 슬픈 이야기.
- 슬프면. The stem stays intact before 면.
Quick Self-Test
- Does calling a film 슬프다 necessarily criticize its quality?
- Which word names the emotion as a noun: 슬픔 or 울다?
- Does 안 슬퍼요 necessarily mean “I’m happy”?
Show answers
- No. A sad film can still be valued or enjoyed.
- 슬픔. 울다 means to cry.
- No. It only denies sadness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 슬프다 Only for People?
No. A film or a song can be 슬프다 too, as in 슬픈 영화 and 슬픈 노래.
How Do I Say 'I Was Sad'?
Use the past 슬펐어요.
What Does 슬퍼하다 Add?
It turns the feeling into an action, 'to grieve', and works for describing other people.
Why Is There No ㅡ in 슬퍼요?
The ㅡ of the stem drops before 어, so 슬프 + 어 gives 슬퍼.
Which Words Are Related to 슬프다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Look at 기쁘다 as the opposite, then 외롭다 and 울다 for related feelings. When you describe someone else's grief, the verb 슬퍼하다 is the next word to learn. The Korean verb conjugator tests other stems, and the Korean verb dictionary lists the rest of the family.