이다

Korean

Etymology

Of native Korean origin.

Adjective

이다 (ida)

1. To be (something); to equal
   • 개밥바라기는 샛별이다.

     Gaebapbaragi-neun saetbyeor-ida.

     Hesperus is Phosphorus.

   • 사람은 짐승이다.

     Sarameun jimseung-ida.

     Men are animals.

Usage notes

이다 (ida) is the Korean positive copula. Along with its negative, 아니다 (anida), it is often categorized as a Korean adjective, but often placed in their own grammatical category distinct from both verbs and adjectives. Some grammars classify 이다 (ida) as a particle and, like a particle, it is appended to the preceding word without an intervening space.

Conjugation

Some inflections of 이다 (ida) have both a -이에- form and a -예- form. For those inflections, the former is used when the preceding word end in a consonant, the latter when the preceding word ends in a vowel. Likewise for the inflections that have both a -이었- and -였- form.

• 해라체 (haerache, “plain”): -이다, -이었다 or -였다, -이겠다; -이냐, -이었느냐, -이겠느냐
• 해요체 (haeyoche, “polite”): -이에요 or -예요/-에요, -이었어요 or -였어요, -이겠어요
• 해체 (haeche, “informal”): -이야 or 야, -이었어 or -였어, -이겠어
• 합쇼체 (hapsyoche, “formal”): -입니다, -이었습니다 or -였습니다, -이겠습니다; -입니까, -이었습니까 or -였습니까, -이겠습니까

Antonyms

• 아니다 (anida, “To not be (something)”)

See also

• 있다 (itda, “to exist”)
• 없다 (eopda, “not to exist”)