Auxiliary Verbs II

Korean Grammar 3

Course 3 · Chapter 6 · Auxiliary Verbs II: Completion, Direction and Regret

🧩 Auxiliary Verbs II — 보조 동사

Korean Grammar 3 5 (Auxiliary Verbs I) covered the auxiliaries of trying, giving, preparing and states. This chapter covers the second group: how an action ends (-아/어 버리다, -고 말다), which way it moves in time (-아/어 가다, -아/어 오다), and effort and excess (-아/어 내다, -아/어 대다). Remember the rule from Chapter 5: the main verb stays in its connective form and all endings go on the auxiliary.

The rule in one box -아/어 버리다 = finish something completely (relief or regret). -고 말다 = it ended, unintentionally or unavoidably, in a certain way. -아/어 가다 = the action or change goes on from now towards the future; -아/어 오다 = it has gone on up to now. -아/어 내다 = carry something through with effort. -아/어 대다 = keep doing something to an annoying degree.

-아/어 버리다: finishing completely

The literal meaning of 버리다 is "throw away". As an auxiliary it says the action is done and gone, with a feeling that depends on context: relief (a burden removed) or regret (it can't be undone).

Feeling	Example	Meaning
relief, getting it over	숙제를 다 해 버렸어요.	I got all my homework done with.
relief	남은 음식을 다 먹어 버렸어요.	I finished off the leftovers.
regret	비밀번호를 잊어버렸어요.	I've forgotten my password (completely).
regret	우산을 잃어버렸어요.	I lost my umbrella.

Some common compounds are normally written as one word: 잊어버리다 "forget" and 잃어버리다 "lose".

-고 말다: ending up, in spite of oneself

Stem + -고 말다 says the action ended in a certain way, usually one the speaker did not want or could not avoid. It is used mostly in the past.

Pattern	Example	Meaning
-고 말았다 (past)	결국 비밀을 말하고 말았어요.	In the end I let the secret out.
-고 말았다	슬픈 영화를 보다가 울고 말았어요.	Watching a sad film, I ended up crying.
-고(야) 말겠다 (determination)	꼭 합격하고 말겠어요.	I will pass, no matter what.

-아/어 버리다 or -고 말다?

	-아/어 버리다	-고 말다
Attaches to	-아/어 form	-고 form
Main idea	completely done	ended up so, against intention
Can be deliberate?	yes (다 먹어 버렸어요)	rarely, except the determined -고 말겠다
Feeling	relief or regret	mostly regret

-아/어 가다 and -아/어 오다: direction in time

These work like English "keep going" and "have been …ing": 가다 points forward from now; 오다 points back to the speaker from the past.

Pattern	Sense	Example
-아/어 가다	progressing from now on	날씨가 점점 따뜻해져 가요. The weather is getting warmer.
-아/어 가다	nearly there	일이 거의 끝나 가요. The work is almost finished.
-아/어 오다	continuing up to now	저는 이 일을 십 년 동안 해 왔어요. I have been doing this job for ten years.
-아/어 오다	coming from the past	지금까지 열심히 살아 왔어요. I have lived diligently until now.

The same verbs have literal meanings with movement:

Pattern	Meaning	Example
-아/어 가다	do, then go (away)	커피를 사 가요. I'll buy coffee and take it with me.
-아/어 오다	do, then come back	빵을 사 왔어요. I bought bread and came back with it.
-고 가다 / -고 오다	take or bring along	우산을 가지고 가세요. Take an umbrella with you.

-아/어 내다: carrying it through

The action takes effort and ends in success or in something produced.

Verb	Example	Meaning
이겨 내다	어려움을 이겨 냈어요.	I overcame the difficulty.
참아 내다	아픔을 참아 냈어요.	I endured the pain.
해 내다	그 일을 끝까지 해 냈어요.	I got the job done to the end.
찾아 내다	잃어버린 열쇠를 찾아 냈어요.	I managed to find the lost key.

-아/어 대다: doing it to excess

This auxiliary says someone keeps doing something repeatedly and annoyingly; it usually carries a negative tone.

Example	Meaning
아이들이 밤새 떠들어 댔어요.	The children kept making a racket all night.
친구가 계속 웃어 대서 화가 났어요.	My friend kept laughing, so I got angry.
동생이 졸라 대요.	My younger sibling keeps pestering me.

Watch out: do not mix up 오다 and 가다 in time Think of the speaker as standing in the present. 살아 왔다 looks back and arrives at now; 살아 가다 looks ahead: 앞으로도 열심히 살아 갈 거예요 "I will go on living diligently from here". For slow change toward the future, adjectives take -아/어지다 first: 추워져 가요 (it is getting colder).

Watch out: 버리다 can sound careless Because of its "throw away" origin, -아/어 버리다 can sound dismissive when a person is involved (가 버렸어요 "he went off, just like that"). Use it carefully with respectful topics, and prefer a plain past tense in a formal setting.

🗣️ In Use — 실제 예문

Three exchanges with the second group of auxiliaries.

① Regret (-아/어 버리다)

A: 왜 그렇게 울상이에요? Why the long face?

B: 지갑을 잃어버렸어요. I've lost my wallet.

② Nearly done (-아/어 가다)

A: 보고서는 다 됐어요? Is the report finished?

B: 거의 다 되어 가요. 조금만 기다려 주세요. It's almost done. Please wait a little.

③ Overcoming (-아/어 내다)

A: 마라톤을 완주하셨다면서요? I hear you finished the marathon?

B: 네, 힘들었지만 끝까지 해 냈어요. Yes, it was hard, but I saw it through.

📋 Quick Reference — 요약표

Pattern	Meaning	Example
-아/어 버리다	finish completely; relief or regret	다 먹어 버렸어요
-고 말다	end up, against one's wish	울고 말았어요
-아/어 가다	progressing from now; nearly done	끝나 가요
-아/어 오다	continuing up to now	해 왔어요
-아/어 내다	achieve with effort	이겨 냈어요
-아/어 대다	keep doing, annoyingly	떠들어 대요

✏️ Try It Yourself — 연습

Work out the answer first, then click to check.

1. Say "I ate all the cake" with a feeling of completion.

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케이크를 다 먹어 버렸어요.

2. Say "I ended up crying at the film" with -고 말다.

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영화를 보다가 울고 말았어요.

3. Which attaches to -고, and which to -아/어: 버리다 or 말다?

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말다 attaches to -고 (-고 말다); 버리다 attaches to -아/어 (-아/어 버리다).

4. Say "I have lived in Seoul for ten years" (continuing to now) with -아/어 오다.

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십 년 동안 서울에서 살아 왔어요.

5. Say "The film is almost over."

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영화가 거의 끝나 가요.

6. Say "I bought bread and came back."

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빵을 사 왔어요.

7. Say "She overcame the difficulties" with -아/어 내다.

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그녀는 어려움을 이겨 냈어요.

8. What does 떠들어 대다 add to 떠들다?

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The sense of doing it persistently and annoyingly ("kept making a racket").

9. Say "I will pass, no matter what" with a pattern of determination.

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꼭 합격하고 말겠어요.

Coming up in Chapter 7: Reasons, Causes and Results. You will learn -느라고, -는 바람에, -기 때문에, -(으)ㄴ 탓에, -덕분에, -(으)ㄴ/는 이유, the difference between positive and negative causes, and the sentence-ending restrictions of each.