Key Facts
- Hangul: 따르다 (ttareuda)
- Meaning: to pour/follow
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 따르
- Class: ㅡ-drop
- Objects: transitive
What Does 따르다 Mean?
따르다 has two everyday senses. In the first, you pour a drink into a cup: 컵에 물을 따르다. In the second, you follow something, such as a rule: 규칙을 따르다. Both take an object with 을/를 and both are common, so context tells you which one you are hearing. For pouring a larger amount into a pot, Korean prefers 붓다, and for keeping a promise or rule, 지키다.
Senses:
- to pour. Pour a drink into a cup: 컵에 물을 따르다.
- to follow. Follow a rule or person: 규칙을 따르다.
How Do You Pronounce 따르다?
The three syllables are tta-reu-da, and the opening ㄸ is a tense sound with no puff of air. The polite past 따랐어요 is said [따라써요]. The formal present 따릅니다 is said [따름니다], with ㅂ turning into ㅁ before ㄴ, and the plan form 따를 거예요 is said [따를꺼예요].
How Do You Use 따르다 in a Sentence?
컵에 물을 따라요.
I pour water into a cup.
컵에 물을 따라요 is the pouring sense: 컵에 gives the target, 물을 the liquid, and 따라요 the polite present.
친구가 주스를 따랐어요.
My friend poured the juice.
친구가 주스를 따랐어요 uses the past 따랐어요 and tells us who poured: 친구가 is the subject.
규칙을 따르면 문제가 없어요.
If you follow the rules, there is no problem.
규칙을 따르면 문제가 없어요 is the following sense. 따르면 keeps the full stem because 면 starts with a consonant sound.
How Does Ttareuda Conjugation Work?
따르다 drops the ㅡ of its stem before 아/어 endings. The remaining 따 ends in the vowel ㅏ, so the ending takes 아: 따라요, 따랐어요, 따라서. Outside the 아/어 contraction, the ㅡ stays: 따르면, 따르는, 따른, 따를 and 따릅니다. One table covers both senses, because the forms are the same for pouring and for following.
따르다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 따라요 | ||
| Polite past | 따랐어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 따를 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 따르겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 따릅니다 | ||
| Formal past | 따랐습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 따를 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 따라 | ||
| Casual past | 따랐어 | ||
| Casual future | 따를 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 따르고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 따르세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 따라서 | ||
| Conditional (if) | 따르면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 따르는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 따른 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 따를 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 따라요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 따르지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sound if different |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 따라요 | — |
| Polite past | 따랐어요 | [따라써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 따를 거예요 | [따를꺼예요] |
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 따르겠어요 | [따르게써요] |
| Formal present | 따릅니다 | [따름니다] |
| Formal past | 따랐습니다 | [따랃씀니다] |
| Formal future | 따를 것입니다 | [따를꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 따라 | — |
| Casual past | 따랐어 | [따라써] |
| Casual future | 따를 거야 | [따를꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 따르고 싶어요 | [따르고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 따르세요 | — |
| Because / and then | 따라서 | — |
| Conditional (if) | 따르면 | — |
| Modifier, present | 따르는 | — |
| Modifier, past | 따른 | — |
| Modifier, future | 따를 | — |
| Short negative | 안 따라요 | — |
| Long negative | 따르지 않아요 | [따르지 아나요] |
Is 따르다 Regular or Irregular?
따르다 is an ㅡ-drop verb, the same class as 쓰다, which becomes 써요, and 바쁘다, which becomes 바빠요. When the ㅡ falls away, the vowel in the syllable before it decides between 아 and 어. Here that syllable is 따, so 아 is chosen. The lesson on ㅡ-drop verbs walks through the pattern.
Common Mistake with 따르다
Wrong: ✗ 따르어요
Correct: ✓ 따라요
Why: The ㅡ cannot stay when a vowel ending follows. It drops, and 아 attaches after 따, so the polite form is 따라요. Do not mix up 따라요 with 달라요, which means 'is different'. The two forms sound close but come from different verbs.
따르다 Compared with 붓다, 따라가다 and 지키다
Each of the two meanings of 따르다 has its own near neighbour, so check which sense you want before picking a verb.
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 붓다 | To pour a larger amount, e.g. into a pot. For a drink in a cup use 따르다; for a bucket of water into a pot use 붓다. |
| 따라가다 | To follow someone physically. 따라가다 is going after someone on foot; 따르다 is the wider idea of following a person or rule. |
| 지키다 | To keep a rule or promise. 지키다 means to keep a promise or rule; 따르다 means to go along with it. |
Pouring Water before a Meal
Two coworkers are setting the table. Jisu checks the water, then says where to put the juice. The exchange uses a past form, a negative and a polite instruction.
Jisu
물 따랐어요?
Mul ttarasseoyo?
Have you poured the water?
Alex
아직 안 따랐어요. 컵이 없어요.
Ajik an ttarasseoyo. Keobi eopseoyo.
I haven’t poured it yet. There are no cups.
Jisu
여기 있어요. 이 컵에 따르세요.
Yeogi isseoyo. I keobe ttareuseyo.
Here they are. Pour it into this cup, please.
Alex
네. 주스도 따를 거예요.
Ne. Juseudo ttareul geoyeyo.
Okay. I’ll pour the juice too.
컵에 names the receiving container. The water is clear from the first question, so the instruction can leave it out. 따르세요 keeps 르, unlike 따라요. The form 따를 거예요 also keeps 르 before the future ending. All these forms belong to the pouring sense in this scene.
Which Combinations Identify the Meaning?
물을 따르다, 차를 따르다 and 술을 따르다 describe pouring water, tea and alcohol. The liquid takes 을/를 and the cup can take 에. 따르다 fits serving a drink into a drinking vessel. It is not a general replacement for every use of English “pour”.
규칙을 따르다 means to follow the rules. 지시를 따르다 means to follow instructions. Nothing is being poured: the object names guidance or a standard. These expressions occur in school, workplace and public instructions, where the question is whether people act as directed.
사람에 따라 means “depending on the person”. Here 에 따라 introduces something that produces different results in different cases. It is a useful set pattern in explanations about preferences or habits. Translate the relationship as “depending on”, rather than mechanically using “pour” or “follow”.
뉴스에 따르면 means “according to the news”. The 에 따르면 pattern introduces the source of information. It does not mean that the news is a person giving you instructions to obey. In an article or report, the noun before 에 identifies whose information is being cited.
Why Does 따라요 Have Only One ㄹ?
따르다 ends in 르 but follows the ㅡ-drop pattern. It does not add another ㄹ to the preceding syllable. Compare 따라요 with 몰라요 from 모르다: the similar-looking dictionary endings do not put the two verbs in the same class. For 따르다, use 따라요 and 따랐어요, while 따르면 keeps the full 따르 stem.
Keep this separate from 달라요, “is different”. 따라요 starts with the tense ㄸ and has a single ㄹ across the middle of the spoken form. 달라요 has ㄷ followed later by the double-ㄹ sequence. Spelling the familiar phrase 물을 따라요 gives you a concrete way to anchor the pouring verb.
Where Does 따르다 Appear?
At a meal, a cup and a drink usually signal the pouring sense. In a workplace announcement, rules or instructions signal following. In news writing, 에 따르면 often introduces an attributed statement. The words around the verb resolve the meaning more reliably than the conjugated ending, because the endings are shared.
따르세요 can be a polite instruction to pour or to follow. The ending honors the person doing the action, while the object supplies the sense. A sentence about rules can sound directive even with a polite ending; a sentence about a cup may simply guide someone serving drinks.
Words for Both Sides of 따르다
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 컵 | cup | The destination of the drink takes 에. |
| 잔 | drinking glass; cup | Also used as a counter for drinks. |
| 규칙 | rule | An object in the following sense. |
| 지시 | instruction; direction | Something a person can follow or carry out. |
The drinks vocabulary lesson teaches the cups and beverages used with the pouring sense.
Mini Drill
- Give the polite present of 따르다.
- Give the polite past.
- Give “if you follow”.
- Use the table’s polite instruction form.
Show drill answers
- 따라요, without an extra ㄹ.
- 따랐어요.
- 따르면, keeping 르 before 면.
- 따르세요, keeping 르 before 세요.
Quick Self-Test
- In 뉴스에 따르면, what relationship does 에 따르면 express?
- Does 따르다 follow the same pattern as 모르다 → 몰라요?
- In 컵에 물을 따라요, which noun is the liquid?
Show answers
- According to: it introduces an information source.
- No. 따르다 gives 따라요 through ㅡ drop.
- 물; 을 marks it as the object being poured.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 따르다 Mean Pour or Follow?
Both. 컵에 물을 따르다 is to pour water into a cup, and 규칙을 따르다 is to follow a rule.
What Is the Polite Present of 따르다?
따라요, with the ㅡ dropped.
Is 따라요 the Same as 달라요?
No. 따라요 comes from 따르다 and 달라요 means 'are different'.
What Particle Does the Object Take?
In both senses the object takes 을/를: 물을 따라요, 규칙을 따라요.
Which Words Are Related to 따르다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Follow the pouring thread to 담다 and 넣다, which cover putting things into containers. The Korean verb conjugator shows other ㅡ-drop verbs, and the Korean verb dictionary has the full list.