했다
haetda
In Korean, "did" is expressed as 했다 (haetda).
했다 is a common way to translate "did" when describing actions or activities that have been completed in the past.
What does it mean word for word?
The form 했다 is a combination of the verb 하다 (to do) and the past tense suffix –었-.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes its ending depending on the level of formality: use 했습니다 for formal speech, 했어요 for polite speech and 했어 for informal speech.
How do you pronounce it?
haetda
Did you know?
- The verb 하다 (the root of 했다) is so versatile that it is used to express 'to love' 사랑하다 and 'to worry' 걱정하다, treating these emotions as things one 'does'.
- When someone says 다 했다 ('did it all'), it is often used as a social cue to signal they are finished with a task and are now waiting for the next instruction.
- While 'did' is a verb in English, Korean often uses 하다 to turn nouns into verbs, effectively turning 'to study' into 'to do study'.
Examples in context
- 나는 해야할 일을 했다.I did what had to be done.This sentence shows how to use 했다 to describe completing a task.Tatoeba #4573400 by imjcooper, translation #2314862 by CK
- 톰이 그걸 했다고 하니 기뻐.I'm glad to hear Tom did that.This sentence uses 했다 to report a completed action by someone else.Tatoeba #9689568 by ST_Young, translation #6108205 by CK
- 나는 돈을 위해 그것을 했다.I did it for the money.This sentence uses 했다 to describe an action performed for a specific reason.Tatoeba #11107555 by intertime, translation #5859828 by CK
- 뭐 했어?What did you do?
- 영화 봤어.I watched a movie.
- 저녁 먹었어?Did you have dinner?
- 그림 그렸어요?Did you draw a picture?
- 무엇을 하셨습니까?What did you do? (polite)
- 영화를 보셨습니까?Did you watch a movie? (polite)
- 저녁을 드셨습니까?Did you have dinner? (polite)
- 그림을 그리셨습니까?Did you draw a picture? (polite)
- 하루 동안 무엇을 하셨어요?What did you do all day? (polite)
- 어제 뭐 하셨어요?What did you do yesterday? (polite)
- 저번 주말에는 뭐 하셨어요?What did you do last weekend? (polite)
- 그 때 뭐 했던 거야?What did you do back then? (casual)
- 지난 주에 뭐 했던 거예요?What did you do last week? (polite)
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jihoon and Seoyon are talking about their homework.
- 지훈 Ji-hun서연아, 숙제 다 했어?Seoyeona, sukje da haesseo?Seoyon, did you finish your homework?
- 서연 Seo-yeon응, 어제 다 했다.Eung, eoje da haetda.Yes, I did it all yesterday.
- 지훈 Ji-hun정말 빠르네. 나는 아직 안 했어.Jeongmal ppareune. Naneun ajik an haesseo.That's really fast. I haven't done it yet.
- 서연 Seo-yeon지훈아, 지금 빨리 해.Jihoon-a, jigeum ppalli hae.Jihoon, do it quickly now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
