Key Facts
- Hangul: 신다 (sinda)
- Pronunciation: [신따]
- Meaning: to wear (shoes, socks)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 신
- Class: regular
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific polite: 신으세요
What Does 신다 Mean?
- to wear (shoes, socks). Used for putting on or wearing shoes and socks: 신발을 신다 (to put on shoes).
신다 is a very common verb. The shoes or socks are the object and take 을/를; typical objects are 신발 (shoes), 양말 (socks) and 운동화 (sneakers). Its opposite is 벗다 (to take off). Like 입다, it covers both the action and the state: 신고 있어요 means 'I am wearing (them)'.
How Do You Pronounce 신다?
The spelling and the sound often differ. Verb stems that end in ㄴ make a following ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅅ or ㅈ tense, so the dictionary form 신다 is read [신따], 신고 싶어요 is read [신꼬 시퍼요] and 신지 않아요 is read [신찌 아나요]. Before a vowel the ㄴ moves into the next syllable: 신어요 is read [시너요] and the past 신었어요 is read [시너써요]. The formal present 신습니다 is read [신씀니다]. The table below gives every form.
How Do You Use 신다 in a Sentence?
저는 운동화를 신어요.
I wear sneakers.
운동화를 is the object, and 저는 is the wearer. The polite present 신어요 is read [시너요].
어제 새 신발을 신었어요.
I wore new shoes yesterday.
새 신발을 means 'new shoes'. The past 신었어요 is used because the wearing happened yesterday.
집에서는 슬리퍼를 신으세요.
Please wear slippers in the house.
신으세요 is the honorific polite form, used as a polite request. 집에서는 means 'at home' with the topic particle 는, contrasting home with outside, and 슬리퍼를 is the object.
How Does Sinda Conjugation Work?
신다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 신어요 | ||
| Polite past | 신었어요 | ||
| Polite future | 신을 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (guess) | 신겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 신습니다 | ||
| Formal past | 신었습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 신을 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 신어 | ||
| Casual past | 신었어 | ||
| Casual future | 신을 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 신고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 신으세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 신어서 | ||
| Conditional | 신으면 | ||
| Present modifier | 신는 | ||
| Past modifier | 신은 | ||
| Future modifier | 신을 | ||
| Short negative | 안 신어요 | ||
| Long negative | 신지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 신어요 | [시너요] |
| Polite past | 신었어요 | [시너써요] |
| Polite future | 신을 거예요 | [시늘꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 신겠어요 | [신께써요] |
| Formal present | 신습니다 | [신씀니다] |
| Formal past | 신었습니다 | [시넏씀니다] |
| Formal future | 신을 것입니다 | [시늘꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 신어 | [시너] |
| Casual past | 신었어 | [시너써] |
| Casual future | 신을 거야 | [시늘꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 신고 싶어요 | [신꼬 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 신으세요 | [시느세요] |
| Because / and then | 신어서 | [시너서] |
| Conditional | 신으면 | [시느면] |
| Present modifier | 신는 | as written |
| Past modifier | 신은 | [시는] |
| Future modifier | 신을 | [시늘] |
| Short negative | 안 신어요 | [안 시너요] |
| Long negative | 신지 않아요 | [신찌 아나요] |
Is 신다 Regular or Irregular?
신다 is regular. The stem 신 ends in a consonant, ㄴ, and its vowel is ㅣ, so the polite present adds 어: 신어요. Endings that need a linking vowel after a consonant take 으: the honorific is 신으세요 and the conditional is 신으면. The recipe is on the polite present recipe page.
What Mistake Do Learners Make with 신다?
Wrong: ✗ 신발을 입어요
Correct: ✓ 신발을 신어요
Why: English 'wear' covers clothes and shoes, so learners reach for 입다. In Korean, 입다 is only for clothes; anything on the feet uses 신다.
How Is 신다 Different from Similar Words?
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 입다 | 입다 is for clothes on the body. 신다 is for things on the feet. |
| 벗다 | 벗다 is the opposite: to take off shoes or clothes. In a home with slippers, 신다 and 벗다 often alternate. |
Choosing Shoes for a Walk
Two housemates are getting ready to go out. One checks a footwear choice, the other asks for sneakers, and the reply uses a future plan.
Mina
오늘 이 구두를 신어요?
Oneul i gudureul sineoyo?
Are you wearing these dress shoes today?
Alex
아니요. 운동화를 신으세요.
Aniyo. Undonghwareul sineuseyo.
No. Please wear sneakers.
Mina
네. 운동화를 신을 거예요.
Ne. Undonghwareul sineul geoyeyo.
Okay. I’ll wear sneakers.
The speakers can leave out “you” and “I” because the turns make the wearer clear. The footwear still takes 를. 신을 거예요 states the plan; it does not say that the shoes are already on. That difference matters when someone is still choosing what to wear.
Putting Shoes on or Already Wearing Them?
신다 can describe putting footwear on, while 신고 있어요 commonly describes the resulting state: having it on. A person standing in sneakers can say 운동화를 신고 있어요 even though they finished putting them on earlier. English “am wearing” fits that scene better than “am putting on”.
신었어요 can also explain a present footwear choice: the person put the shoes on and may still be wearing them. A time word helps. 어제 in the existing example clearly places the wearing yesterday; 지금 with a description of clothing points the listener toward what the person has on now.
Use 신는 before a noun for a habitual or general use, such as 자주 신는 신발, “shoes I often wear”. 신은 신발 can refer to the shoes someone has put on. The noun at the end is still the footwear; the verb phrase before it identifies which pair you mean.
Useful Footwear Combinations
신발을 신다 literally pairs “footwear” with “put on”. The repetition is normal Korean, rather than something to avoid because it sounds repetitive in English. 양말을 신다 uses the same verb for socks. Boots, sneakers and slippers also belong with 신다, even though they look very different.
맨발 means “bare feet”. 맨발로 means “barefoot”, with 로 describing the manner. It describes having no footwear on; it is not another kind of shoe. When describing an outfit, 양말 names socks specifically, while 신발 normally names the shoes or other outer footwear.
신발을 벗다 means to take footwear off. Near a home's entrance, instructions can move quickly between 벗다 for outdoor shoes and 신다 for indoor slippers. Keep track of the object: the change of verb is about putting on versus removing, and the noun tells you which item is involved.
Where Will You Hear 신다?
At a shoe shop, staff may discuss what size or style you wear. At home, 신으세요 can be an offer to put on slippers. The 으세요 ending makes the request polite; it does not change the footwear category. A polite sentence about a coat still needs the clothing verb 입다.
In everyday outfit talk, 신다 identifies the part of the outfit worn on the feet. Korean does not use one verb for an entire head-to-toe outfit. This is why learning 신다 beside 입다 is more useful than translating both as “wear” and stopping there.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 신발 | footwear / shoes | A broad term when the exact type is unimportant. |
| 양말 | socks | Uses 신다 just like shoes. |
| 운동화 | sneakers | Footwear for sport or everyday casual use. |
| 구두 | dress shoes | More specific than the general 신발. |
The clothing vocabulary lesson places these words alongside the other parts of an outfit.
Mini Drill: Keep the Stem 신
- Change 신다 to the polite present.
- Give the polite request form.
- Give the short negative of 신어요.
- Choose the verb for socks: 입다 or 신다?
Show drill answers
- 신어요. The ㄴ links into the next syllable in speech.
- 신으세요. A consonant-ending stem needs 으 here.
- 안 신어요, with a space after 안.
- 신다.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 신고 있어요 usually describe footwear already on?
- What verb means to take shoes off?
- Does 맨발 mean a type of slipper?
Show answers
- Yes. It commonly describes the resulting state.
- 벗다.
- No. It means bare feet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use 입다 for Shoes?
No. Anything worn on the feet uses 신다: 신발을 신어요. 입다 is only for clothes.
How Is 신다 Pronounced?
It is read [신따]. After a stem ending in ㄴ, the ㄷ of the ending becomes tense.
What Does 신고 있어요 Mean?
It means 'I am wearing (them)'. It describes the state of having shoes or socks on, rather than the act of putting them on.
What Is the Honorific Polite Form?
It is 신으세요, as in 집에서는 슬리퍼를 신으세요 (Please wear slippers in the house).
Which Words Are Related to 신다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 입다 for clothes and 벗다 for taking things off. 끼다 covers rings and gloves, and 쓰다 covers hats and glasses. The Korean verb conjugator checks any form of 신다; the whole Korean verb dictionary lists the other entries, and the class rule is on the polite present recipe page.