고통스럽다 Korean adjective conjugation

to be painful

Every form of 고통스럽다 across the four speech levels. It is ㅂ irregular — ㅂ becomes 우 before a vowel: 춥다 → 추워요.

기본형Principal parts

The four forms the dictionary prints. Every other form on this page is derived from them.

관형사형Modifier
고통스러운
아/어Infinitive
고통스러워
-으니Since
고통스러우니
합니다Formal
고통스럽습니다

현재Present

The tense that does the most work. 해요체 is the one to learn first — it is polite without being formal, and it is what most conversation is in.

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 고통스러워요고통스럽습니다고통스러워고통스럽다

과거Past

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 고통스러웠어요고통스러웠습니다고통스러웠어고통스러웠다

미래·추측Future & presumptive

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
-겠-Will / must be 고통스럽겠어요고통스럽겠습니다고통스럽겠어고통스럽겠다
-을 것이다Going to 고통스러울 거예요고통스러울 것입니다고통스러울 거야고통스러울 것이다

의문Questions

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 고통스러워요?고통스럽습니까?고통스러워?고통스러우니?
과거Past 고통스러웠어요?고통스러웠습니까?고통스러웠어?고통스러웠니?

부정Negation

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
Not (short) 안 고통스러워요안 고통스럽습니다안 고통스러워안 고통스럽다
-지 않다Not (long) 고통스럽지 않아요고통스럽지 않습니다고통스럽지 않아고통스럽지 않다

높임Honorific

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 고통스러우세요고통스러우십니다고통스러우셔고통스러우시다
과거Past 고통스러우셨어요고통스러우셨습니다고통스러우셨어고통스러우셨다

관형사형Modifying a noun

현재Present
고통스러운
과거Past
고통스러운
미래Future
고통스러울
회상Used to
고통스럽던

연결Joining clauses

-고and
고통스럽고
-게-ly / so that
고통스럽게
-어서so / and then
고통스러워서
-으니까since
고통스러우니까
-으면if / when
고통스러우면
-지만but
고통스럽지만
-는데and / but (setting up)
고통스러운데
-어도even if
고통스러워도

문형Sentence patterns

How the dictionary says this verb is used. The numbers are slots: 1 is the subject, 2 the object.

예문In real sentences

From the dictionary, each with its translation.

어렸을 적에는 장애 때문에 고통스러웠어요.

As a child, I struggled with my disability.

그리고 아벳은 왜 그가 고통스러웠는지 말했습니다.

Abed then told me why he'd suffered.

그리고 바닥에 누웠는데, 분명 보기에도 고통스러워했죠.

It's quivering, and it lies down and it's in obvious distress.

왜 우리는 고통스러운가? 우리가 대답하지 못한 오래된 질문입니다.

Why do we suffer? It's an age-old question that we haven't answered.

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How do you conjugate 고통스럽다 in Korean?

고통스럽다 (to be painful) is 고통스러워요 in the polite 해요체, 고통스럽습니다 in formal 합니다체, 고통스러워 in casual 반말 and 고통스럽다 in the plain written style. The past is 고통스러웠어요.

What is the past tense of 고통스럽다?

고통스러웠어요 in everyday polite speech, 고통스러웠습니다 formally. It is built from the 아/어 form 고통스러워 plus ㅆ, which is why an irregular stem shows its irregularity here.

Is 고통스럽다 irregular?

Yes — it is ㅂ irregular (ㅂ 불규칙). ㅂ becomes 우 before a vowel: 춥다 → 추워요. That is why the stem looks different in 고통스러워 and 고통스러우니 but unchanged in 고통스럽습니다.

What TOPIK level is 고통스럽다?

4급 — TOPIK 4, upper intermediate.

Dictionary form, meaning, sentence patterns, examples and audio from the 국립국어원 한국어기초사전, used under CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.

Conjugations are generated by this site's own engine and checked against the 9,380 forms the dictionary publishes on every build.