고약하다 Korean adjective conjugation

to be awful, nasty

Every form of 고약하다 across the four speech levels. It is 여 irregular — 하다 and every verb built on it: 하다 → 하여 → 해요.

기본형Principal parts

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

관형사형Modifier
고약한
아/어Infinitive
고약해
-으니Since
고약하니
합니다Formal
고약합니다

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 고약해요고약합니다고약해고약하다

과거Past

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 고약했어요고약했습니다고약했어고약했다

미래·추측Future & presumptive

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
-겠-Will / must be 고약하겠어요고약하겠습니다고약하겠어고약하겠다
-을 것이다Going to 고약할 거예요고약할 것입니다고약할 거야고약할 것이다

의문Questions

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 고약해요?고약합니까?고약해?고약하니?
과거Past 고약했어요?고약했습니까?고약했어?고약했니?

부정Negation

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
Not (short) 안 고약해요안 고약합니다안 고약해안 고약하다
-지 않다Not (long) 고약하지 않아요고약하지 않습니다고약하지 않아고약하지 않다

높임Honorific

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 고약하세요고약하십니다고약하셔고약하시다
과거Past 고약하셨어요고약하셨습니다고약하셨어고약하셨다

관형사형Modifying a noun

현재Present
고약한
과거Past
고약한
미래Future
고약할
회상Used to
고약하던

연결Joining clauses

-고and
고약하고
-게-ly / so that
고약하게
-어서so / and then
고약해서
-으니까since
고약하니까
-으면if / when
고약하면
-지만but
고약하지만
-는데and / but (setting up)
고약한데
-어도even if
고약해도

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.

47살에 아기를 가졌어요 당신도 알겠지만 기적이자 또 한 편으론 고약한 거죠

I'm 47 and having a baby, which is kind of a miracle, and it kind of sucks, if you see what I mean.

그 값이 싸고 질이 나쁜 음식은 냄새가 고약했다.

The cheap and nasty food smelled awful.

냄새가 아주 고약했어요.

It smelled awful.

저는 고약했습니다, 저는 반복하고 반복해서 열을 높였습니다

And now what I did there is, I was being nasty, I just turned up the heat again and again.

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How do you conjugate 고약하다 in Korean?

고약하다 (to be awful, nasty) is 고약해요 in the polite 해요체, 고약합니다 in formal 합니다체, 고약해 in casual 반말 and 고약하다 in the plain written style. The past is 고약했어요.

What is the past tense of 고약하다?

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

Is 고약하다 irregular?

Yes — it is 여 irregular (여 불규칙). 하다 and every verb built on it: 하다 → 하여 → 해요. That is why the stem looks different in 고약하여 and 고약하니 but unchanged in 고약합니다.

What TOPIK level is 고약하다?

6급 — TOPIK 6, mastery.

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.