Key Facts
- Hangul: 예약하다 (yeyakada)
- Meaning: to reserve; to book
- Level: A2
- Stem: 예약하
- Class: 하다 type
- Objects: transitive
- Honorific polite: 예약하세요
What Does 예약하다 Mean?
예약하다 means to book in advance: 식당을 예약하다, 호텔을 예약하다. It takes 을/를 for what you book. When the thing booked is left out, you will also hear the place marked with the particle for "at", and that is fine too.
It is very useful for travel and restaurants. 예약 is also a noun, so you can say 예약했어요 or 예약이 있어요.
Two near neighbours are easy to confuse. 예매하다 is buying tickets ahead of time, and 약속하다 is arranging something with a person, not booking with a business.
How Do You Pronounce 예약하다?
The dictionary form is read [예야카다]: the ㄱ of 약 and the ㅎ of 하 merge into ㅋ. Revised Romanization writes yeyakada. The same ㅋ sound runs through the table, for example 예약해요 and 예약합니다.
How Do You Use 예약하다 in a Sentence?
식당을 예약했어요.
I booked a table at a restaurant.
The past 예약했어요 with 식당을: the restaurant is the thing booked, marked with 을. English adds "a table", but Korean simply books the restaurant.
호텔을 예약하고 싶어요.
I want to book a hotel.
예약하고 싶어요 is the want-to form. 호텔을 is the object.
내일 표를 예약할 거예요.
I will reserve a ticket tomorrow.
내일 gives the time, and 표를 is the ticket. The future 예약할 거예요 states a plan.
How Does Yeyakada Conjugation Work?
Regular 하다 pattern: 하 + 여 = 해. Each form carries the ㅋ sound shown in the pronunciation column. When you speak to a customer or a respected person, use the honorific polite form 예약하세요. The short negative is 예약 안 해요, with 안 after the noun, and the long negative is 예약하지 않아요. Before a noun, use 예약하는, 예약한 or 예약할.
예약하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 예약해요 | ||
| Polite past | 예약했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 예약할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 예약하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 예약합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 예약했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 예약할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 예약해 | ||
| Casual past | 예약했어 | ||
| Casual future | 예약할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 예약하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 예약하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 예약해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 예약하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 예약하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 예약한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 예약할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 예약 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 예약하지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 예약해요 | [예야캐요] |
| Polite past | 예약했어요 | [예야캐써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 예약할 거예요 | [예야칼꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 예약하겠어요 | [예야카게써요] |
| Formal present | 예약합니다 | [예야캄니다] |
| Formal past | 예약했습니다 | [예야캗씀니다] |
| Formal future | 예약할 것입니다 | [예야칼꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 예약해 | [예야캐] |
| Casual past | 예약했어 | [예야캐써] |
| Casual future | 예약할 거야 | [예야칼꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 예약하고 싶어요 | [예야카고 시퍼요] |
| Honorific polite | 예약하세요 | [예야카세요] |
| Because / and then | 예약해서 | [예야캐서] |
| If (conditional) | 예약하면 | [예야카면] |
| Present modifier | 예약하는 | [예야카는] |
| Past modifier | 예약한 | [예야칸] |
| Future modifier | 예약할 | [예야칼] |
| Negative (short) | 예약 안 해요 | as written |
| Negative (long) | 예약하지 않아요 | [예야카지 아나요] |
Is 예약하다 Regular or Irregular?
예약하다 is a 하다-type verb. 하 plus 여 contracts to 해, so every ending that starts with 아/어 becomes 해-. The stem is 예약하.
Common Mistake with 예약하다
Wrong: ✗ 식당을 약속했어요.
Correct: ✓ 식당을 예약했어요.
Why: 예약 and 약속 share the syllable 약, so learners mix them up. 약속하다 is a promise or plan between people; booking with a business is 예약하다.
예약하다 Versus Similar Words
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 예매하다 | 예매하다 is buying tickets in advance; 예약하다 is reserving a place or table. |
| 약속하다 | 약속하다 is a promise or plan between people; 예약하다 is booking with a business. |
Checking a Restaurant Booking
A guest arrives at a restaurant and checks a booking for tomorrow as well. The staff member first establishes whether today’s table is already reserved.
Staff
예약했어요?
Yeyakaesseoyo?
Did you make a reservation?
Guest
네. 오늘 저녁 여섯 시로 예약했어요.
Ne. Oneul jeonyeok yeoseot siro yeyakaesseoyo.
Yes. I booked for six this evening.
Guest
내일도 예약하고 싶어요.
Naeildo yeyakago sipeoyo.
I’d like to book for tomorrow too.
Staff
네. 내일은 몇 시가 좋으세요?
Ne. Naeireun myeot siga joeuseyo?
Certainly. What time would suit you tomorrow?
여섯 시로 marks the time chosen for the booking. The guest uses 예약했어요 for an existing reservation and 예약하고 싶어요 for a new request. The staff’s final question asks which time would suit the guest. In a real exchange, the staff would also need the party size and a name.
Booking Details: What, When and for How Many?
The object of 예약하다 names what you reserve: a room, a table or a service. 호텔을 예약하다 is convenient shorthand for booking a stay at a hotel. It does not normally mean hiring the whole building. The business context supplies the room or accommodation that English often spells out.
A booking time and the time of making the booking are different pieces of information. In the existing example 내일 표를 예약할 거예요, “tomorrow” tells us when the speaker plans to reserve a ticket. It does not by itself specify the departure or performance date on that ticket.
A phrase such as 여섯 시로 identifies six o’clock as the selected reservation time. For an actual restaurant booking, give the date too. A bare “six” could refer to today or another day already under discussion; the verb does not resolve that detail for you.
예약 인원 means the number of people in the reservation. 예약자 이름 is the name of the person who booked. These are useful labels to recognize on a booking form, alongside 예약 시간, “reservation time”. None of those fields is asking for the action of booking again.
Where Will You See 예약?
예약 가능 means reservations are available or possible. 예약 마감 means bookings have closed. These short labels describe availability; they are not complete polite sentences. A button labeled 예약하기 means “Book” or “Make a reservation” and names the action the button starts.
예약 확인 means reservation confirmation or checking a reservation. It can label a confirmation message or a place to look up booking details. 예약 취소 means cancellation. Opening either screen is different from making a new reservation, so read the noun after 예약 before selecting an option.
사전 예약 means advance reservation. Literally, both parts point to arranging something beforehand, but the combination is common when a venue asks visitors to book before arriving. The phrase alone does not say that you have paid. Payment and cancellation terms are separate details of the booking.
You hear 예약하다 at restaurants, hotels, salons and clinics. A friendly 예약했어요 is polite conversational Korean. 예약했습니다 gives the same completed action in a more formal style and is useful when announcing your booking at a reception desk. The choice changes the tone, not whether the reservation exists.
Which Form Should the Customer Use?
예약하고 싶어요 expresses a wish to book. 예약했어요 reports that you have already booked. Mixing those up changes the task for the staff: one asks for a new arrangement, while the other asks them to find an existing one. Use the past when arriving for a reservation you made earlier.
예약하세요 can be a polite instruction to reserve or an honorific reference to someone’s booking. It is not the form for your own “I book”. The 하다 ending follows the 하다 to 해요 lesson; the ㄱ-plus-ㅎ sound change affects pronunciation while the spelling keeps 예약하.
Keep a space in 예약할 거예요 and 예약 안 해요. The first describes a plan, and the second says the speaker does not book. Neither has the meaning “cancel an existing booking”: for that action, learn 취소하다.
Words That Help Finish the Booking
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 예약자 | person who booked | Often used when a business asks for the booking name. |
| 인원 | number of people | The party size, rather than the number of tables. |
| 확인 | confirmation / checking | Appears when you verify existing details. |
| 취소 | cancellation | Ends a booking already made. |
The restaurant vocabulary lesson teaches the words around tables, guests and ordering.
Mini Drill: Request or Existing Reservation?
- Choose the form for an existing booking: 예약했어요 or 예약하고 싶어요.
- Change 예약해요 to formal present.
- Write the short negative with spaces.
- Choose the verb for canceling: 예약하다 or 취소하다.
Show drill answers
- 예약했어요.
- 예약합니다.
- 예약 안 해요.
- 취소하다.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 사전 예약 alone prove that payment is complete?
- What information does 예약 인원 request?
- Is a plan to meet a friend normally 예약 or 약속?
Show answers
- No. It refers to advance booking.
- The number of people in the booking.
- 약속; 예약 concerns a reservation with a service or venue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Form of 예약하다?
The polite present is 예약해요 and the polite past is 예약했어요. The formal present is 예약합니다.
Which Particle Marks the Thing Booked?
을/를: 식당을 예약해요 (I book a restaurant), 호텔을 예약하고 싶어요 (I want to book a hotel).
How Is 예약하다 Pronounced?
It is read [예야카다]: the ㄱ of 약 and the ㅎ of 하 merge into ㅋ.
Is 예약 Also a Noun?
Yes. 예약 means a reservation, so you can say 예약이 있어요 (I have a reservation).
How Is 예약하다 Different from 약속하다?
약속하다 is a promise or plan between people, while 예약하다 is booking with a business such as a restaurant or hotel.
Which Words Are Related to 예약하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Go on to 취소하다, 예매하다 and 약속하다, and see 주문하다 for ordering. You can try other verbs in the Korean verb conjugator. Browse every entry in the Korean verb dictionary.