Lesson 170: ~고 말았다: To End Up Doing

Common Usages:
젖당 = lactose
젖산 = lactic acid
젖먹이 = baby (nursing infant)

Examples:
산모는 아기에게 젖을 먹이고 있었어요
= The mother was breastfeeding her baby

Examples:
산모는 아기에게 젖을 먹이고 있었어요
= The mother was breastfeeding her baby

산모는 산후조리원에서 몸조리를 하고 있어요
= The mother is recovering in a postpartum care center

산모가 너무 무리해서 결국 병원에 입원하고 말았어요
= The mother pushed herself too hard and ended up being hospitalized

Common Usages:
손해배상 = damage compensation
손해를 입히다 = to cause damage

Notes: Here is a funny story about how I use this word in my daily life. My brother is a bit of a wild person, and he drives an absolutely filthy, run-down van. One day I was helping him take a seat out of the van because he was planning a road trip and wanted to have some space to lay down if he wanted to sleep. I help him take the seat out, and he simply places the seat next to his house, outside, in plain view of anybody who would walk by. He says to me “If anybody wants to steal this – their loss.” I thought about it for a second, but it was entirely true. Who in the right mind is going to steal a random car seat from a filthy van?

I now find myself saying “their loss” sometimes. As I got better in Korean over the years, the opportunity presented itself to also say this in Korean. The best way to translate this to Korean would be “자기 손해.”

Examples:
그 결정으로 인해 큰 손해를 봤어요
= We suffered great damage due to that decision

처음에는 이 조건이 유리할 거라고 생각했지만 결국 손해를 보고 말았어요
= At first, I thought this condition would be advantageous, but in the end, I suffered a loss

Common Usages:
청약 통장 = housing subscription account
청약 당첨 = winning a housing subscription

Examples:
요즘 청약 경쟁률이 너무 높아요
= These days, the lottery competition for apartments is too high

청약은 아파트에서 사고 싶어 하는 희망자를 추첨하는 시스템이에요
= Chung-yak is a system where people who are hopeful to live in apartments are drawn

몇 년 동안 신청했지만 결국 청약에 또 떨어지고 말았어요
= I applied for years, but in the end, I failed the apartment lottery again

이번에는 반드시 청약에 당첨되고야 말겠어요!
= This time, I will win the apartment lottery no matter what!

Examples:
그들은 일란성 쌍둥이라 정말 닮았어요
= They are identical twins, so they look very alike

우리 쌍둥이가 일란성이라는 걸 모두에게 알리고야 말겠어요!
= I will make sure everyone knows that our twins are identical!

우리 쌍둥이가 일란성이 맞을 까 했는데 검사 결과 다르고 말았어요
= I thought our twins might be identical, but the test results turned out differently

Examples:
이란성 쌍둥이는 성격이 완전히 달라요
= Fraternal twins have completely different personalities

Notes: The first line in a Korean love song “너에게 넌” is 너에게 난 해질녘 노을처럼.

Examples:
해질녘 풍경이 정말 아름다웠어요
= The scenery at sunset was truly beautiful

해질녘에 하늘 전체는 아름다운 색깔로 변했다
= At sunset, the entire sky turned a beautiful color

아름다운 해질녘을 사진으로 남기고 말겠어요
= I will capture the beautiful sunset in a photo no matter what

해질녘 사진을 찍으려고 했는데 구름이 끼면서 기회를 놓치고 말았어요
= I tried to take a sunset photo, but the clouds came in, and I missed the chance

Examples:
우리는 주유소에서 차에 기름을 넣었어요
= We filled up the car at the gas station

차가 멈추기 전에 주유소를 찾아내고야 말겠어요!
= Before my car stops, I will find a gas station no matter what!

기름이 거의 없었는데 결국 주유소를 찾지 못하고 차가 멈추고 말았어요
= I had very little fuel left, but I couldn’t find a gas station, and the car ended up stopping

Common Usages:
어버이날 행사 = Parents’ Day event

Notes: 어버이날 is celebrated in Korea instead of separate Fathers’ and Mothers’ day. It is celebrated on May 8th every year, and people usually buy their parents carnations on this occasion.

Examples:
어버이날에 부모님께 감사의 편지를 드렸어요
= On Parents’ Day, I gave my parents a letter of gratitude

올해 어버이날에는 부모님께 특별한 선물을 드리고 말겠어요
= This Parents’ Day, I will make sure to give my parents a special gift.

어버이날 선물을 미리 사려고 했지만 결국 바빠서 못 사고 말았어요
= I tried to buy a Parents’ Day gift in advance, but I got too busy and couldn’t do it

Common Usages:
쓰레기 무단투기 = illegal dumping of trash

Examples:
무단투기를 하면 벌금을 내야 해요
= You have to pay a fine if you dump illegally

무단투기하는 사람을 반드시 신고하고 말겠어요
= I will report the person illegally dumping trash no matter what

무단투기를 하지 않으려고 했지만 결국 귀찮아서 쓰레기를 길에 버리고 말았어요
= I tried not to dump the trash illegally, but I got lazy and ended up throwing it on the street

Examples:
그 아이는 정말 장난꾸러기라 조용할 틈이 없어요
= That child is such a troublemaker, there’s never a quiet moment

그 반에 장난꾸러기가 많아서 수업을 하는 게 힘들어요
= There are a lot of troublemakers in that class, so it is difficult to do class

아이를 얌전하게 키우려고 했지만 결국 장난꾸러기가 되고 말았어요
= I tried to raise my child to be well-behaved, but they ended up becoming a troublemaker

Notes: While not very common in the west, this type of thing is very common in Korea. Most Korean mothers will spend one to three weeks at a 산후조리원, usually right after they leave the hospital after giving birth. For my first daughter, my wife spent two weeks at a 산후조리원, and I was commuting to and from work from the place. My second daughter was born at the height of COVID and most 산후조리원 centers were strict about people coming and going, so we did not do it the second time around.

Examples:
산후조리원은 산모가 회복하기 좋은 환경이에요
= A postpartum care center is a good place for mothers to recover

출산 후에는 좋은 산후조리원에 들어가고 말겠어요
= After giving birth, I will definitely stay at a good postpartum care center.

좋은 산후조리원을 예약하려고 했는데 결국 자리가 다 차고 말았어요
= I tried to book a good postpartum care center, but in the end, all the spots were taken

Examples:
누군가 저의 옆을 스치고 지나갔어요
= Someone brushed past me

아까 어떤 사람이 저를 스치고 지나갔는데 결국 누군지 알아내지 못하고 말았어요
= Someone brushed past me earlier, but I ended up not finding out who they were

Examples:
사람들이 그 아이돌을 봐서 소리쳤어요
= People saw that idol and screamed

화를 참으려 했지만 결국 소리치고 말았어요
= I tried to hold back my anger, but I ended up shouting

아빠는 화가 나서 크게 소리쳤어요
= Dad got angry and shouted loudly

Examples:
저는 그 말에 상처받았어요
= I was emotionally hurt by those words

아빠의 말이 너무 날카로워서 결국 상처받고 말았어요
= Dad’s words were so sharp that I ended up getting hurt

Common Usages:
인연이 이어지다 = a connection continues (fate continues)

Examples:
비는 그친 뒤에도 흐린 날씨가 이어졌어요
= Even after the rain stopped, the cloudy weather continued

그의 거부가 정당하냐는 논의가 이어졌어요
= The debate over whether his refusal was justified continued

우리의 연락이 이어지기를 바랐지만 결국 끊기고 말았어요
= I hoped we would keep in touch, but in the end, we lost contact

Examples:
그 아이는 얌전해서 수업 시간에 조용히 있어요
= That child is well-behaved and stays quiet during class

아이를 얌전하게 키우려고 했지만 결국 장난꾸러기가 되고 말았어요
= I tried to raise my child to be well-behaved, but they ended up becoming a troublemaker

Examples:
선생님의 목소리는 날카롭고 강렬했어요
= The teacher’s voice was sharp and intense

풀잎이 살짝 날카로워서 신발을 신어야 돼요
= The blades of grass are a little sharp, so you should put on shoes

아빠의 말이 너무 날카로워서 결국 상처받고 말았어요
= Dad’s words were so sharp that I ended up getting hurt

Examples:
경험이 많으면 면접에서 유리해요
= Having experience is advantageous in interviews

처음에는 이 조건이 유리할 거라고 생각했지만 결국 손해를 보고 말았어요
= At first, I thought this condition would be advantageous, but in the end, I suffered a loss

Examples:
억지로 먹으면 배탈이 날 수도 있어요
= If you eat against your will, it can upset your stomach

억지로 이 일을 계속하려 했지만 결국 포기하고 말았어요
= I tried to continue this job against my will, but in the end, I gave up

더 이상 억지로 이 일을 하지 않겠다고 다짐하고야 말겠어요!
= I will make sure to never do this job against my will again!