Key Facts
- Hangul: 운전하다 (unjeonhada)
- Meaning: to drive
- Level: A2
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 운전하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: The vehicle takes 을/를 (차를 운전하다), and the verb also works with no object (운전을 하다 / 운전하다).
- Honorific polite: 운전하세요
- Usage: A 하다 verb: the noun 운전 can stand alone, as in 운전 잘해요. Negation is 운전 안 해요 (not 안 운전해요).
What Does 운전하다 Mean?
- to drive: Used for driving a car, bus or truck, e.g. 차를 운전하다 (to drive a car).
운전하다 is to drive a car, a bus or a truck. The vehicle takes 을/를: 차를 운전하다. Because 운전 (driving) is a noun, you can also say 운전을 하다, or use the noun alone, as in 운전 잘해요. The verb marks the person controlling the vehicle, so a passenger does not use it.
Negation puts the 안 between the noun and 하다: 운전 안 해요. The form 안 운전해요 is not the natural one. The reason is that 운전하다 is the noun 운전 plus 하다, so the 안 can split it.
Which Set Phrases Use 운전하다?
- 차를 운전하다: To drive a car.
- 운전 잘해요: Good at driving; the noun 운전 stands alone.
- 운전 안 해요: I don't drive; 안 sits between the noun and 하다.
How Do You Pronounce 운전하다?
운전하다 is read as spelled. The past 운전했어요 is [운전해써요] and the formal 운전합니다 is [운전함니다]. The future 운전할 거예요 is [운전할꺼예요].
How Do You Use 운전하다 in a Sentence?
아버지는 매일 차를 운전해요.
My father drives a car every day.
아버지는 (my father) is the topic, and 차를 is the car. 매일 shows a daily habit, so the polite present is natural.
어제는 제가 운전했어요.
I drove yesterday.
어제는 (as for yesterday) contrasts with other days, and 제가 stresses that the speaker drove. The past 운전했어요 takes the 하다 form 했.
운전하는 사람은 술을 마시면 안 돼요.
A person who drives must not drink alcohol.
The modifier 운전하는 turns the verb into 'the one who drives', and 술을 마시면 안 돼요 is the rule: must not drink alcohol.
How Does Unjeonhada Conjugation Work?
운전하다 is a 하다 verb. 하 + 여 becomes 해, so the polite present is 운전해요 and the past is 운전했어요. Consonant endings keep 하: 운전하면, 운전합니다, and the modifier is 운전하는.
운전하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 운전해요 | ||
| Polite past | 운전했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 운전할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 운전하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 운전합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 운전했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 운전할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 운전해 | ||
| Casual past | 운전했어 | ||
| Casual future | 운전할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 운전하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 운전하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 운전해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 운전하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 운전하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 운전한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 운전할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 운전 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 운전하지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 운전했어요 | [운전해써요] |
| Polite future | 운전할 거예요 | [운전할꺼예요] |
| Polite future guess | 운전하겠어요 | [운전하게써요] |
| Formal present | 운전합니다 | [운전함니다] |
| Formal past | 운전했습니다 | [운전핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 운전할 것입니다 | [운전할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 운전했어 | [운전해써] |
| Casual future | 운전할 거야 | [운전할꺼야] |
| Long negative | 운전하지 않아요 | [운전하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake with 운전하다
Meaning contrast (not a grammar error): 차를 타요 vs 차를 운전해요
For 'I drive a car', say: ✓ 차를 운전해요.
Why: 차를 타요 is correct Korean, but it means you ride in the car, for example as a passenger. If you are the one at the wheel, use 운전하다.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 운전하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 운전하다 |
|---|---|
| 타다 | 타다 is to ride a vehicle as a passenger or rider; 운전하다 is to be the driver controlling it. |
| 몰다 | 몰다 is also to drive but is more casual and used with 차를 몰다; 운전하다 is the neutral, standard word. |
Before a Road Trip: Whose Turn Is It?
Two friends are deciding who will drive. Yesterday’s driver wants a break, so the other friend takes today’s turn.
Mina
오늘 누가 운전해요?
Oneul nuga unjeonhaeyo?
Who is driving today?
Alex
제가 운전할 거예요.
Jega unjeonhal geoyeyo.
I’m going to drive.
Mina
어제는 제가 운전했어요.
Eojeneun jega unjeonhaesseoyo.
I drove yesterday.
Alex
네, 오늘은 쉬세요.
Ne, oneureun swiseyo.
Yes, please rest today.
운전해요 asks about the current arrangement, 운전할 거예요 states a plan, and 운전했어요 names the previous driver. 제가 answers “who?” by identifying the speaker. The car is already understood, so none of these lines needs 차를. The conversation is about taking responsibility for driving, not simply traveling by car.
Phrases beyond “Drive a Car”
안전 운전 means safe driving. On a sign or message, it encourages care at the wheel. 난폭 운전 means reckless driving, while 음주 운전 means driving after drinking alcohol. These noun phrases describe different aspects of driving; the shared noun 운전 does not itself say whether someone drives safely.
초보 운전 means novice driving and is familiar from learner or inexperienced-driver signs. 초보 운전자 names the novice driver as a person. The distinction is useful when you read a short label on a vehicle: a sign can name the activity without forming a complete sentence.
운전 잘해요 praises driving skill. 운전 안 해요 says someone does not drive. A statement about ability needs more care: 운전 못 해요 can mean that someone cannot drive, or that circumstances prevent them from driving. The surrounding reason tells you which meaning fits. Not driving by choice and being unable to drive are different claims.
Where Will You Hear or See 운전하다?
On a day trip, people ask who is driving and who rode along. A person can arrive by car without being its driver, so 차를 타다 alone does not settle that question. 운전하다 identifies the person controlling the vehicle. In a taxi conversation, that person is usually the 기사, the driver.
On a phone call, 운전해요 can explain what someone is doing at that moment. The present form does not always mean a daily habit. The existing example with 매일 explicitly describes repeated driving; a conversation about the current trip supplies a different time frame without changing the present ending.
운전하세요 may ask a respected person whether they drive when spoken as a question. With an instruction context, it can tell someone to drive. In both cases 시 honors the person driving. It does not honor the car, the road or the act itself.
Words for the Driver’s Part of a Journey
| Korean | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 운전자 | driver | Names the person operating the vehicle. |
| 운전면허 | driving license | Names the authorization, rather than the skill. |
| 주차하다 | to park | A separate action that can follow driving. |
| 조수석 | front passenger seat | Identifies a passenger’s position beside the driver. |
The car and driving vocabulary lesson teaches the wider set. These words help distinguish driving ability, a seat in the car, and what happens when the journey ends.
Spacing When 운전 Combines with Other Words
운전하다 is written together as the dictionary verb. In 운전을 하다, the object marker attaches to the noun 운전 and 하다 is separate. The short negative 운전 안 해요 puts 안 immediately before 해요. The long negative 운전하지 않아요 keeps the verb together before 지.
Before a noun, use the action-verb modifier 운전하는, as in 운전하는 사람. 운전한 refers to someone who drove, and 운전할 can refer to someone who will drive. Those three forms organize responsibility by time, which is especially useful when people share a long trip.
Mini Drill: Choose the Right Form
- Change 운전해요 to the polite past.
- Complete “the person who drives”: ____ 사람.
- Write the natural short negative.
- State a future plan using the table’s polite future.
Show drill answers
- 운전했어요.
- 운전하는 사람.
- 운전 안 해요.
- 운전할 거예요.
Quick Self-Test
- Does arriving by car prove that someone 운전했어요?
- What does 초보 운전 indicate?
- Where does 안 go in the natural short negative?
Show answers
- No. They may have ridden as a passenger.
- Novice or inexperienced driving.
- Between 운전 and 해요: 운전 안 해요.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 운전하다?
운전해요. The 하 of the stem becomes 해.
How Do I Say 'I Don't Drive'?
Say 운전 안 해요, with 안 between 운전 and 해요.
What Is the Difference between 운전하다 and 몰다?
몰다 is also to drive, but it is more casual and used with 차를 몰다. 운전하다 is the neutral standard word.
Can I Say 운전을 하다?
Yes. 운전 is a noun, so 운전을 하다 and 운전하다 mean the same.
Which Words Are Related to 운전하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 운전하다 with 타다 and then learn 도착하다 and 출발하다 for the journey itself. The 하다 pattern is explained in the lesson linked below. For the rule behind these forms, read how 하다 words become 해요, then try another stem in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.