-고 말다 - End up doing

-고 말다 expresses that something ultimately happened, often despite efforts to prevent it or reluctance. It means "end up [verb]-ing," "finally [verb]," or "inevitably [verb]." This pattern typically carries a sense of regret, resignation, or inevitability.

Structure

Verb stem + -고 말다

Breakdown:

• -고: Connective ending
• 말다: To stop, cease

Literal meaning: "Do and stop" → "End up doing" (paradoxically)

Conjugation

Present Tense (Rare)

Formal: -고 맙니다

Polite: -고 말아요

Note: Present tense is rarely used; pattern mainly appears in past and future

Past Tense (Most Common)

Formal: -고 말았습니다

Polite: -고 말았어요

Casual: -고 말았어

Future Tense

Formal: -고 말 것입니다

Polite: -고 말 거예요

Casual: -고 말 거야

Core Meanings

1. Inevitable Outcome (Regret)

Something happened despite trying to prevent it:

• 결국 울고 말았어요 (ended up crying in the end)
• 실패하고 말았어요 (ended up failing)
• 포기하고 말았어요 (ended up giving up)

2. Undesirable Result

Something you didn't want to happen:

• 늦고 말았어요 (ended up being late)
• 화내고 말았어요 (ended up getting angry)
• 싸우고 말았어요 (ended up fighting)

3. Final Resolution

Something that finally happened after a long time:

• 드디어 성공하고 말았어요 (finally succeeded)
• 결국 이기고 말았어요 (ended up winning in the end)

4. Completion Despite Difficulty

Managed to do something after struggle:

• 끝내고 말았어요 (finally finished it)
• 해내고 말았어요 (managed to do it in the end)

Emotional Nuances

Regret/Disappointment (Most Common)

Something unfortunate happened:

• 잊고 말았어요 (ended up forgetting - regret)
• 놓치고 말았어요 (ended up missing - regret)
• 잃어버리고 말았어요 (ended up losing - regret)

Resignation/Inevitability

Accepting something couldn't be prevented:

• 죽고 말았어요 (ended up dying - inevitability)
• 그렇게 되고 말았어요 (it ended up that way)
• 헤어지고 말았어요 (ended up breaking up)

Relief (Less Common)

Finally happened after waiting:

• 드디어 만나고 말았어요 (finally met)
• 이루고 말았어요 (finally achieved it)

Politeness Levels

Formal (합니다체)

• 울고 말았습니다 (ended up crying)
• 실패하고 말았습니다 (ended up failing)
• 포기하고 말았습니다 (ended up giving up)

Polite (해요체)

• 울고 말았어요 (ended up crying)
• 실패하고 말았어요 (ended up failing)
• 포기하고 말았어요 (ended up giving up)

Casual (반말)

• 울고 말았어 (ended up crying)
• 실패하고 말았어 (ended up failing)
• 포기하고 말았어 (ended up giving up)

Common Usage Patterns

Failure/Mistakes

Undesired outcomes:

• 시험에 떨어지고 말았어요 (ended up failing the exam)
• 실수하고 말았어요 (ended up making a mistake)
• 망치고 말았어요 (ended up ruining it)

Emotional Breakdowns

Losing control emotionally:

• 울고 말았어요 (ended up crying)
• 화내고 말았어요 (ended up getting angry)
• 소리 지르고 말았어요 (ended up yelling)

Time-Related Regrets

Being late or missing deadlines:

• 늦고 말았어요 (ended up being late)
• 마감을 놓치고 말았어요 (ended up missing the deadline)
• 지각하고 말았어요 (ended up being tardy)

Relationship Issues

Negative relationship outcomes:

• 헤어지고 말았어요 (ended up breaking up)
• 싸우고 말았어요 (ended up fighting)
• 오해하고 말았어요 (ended up misunderstanding)

Loss/Forgetting

Losing or forgetting something:

• 잊고 말았어요 (ended up forgetting)
• 잃어버리고 말았어요 (ended up losing)
• 놓치고 말았어요 (ended up missing out)

Common Expressions

With 결국 (In the end)

Emphasizing inevitability:

• 결국 포기하고 말았어요 (ended up giving up in the end)
• 결국 실패하고 말았어요 (ended up failing in the end)
• 결국 그렇게 되고 말았어요 (it ended up that way in the end)

With 드디어 (Finally)

After long wait or effort:

• 드디어 만나고 말았어요 (finally met)
• 드디어 성공하고 말았어요 (finally succeeded)

Negative Outcomes

• 망하고 말았어요 (ended up ruining/failing)
• 깨지고 말았어요 (ended up breaking)
• 죽고 말았어요 (ended up dying)

Future Tense Usage

Predicting Inevitable Outcome

Warning about what will happen:

• 이러다가 실패하고 말 거예요
  (If you keep this up, you'll end up failing)

• 계속 그러면 화내고 말 거야
  (If you keep doing that, I'll end up getting angry)

• 포기하고 말 거예요
  (You'll end up giving up)

Determination (Rare)

Resolving to definitely do something:

• 이번엔 꼭 성공하고 말 거예요
  (This time I'll definitely succeed)

Negative Forms

Didn't End Up

안 -고 말다:

• 안 울고 말았어요 (didn't end up crying)
• 안 늦고 말았어요 (didn't end up being late)

-지 않고 말다 (rare):

• 울지 않고 말았어요 (didn't end up crying)

Commands Not To

-고 말지 마세요 (uncommon):

• 포기하고 말지 마세요 (Don't end up giving up)

Question Forms

Asking If Something Ended Up Happening

Did you end up...?:

• 결국 가고 말았어요? (Did you end up going in the end?)
• 포기하고 말았어요? (Did you end up giving up?)
• 늦고 말았어요? (Did you end up being late?)

Comparison with Similar Patterns

-고 말다 vs -아/어 버리다

-고 말다: Inevitable, often regrettable

• 울고 말았어요 (ended up crying - couldn't help it)

-아/어 버리다: Complete action, various emotions

• 울어 버렸어요 (cried completely - might be relief, regret, etc.)

Nuance:

• -고 말다: Emphasizes inevitability and resistance
• -아/어 버리다: Emphasizes completion and finality

-고 말다 vs -게 되다

-고 말다: Negative connotation, regret

• 실패하고 말았어요 (ended up failing - regret)

-게 되다: Neutral, circumstantial

• 실패하게 됐어요 (came to fail - circumstances led to it)

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Exam Failure

A: 시험 어떻게 됐어요?
(How did the exam go?)

B: 너무 어려워서 결국 포기하고 말았어요.
(It was too hard, so I ended up giving up in the end.)

A: 안 됐네요. 다음엔 잘할 수 있을 거예요.
(That's too bad. You'll do well next time.)

Dialogue 2: Being Late

A: 왜 이렇게 늦었어요?
(Why are you so late?)

B: 길이 막혀서 늦고 말았어요. 미안해요.
(The road was blocked, so I ended up being late. Sorry.)

Dialogue 3: Relationship

A: 남자친구랑 어떻게 됐어요?
(What happened with your boyfriend?)

B: 자꾸 싸워서 결국 헤어지고 말았어요.
(We kept fighting, so we ended up breaking up.)

Dialogue 4: Warning

A: 공부 안 하고 계속 놀아요?
(You keep playing without studying?)

B: 괜찮아요.
(It's fine.)

A: 이러다가 시험에 떨어지고 말 거예요!
(At this rate, you'll end up failing the exam!)

Dialogue 5: Emotional

A: 영화 어땠어요?
(How was the movie?)

B: 너무 슬퍼서 울고 말았어요.
(It was so sad that I ended up crying.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 행복하고 말았어요

Using with positive outcomes (sounds unnatural)

✅ Correct: Use for negative or inevitable outcomes

-고 말다 is typically for regrettable situations

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❌ Incorrect: 먹고 말았어요 (for simple completion)

Using for neutral actions

✅ Correct: 먹어 버렸어요

Use -아/어 버리다 for simple completion

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❌ Incorrect: 좋고 말았어요

Using with adjectives

✅ Correct: Only use with verbs

-고 말다 is for actions, not states

Usage Notes

When to Use -고 말다

Use when:

• Something happened despite trying to prevent it
• Expressing regret about an outcome
• Showing inevitability or resignation
• Describing final unfortunate results
• Warning about negative consequences

Common with:

• Failure verbs: 실패하다, 포기하다, 떨어지다
• Loss verbs: 잃다, 잊다, 놓치다
• Emotional verbs: 울다, 화내다
• Separation verbs: 헤어지다, 그만두다
• Death/destruction: 죽다, 망하다, 깨지다

Less common with:

• Positive outcomes (unless after long struggle)
• Neutral daily actions
• Intentional planned actions

Summary Table

Verb	-고 말다 Form	Typical Nuance
울다	울고 말았어요	Ended up crying (regret)
실패하다	실패하고 말았어요	Ended up failing
포기하다	포기하고 말았어요	Ended up giving up
늦다	늦고 말았어요	Ended up being late
헤어지다	헤어지고 말았어요	Ended up breaking up
잊다	잊고 말았어요	Ended up forgetting
화내다	화내고 말았어요	Ended up getting angry
죽다	죽고 말았어요	Ended up dying
망하다	망하고 말았어요	Ended up ruining/failing
싸우다	싸우고 말았어요	Ended up fighting

Key Takeaways

• ✅ Inevitability: Expresses unavoidable outcomes
• ✅ Regret/resignation: Usually negative or unfortunate results
• ✅ Past tense dominant: Mainly used for things that already happened
• ✅ Strong emotion: Conveys speaker's feelings about the outcome
• ✅ Different from -아/어 버리다: Emphasizes resistance and inevitability
• ✅ Warning in future: Can warn about negative consequences

-고 말다 is essential for expressing regret, inevitability, and resignation about outcomes. It adds emotional depth and shows that something happened despite the speaker's wishes or efforts to prevent it. Master this pattern to convey complex feelings about unavoidable results in Korean.