The Korean grammar pattern ‘-아/어 두다’ is used to describe actions done in advance or intentionally left in a maintained state. It is commonly used to express preparation, future convenience, and maintained results in everyday Korean.
In this guide, you’ll learn the meaning, structure, conjugation rules, tense variations, common usage patterns, and real-life examples
Contents
1. What Does ‘-아/어 두다’ Mean in Korean Grammar?
‘-아/어 두다’ is a Korean grammar pattern used to describe actions performed intentionally and left in a prepared, completed, or maintained state.
In simple terms, it can express:
• Doing something in advance
• Leaving something done
• Keeping something ready for later
• Maintaining a certain condition
Unlike simple past tense, this pattern emphasizes intentional action and its maintained result, often implying preparation or future usefulness.
1-1. Core Meaning
At its core, ‘-아/어 두다’ focuses on:
👉 An action + its maintained result
Example:
문을 열어 두었어요.
(I opened the door and left it open.)
The key idea is not just opening the door, but the door remaining open.
2. Formation of ‘-아/어 두다’
2-1. Basic Structure
The grammar pattern ‘-아/어 두다’ follows this structure:
Verb Stem + -아/어 + 두다
This pattern attaches only to verbs.
2-2. Choosing -아 or -어
The form depends on the final vowel of the verb stem.
✔ Use -아 두다 → when the stem contains ㅏ or ㅗ
✔ Use -어 두다 → for all other vowels
This follows the same vowel rule used in standard Korean conjugation.
1. Use -아 두다 (ㅏ / ㅗ verbs)
These verbs follow the -아요 form in everyday speech.
- 닫다 (to close) → 닫아 두다 (to close and leave closed)
- 놓다 (to put/place) → 놔 두다 (to put and leave)
- 앉다 (to sit) → 앉아 두다 (to sit and stay seated)
- 담다 (to put in) → 담아 두다 (to put in and leave)
- 꽂다 (to insert) → 꽂아 두다 (to insert and leave)
2. Use -어 두다 (other vowels)
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹어 두다 (to eat in advance)
- 읽다 (to read) → 읽어 두다 (to read beforehand)
- 만들다 (to make) → 만들어 두다 (to make and keep ready)
- 배우다 (to learn) → 배워 두다 (to learn ahead of time)
- 열다 (to open) → 열어 두다 (to open and leave open)
2-3. 하다 Verbs
All 하다 verbs follow this rule:
하다 → 해 두다
- 준비하다 (to prepare) → 준비해 두다 (to prepare in advance)
- 청소하다 (to clean) → 청소해 두다 (to clean beforehand)
- 예약하다 (to make a reservation) → 예약해 두다 (to make a reservation ahead of time)
- 공부하다 (to study) → 공부해 두다 (to study in advance)
- 정리하다 (to organize) → 정리해 두다 (to organize and leave organized)
2-4. Contractions in Natural Speech
In everyday conversation, contracted forms are extremely common.
두어요 → 둬요
두었어요 → 뒀어요
Examples:
닫아 두었어요 → 닫아 뒀어요
( I closed it and left it closed. )
먹어 두었어요 → 먹어 뒀어요
( I ate it in advance. )
Spoken Korean strongly prefers these shortened forms.
Past Tense ( -아/어 두었다)
- 닫다 (to close) → 닫아 두었어요/뒀어요. (closed and left closed)
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹어 두었어요/뒀어요. (ate in advance)
- 준비하다 (to prepare) → 준비해 두었어요/뒀어요. (prepared in advance)
📌 Note:
두었어요 → more formal
뒀어요 → more natural in spoken Korean
Future Tense (-아/어 둘 거다)
- 닫다 (to close) → 닫아 둘 거예요 (will close and leave closed)
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹어 둘 거예요 (will eat in advance)
- 준비하다 (to prepare) → 준비해 둘 거예요 (will prepare in advance)
3. Meaning and Usage of ‘-아/어 두다’
The grammar pattern ‘-아/어 두다’ is commonly used when a speaker wants to emphasize preparation, intention, or maintaining a resulting state.
This structure frequently appears in everyday Korean when describing actions connected to future convenience or deliberate conditions.
3-1. Expressing Actions Done in Advance
One of the most common uses of ‘-아/어 두다’ is describing actions completed now for future benefit or convenience.
- 숙제하다 (to do homework) → 숙제를 다 해 두었어요.
(I finished my homework in advance) - 요리하다 (to cook) → 음식을 미리 만들어 두었어요.
(I cooked food beforehand) - 짐 싸다 (to pack) → 여행 가기 전에 짐을 싸 두었어요.
(I packed before the trip) - 약 준비하다 (to prepare medicine) → 약을 준비해 두었어요.
(I prepared medicine ahead of time) - 옷 고르다 (to choose clothes) → 옷을 미리 골라 두었어요.
(I chose my clothes in advance)
3-2. Leaving Something in an Intended State
‘-아/어 두다’ is also used when an action intentionally leaves something in a particular condition.
- 창문 열다 (to open a window) → 창문을 열어 두었어요.
(I left the window open) - 문 잠그다 (to lock a door) → 문을 잠가 두었어요.
(I locked the door and left it locked) - 불 끄다 (to turn off a light) → 불을 꺼 두었어요.
(I turned off the light and left it off) - 컴퓨터 켜다 (to turn on a computer) → 컴퓨터를 켜 두었어요.
(I left the computer on) - 음악 틀다 (to play music) → 음악을 틀어 두었어요.
(I left the music playing)
3-3. Preparing or Storing for Future Use
Another frequent usage involves preparing, saving, or storing something for later situations.
- 물 얼리다 (to freeze water) → 물을 얼려 두었어요.
(I froze water for later use) - 돈 저축하다 (to save money) → 돈을 저축해 두었어요.
(I saved money in advance) - 자료 복사하다 (to copy materials) → 자료를 복사해 두었어요.
(I copied the materials beforehand) - 선물 포장하다 (to wrap a gift) → 선물을 포장해 두었어요.
(I wrapped the gift earlier) - 음식 냉장고에 넣다 (to store food) → 음식을 냉장고에 넣어 두었어요.
(I stored the food in the fridge)
4. Practice Sentences Using ‘-아/어 두다’
- 방을 깨끗하게 (청소하다) _______.
(I cleaned the room in advance.) - 창문을 (열다) _______.
(Please leave the window open.) - 음식을 미리 (만들다) _______.
(I cooked the food beforehand.) - 숙제를 다 (하다) _______.
(I finished the homework in advance.) - 책을 책상 위에 (놓다) _______.
(I put the book on the desk and left it there.) - 약을 (준비하다) _______.
(I prepared the medicine earlier.) - 자료를 (복사하다) _______.
(I copied the materials beforehand.) - 컴퓨터를 (켜다) _______.
(I will leave the computer on.) - 문을 (잠그다) _______.
(I will lock the door and leave it locked.) - 창문을 (열다) _______.
(I will leave the window open.)
Answers
- 청소해 두었어요
- 열어 두세요
- 만들어 두었어요
- 해 두었어요
- 놔 두었어요
- 준비해 두었어요
- 복사해 두었어요
- 켜 둘 거예요
- 잠가 둘 거예요
- 열어 둘 거예요
5. Frequently Asked Questions About ‘-아/어 두다’
Q1. What is the core meaning of ‘-아/어 두다’?
It describes an action that is done intentionally and left in a prepared or maintained state, often implying future benefit or usefulness.
Q2. What is the difference between ‘-아/어 두다’ and ‘-아/어 놓다’?
Both describe maintained results. However:
-아/어 두다 → emphasizes preparation / intention / usefulness
-아/어 놓다 → emphasizes resulting state
Still confused about -아/어 두다 vs -아/어 놓다?
See detailed explanations and real examples here 👇
👉 -아/어 놓다 vs -아/어 두다 in Korean: How to Use and Key Differences
Q3. Can ‘-아/어 두다’ be used with adjectives?
No. This grammar pattern only attaches to verbs because it describes actions, not qualities.
Q4. Is ‘두었어요’ different from ‘뒀어요’?
No. ‘뒀어요’ is simply the contracted spoken form.
Q5. Does ‘-아/어 두다’ always imply future use?
In many contexts, it suggests preparation or future convenience, but it can also describe intentionally maintained states.
6. Key Rules of ‘-아/어 두다’
- Expresses intentional actions left in a maintained state
- Often implies preparation or planning
- Use -아 after ㅏ / ㅗ verbs
- Use -어 after other verbs
- 하다 verbs → 해 두다
- Common across all tenses
- Frequently compared with ‘-아/어 놓다’
7. Related Korean Grammar Lessons
-아/어 놓다 (leaving something in a resulting state)
Used to describe an action that is completed and left in a certain condition.
While -아/어 두다 often emphasizes intention or preparation for future convenience, -아/어 놓다 focuses more on the resulting state itself.
-아/어 보다 (trying or experiencing an action)
Expresses attempting or experiencing something.
Unlike -아/어 두다, which highlights preparation or maintained results, -아/어 보다 centers on experimentation, discovery, and personal experience.
-(으)ㄹ 거예요 (future intention or plan)
Commonly used to describe future actions or intentions.
When combined conceptually with -아/어 두다, it often appears in planning contexts where speakers talk about preparing something in advance.
-고 있다 (ongoing action or maintained state)
Describes actions in progress or continuing states.
Compared to -아/어 두다, which implies completion and maintenance, -고 있다 highlights duration and continuity.
-게 되다 (change resulting from circumstances)
Used to express changes that happen due to situations or external factors.
Unlike -아/어 두다, which conveys deliberate action, -게 되다 typically signals unintended or natural developments.