-(느)ㄴ다
plain declarative — the written form
The form you meet in books, news, and diaries. It is not casual speech, and it is not polite speech — it is speech addressed to nobody in particular.
Build it
Pick a word
When to use it
The form divides by word class. Verbs take -ㄴ다 after a vowel and -는다 after a consonant: 간다, 먹는다. Adjectives take plain -다, which is the dictionary form itself: 좋다, 예쁘다. 이다 gives -이다. The past is -았/었다 for everything.
Stems ending in ㄹ drop it: 만들다 gives 만든다.
Its home is writing: novels, newspapers, academic prose, diaries, subtitles. There is no listener to be polite to, so no politeness marking appears. Learners often mistake it for rude speech, but it is simply neutral.
In conversation it does appear among close friends, though the more usual casual form is -아/어 — 간다 in speech sounds emphatic or slightly theatrical, while 가 is ordinary.
How to attach it
| Word type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb, vowel stem | -ㄴ다 | 가다 → 간다 |
| Verb, consonant stem | -는다 | 먹다 → 먹는다 |
| Verb, ㄹ stem | ㄹ drops | 만들다 → 만든다 |
| Adjective | -다 — dictionary form | 좋다 → 좋다 |
| Past, any word type | -았/었다 | 갔다 / 좋았다 |
| 이다 | -(이)다 | 학생이다 |
In use
그는 매일 아침 공원에 간다.
He goes to the park every morning.
한국의 겨울은 매우 춥다.
Winters in Korea are very cold.
오늘도 비가 왔다.
It rained again today.
이 회사는 매년 새 제품을 만든다.
This company releases a new product every year.
그 사람은 유명한 작가이다.
He is a well-known writer.
정부는 새로운 정책을 발표했다.
The government announced a new policy.
Compared with
-아요/어요
-아요 addresses a listener politely; -(느)ㄴ다 addresses no one. A diary uses the second because there is nobody to be polite to.
오늘 비가 와요. (to someone) / 오늘 비가 왔다. (in a diary)
-아/어 (반말)
Both are non-polite, but -아/어 is the everyday casual form in speech. -(느)ㄴ다 in conversation sounds declarative or dramatic.
나 지금 가. (I’m off) / 나 간다! (I’m going, then!)
Adjectives keep the dictionary form
This is why 좋다 looks identical in the dictionary and in a novel, while 가다 becomes 간다. The split matters for the reported speech forms built on top of it.
간다 (verb) / 좋다 (adjective)
Watch out
한국의 겨울은 춥는다.
한국의 겨울은 춥다.
Adjectives take plain -다, unchanged from the dictionary form. Only verbs take -ㄴ다 or -는다.
이 회사는 새 제품을 만들는다.
이 회사는 새 제품을 만든다.
Stems ending in ㄹ drop it before -ㄴ다, as they do before -ㅂ니다 and -(으)세요.
선생님, 저는 지금 간다.
선생님, 저는 지금 갑니다.
This form carries no politeness. Addressed to someone you respect it sounds abrupt; use -ㅂ니다 or -아요.
Next
koreangrammarmap.com