Korean

Adjective

이다 • ‎(ida) ‎(infinitive 여 or 이어, sequential 이니)

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

     Gaebapbaragineun saetbyeorida.

     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

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

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 ends 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, “formal non polite”): -이다 or -다, -이었다 or -였다, -이겠다 or -겠다; -이냐 or -냐, -이었냐 or 였냐, -이겠냐 or -겠냐
• 해체 (haeche, “informal non polite”): -이야 or 야, -이었어 or -였어, -이겠어 or -겠어
• 해요체 (haeyoche, “informal polite”): -이에요 or -예요, -이었어요 or -였어요, -이겠어요 or -겠어요
• 하십시오체 (hasipsioche, “formal polite”): -입니다 or -ㅂ니다 (colloquial), -이었습니다 or -였습니다, -이겠습니다 or -겠습니다; -입니까 or -ㅂ니까 (colloquial), -이었습니까 or -였습니까, -이겠습니까 or -겠습니까

Synonyms

• 다 (da) (after a vowel)

Antonyms

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

See also

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