4 · Helping verbs and modal patterns
Ended up, and will not give up: -고 말다
an outcome nobody could stop
-고 말았다 says that something happened in the end, usually against a wish; -고 말겠다 vows to see something through.
At a glance
- Remember
- Go marasseoyo: it happened in the end, sadly. Go malgesseoyo: it will happen, whatever it takes.
- Form
- 울고 말았어요ended up, against a wish
- Signal words
- -고 말았다
- -고 말겠다
- 결국
- 끝내
- 그만
- Trap
- Wrong:이번 시험에는 꼭 합격하고 말았어요!Right:이번 시험에는 꼭 합격하고 말겠어요!
Your turn
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The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Korean.
| ended up, against a wish | 울고 말았어요 |
| after a stem in a consonant | 잊다 → 잊고 말았어요 |
| a vow | 합격하고 말겠어요 |
| a vow, in the future form | 이기고 말 거예요 |
| with 결국 | 결국 늦고 말았어요 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
In the past, -고 말았다 says that something happened in the end, usually against a wish.
결국 마지막 기차를 놓치고 말았어요.In the end I missed the last train.
It is often combined with 결국, 끝내 or 그만.
그만 친구의 비밀을 말하고 말았어요.I let my friend's secret slip.
With -겠-, it vows to bring something about.
올해는 꼭 담배를 끊고 말겠어요.This year I am going to give up smoking, no matter what.
It follows action verbs and verbs of change, such as 시들다, “to wither”.
꽃이 다 시들고 말았어요.The flowers have all withered.
Example sentences
열심히 뛰었지만 결국 버스를 놓치고 말았어요.I ran as fast as I could, but in the end I missed the bus.
너무 슬퍼서 끝내 울고 말았어요.It was so sad that I finally burst into tears.
다이어트 중이었는데 그만 케이크를 다 먹고 말았어요.I was on a diet, but I ended up eating the whole cake.
비밀번호를 또 잊어버리고 말았어요.I have gone and forgotten my password again.
다음 대회에서는 꼭 이기고 말겠어요.I am going to win the next competition, whatever it takes.
그 회사는 결국 문을 닫고 말았어요.In the end the company closed down.
7 more example sentences
조심했는데도 그만 컵을 깨뜨리고 말았어요.I was being careful, but I ended up breaking the glass.
기다리다가 결국 잠이 들고 말았어요.I was waiting, and in the end I fell asleep.
아껴 쓰려고 했는데 월급을 다 쓰고 말았어요.I meant to be careful, but I have spent all my wages.
그 영화를 보다가 끝내 울고 말았어요.Watching that film, I finally burst into tears.
언젠가는 그 산 정상에 오르고 말 거예요.One day I am going to reach the top of that mountain.
너무 웃겨서 그만 웃고 말았어요.It was so funny that I could not help laughing.
우리 팀이 결국 지고 말았어요.In the end our team lost.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
꼭 and the exclamation make this a vow about the future, and a vow takes -겠-: 합격하고 말겠어요. In the past, -고 말았어요 reports an outcome that has already happened — and usually one the speaker did not want.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
-고 goes onto the stem of an action verb and 말다, “to stop, to end”, follows: 울고 말았어요, 잊어버리고 말았어요. In the past, it says that in the end something happened that the speaker had hoped would not, or had tried to prevent: 참으려고 했는데 결국 울고 말았어요, “I tried to hold back, but in the end I cried”.
The words that most often come with it are 결국, “in the end”, 끝내, “finally”, and 그만, “without meaning to”. Together they make the typical sentence of regret: 그만 비밀을 말하고 말았어요, “I let the secret slip”.
With -겠- or -(으)ㄹ 거예요, the same pattern turns into a vow: 이번에는 꼭 합격하고 말겠어요, “this time I am going to pass, whatever it takes”. The idea is the same — an outcome that nothing will stop — but now the speaker wants it.
Next to -아/어 버리다, which also reports something done completely, -고 말다 is a little more formal and puts the stress on the struggle before the outcome. -아/어 버리다 is more colloquial, and can also carry relief: 숙제를 다 해 버렸어요. The two often stand side by side in narrative.
A closer look
Why the verb for “stop” means “in the end”
말다 is the verb that ends things: it is the same verb as in -지 마세요, “don't”. After -고, it says that a process ran its course and stopped at its end point, with nothing left to change it.
That is why the pattern is so common in stories and news reports. 그 다리는 결국 무너지고 말았다 does not only say that the bridge collapsed; it says that the collapse was the end of a story that might have gone differently.
Worth knowing (1)
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A narrative voice
In the written plain style, -고 말았다 is a favourite ending of stories and reports, where it marks the turning point: 결국 두 사람은 헤어지고 말았다.
결국 두 사람은 헤어지고 말았다.In the end the two of them broke up.
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