있다

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Korean 잇다 (ista), from Old Korean 有叱 (*Is-). Related to the past tense marker 었 (-eot). Cognate with Jeju 잇다 (itda), 이시다 (isida), 싯다 (sitda).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [it̚t͈a̠]

  • (file)

• Phonetic hangul: [읻따]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	itda
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	issda
McCune–Reischauer?	itta
Yale Romanization?	issta

Verb

있다 • (itda) (infinitive 있어, sequential 있으니)

1. to stay, remain in a location

   어디 가지 말고, 여기 있어라! ― Eodi gaji malgo, yeogi isseora! ― Don't go anywhere and stay here!

   할머니께서는 시장 다녀오실 테니 집에 있으라고 하셨어.

   Halmeoni-kkeseoneun sijang danyeoosil teni jib-e isseurago hasyeosseo.

   Grandmother said to stay at home because she's going to go to the market.

   1. to keep working for a company

      저는 이 회사에 있은 지 벌써 이십삼 년이 돼 버렸어요.

      Jeo-neun i hoesa-e isseun ji beolsseo isipsam nyeon-i dwae beoryeosseoyo.

      I've been working at this company for 23 years already.

   2. (used with an adverb) to stay in a certain state

      가만히 있다 ― gamanhi itda ― to stay still and quiet

2. for time to pass

   이제 가도 돼요?
   아니요, 좀 있다가 오세요.

   Ije gado dwaeyo?
   Aniyo, jom itdaga oseyo.

   Should I come now?
   No, come in a little bit.

   (literally, “Is it okay for me to go now?
   No, (let) some time go by and then come.”)

3. (auxiliary, after the 어/아 (-eo/a) infinitive) to be (in a state)

   죽어 있다 ― jugeo itda ― to be dead

   모여 있다 ― moyeo itda ― to be gathered together

4. (auxiliary, after the 고 (-go) connective) to be in the process of

   죽고 있다 ― jukgo itda ― to be dying

   모이고 있다 ― moigo itda ― to be gathering together

5. (auxiliary, after the 고 (-go) connective) to maintain in the result of

   오늘은 아주 예쁜 옷을 입고 있네요! ― Oneur-eun aju yeppeun oseul ipgo inneyo! ― You're wearing really pretty clothes today!

   아침에 좀 이상한 구두를 신고 있는 걸 보니 좋은 구두는 잃어버렸나 보구나.

   Achim-e jom isanghan gudu-reul sin'go inneun geol boni jo'eun gudu-neun ireobeoryeonna boguna.

   In the morning I saw them wearing weird dress shoes, so they must've lost their good ones.

Conjugation

    Selected forms of the verb 있다 (itda): consonant-stem, regular

Sentence-final forms
		Formal non-polite (해라체)	Informal non-polite (해체)	Informal polite (해요체)	Formal polite (하십시오체)
Indicative	Non-past	있는다 inneunda	있어 isseo	있어요 isseoyo	있습니다 itseumnida
	Past	있었다 isseotda	있었어 isseosseo	있었어요 isseosseoyo	있었습니다 isseotseumnida
Interrogative	Non-past	있느냐 inneunya	있어 isseo	있어요 isseoyo	있습니까 itseumnikka
	Past	있었느냐 isseonneunya	있었어 isseosseo	있었어요 isseosseoyo	있었습니까 isseotseumnikka
Hortative		있자 itja	있어 isseo	있어요 isseoyo	있으십시다 isseusipsida
Imperative		있어라 isseora	있어 isseo	있어요 isseoyo	있읍시오 isseupsio
Assertive		있겠다 itgetda	있겠어 itgesseo	있겠어요 itgesseoyo	있겠습니다 itgetseumnida
Connective forms
Cause/Reason		있어 isseo	있어서 isseoseo	있으니 isseuni	있으니까 isseunikka
Contrast		있지만 itjiman	있는데 inneunde	있더니 itdeoni
Conjunction		있고 itgo
Condition		있으면 isseumyeon	있어야 isseoya
Motive		있으려고 isseuryeogo
Noun and determiner forms
Verbal nouns		있음 isseum	있기 itgi
Past-tense verbal nouns		있었음 isseosseum	있었기 isseotgi
Determiners	Past	있은 isseun
	Present	있는 inneun
	Future	있을 isseul

(to be in a place, to exist): 계시다 (gyesida)
(to be in a state): 계시다 (gyesida)
(to have): 있으시다 (isseusida)

Derived terms

• 가만있다 (gamanitda, “to keep quiet, remain still”)
• (prison slang) 실여있다 (siryeoitda, “to wait”)
• (North Korea, euphemistic) 앉아있다 (anjaitda, “for an older person to be alive”)

 

Adjective

있다 • (itda) (infinitive 있어, sequential 있으니)

1. to be (in a place); to exist

   Antonym: 없다 (eopda)

   뉴욕은 미국에 있다.

   Nyuyog-eun Migug-e itda.

   New York is in the United States.

   물속에 물고기가 있다.

   Mulsog-e mulgogi-ga itda.

   There are fish in the water.

   1. (by extension) to have

      Antonym: 없다 (eopda)

      그녀는 남자친구가 있다.

      Geunyeo-neun namjachin'gu-ga itda.

      She has a boyfriend.

      저는 집도 있고 차도 있어요.

      Jeo-neun jip-do itgo cha-do isseoyo.

      I have a house and a car.

Conjugation

    Selected forms of the adjective 있다 (itda): consonant-stem, 있/없(it/eop)-irregular

Sentence-final forms
		Formal non-polite (해라체)	Informal non-polite (해체)	Informal polite (해요체)	Formal polite (하십시오체)
Indicative	Non-past	있다 itda	있어 isseo	있어요 isseoyo	있습니다 itseumnida
	Past	있었다 isseotda	있었어 isseosseo	있었어요 isseosseoyo	있었습니다 isseotseumnida
Interrogative	Non-past	있느냐 inneunya	있어 isseo	있어요 isseoyo	있습니까 itseumnikka
	Past	있었느냐 isseonneunya	있었어 isseosseo	있었어요 isseosseoyo	있었습니까 isseotseumnikka
Assertive		있겠다 itgetda	있겠어 itgesseo	있겠어요 itgesseoyo	있겠습니다 itgetseumnida
Connective forms
Cause/Reason		있어 isseo	있어서 isseoseo	있으니 isseuni	있으니까 isseunikka
Contrast		있지만 itjiman	있는데 inneunde	있더니 itdeoni
Conjunction		있고 itgo
Condition		있으면 isseumyeon	있어야 isseoya
Noun and determiner forms
Verbal nouns		있음 isseum	있기 itgi
Past-tense verbal nouns		있었음 isseosseum	있었기 isseotgi
Determiners	Present		있는 inneun
	Future		있을 isseul

(to be in a place, to exist): 계시다 (gyesida)

(to have): 있으시다 (isseusida)

Derived terms

• 값있다 (gapsitda, “to be valuable, worthy”)
• 관계있다 (gwan'gyeitda, “to be related”)
• 다기있다 (dagiitda, “to be stubborn”)
• 뜻있다 (tteusitda, “to be ambitious, to have meaning”)
• 맛있다 (masitda, “to be delicious”)
• 멋있다 (meositda, “to be cool, stylish”)
• 빛있다 (bichitda, “to be pretty, beautiful”)
• 상관있다 (sanggwanitda, “to be interrelated”)
• 재미있다 (jaemiitda, “to be amusing, interesting, entertaining”)
• 지멸있다 (jimyeoritda, “to be patient; to be straightforward”)

 

See also

• 이다 (ida, “to equal (copula)”)
• 아니다 (anida, “not to equal (negative copula)”)
• 계시다 (gyesida, “to stay”) honorific form of 있다

References

• 《우리말샘》 [1]
• 국립국어원, The National Institute of Korean Language (2016) “있다”, in 한국어영어 학습사전 [han'gugeo-yeong'eo hakseupsajeon, Korean-English Learners' Dictionary]