형편없다 Korean adjective conjugation
terrible, awful (of a very poor quality)
Every form of 형편없다 across the four speech levels. It is a regular stem, so the endings below attach without changing it.
기본형Principal parts
The four forms the dictionary prints. Every other form on this page is derived from them.
- 관형사형Modifier
- 형편없는
- 아/어Infinitive
- 형편없어
- -으니Since
- 형편없으니
- 합니다Formal
- 형편없습니다
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.
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 서술Statement | 형편없어요 | 형편없습니다 | 형편없어 | 형편없다 |
과거Past
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 서술Statement | 형편없었어요 | 형편없었습니다 | 형편없었어 | 형편없었다 |
미래·추측Future & presumptive
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -겠-Will / must be | 형편없겠어요 | 형편없겠습니다 | 형편없겠어 | 형편없겠다 |
| -을 것이다Going to | 형편없을 거예요 | 형편없을 것입니다 | 형편없을 거야 | 형편없을 것이다 |
의문Questions
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 현재Present | 형편없어요? | 형편없습니까? | 형편없어? | 형편없으니? |
| 과거Past | 형편없었어요? | 형편없었습니까? | 형편없었어? | 형편없었니? |
부정Negation
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 안Not (short) | 안 형편없어요 | 안 형편없습니다 | 안 형편없어 | 안 형편없다 |
| -지 않다Not (long) | 형편없지 않아요 | 형편없지 않습니다 | 형편없지 않아 | 형편없지 않다 |
높임Honorific
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 현재Present | 형편없으세요 | 형편없으십니다 | 형편없으셔 | 형편없으시다 |
| 과거Past | 형편없으셨어요 | 형편없으셨습니다 | 형편없으셨어 | 형편없으셨다 |
관형사형Modifying a noun
- 현재Present
- 형편없는
- 과거Past
- 형편없은
- 미래Future
- 형편없을
- 회상Used to
- 형편없던
연결Joining clauses
- -고and
- 형편없고
- -게-ly / so that
- 형편없게
- -어서so / and then
- 형편없어서
- -으니까since
- 형편없으니까
- -으면if / when
- 형편없으면
- -지만but
- 형편없지만
- -는데and / but (setting up)
- 형편없는데
- -어도even if
- 형편없어도
문형Sentence patterns
How the dictionary says this verb is used. The numbers are slots: 1 is the subject, 2 the object.
- 1이 형편없다
예문In real sentences
From the dictionary, each with its translation.
그녀의 요리 솜씨는 형편없어요.
Her cooking skills are terrible.
대체 의도가 무엇인지 알 수 없을 정도로 정말 형편없죠.
They really suck, actually, because you don't know what they're trying to say.
어떤 사람은 잘했다고 하고 어떤 사람은 형편없었다고 했네요.
Some people thought I did well, others, poorly.
그렇게 직업을 갖게 되면 아무리 형편없는 일이라도 꼭 붙어있죠.
And if you do, stick at it no matter how much it sucks.
자주 묻는 질문Common questions
How do you conjugate 형편없다 in Korean?
형편없다 (terrible, awful (of a very poor quality)) is 형편없어요 in the polite 해요체, 형편없습니다 in formal 합니다체, 형편없어 in casual 반말 and 형편없다 in the plain written style. The past is 형편없었어요.
What is the past tense of 형편없다?
형편없었어요 in everyday polite speech, 형편없었습니다 formally. It is built from the 아/어 form 형편없어 plus ㅆ, which is why an irregular stem shows its irregularity here.
Is 형편없다 a regular verb?
Yes. Its stem never changes shape: 형편없습니다, 형편없어, 형편없으니 all keep 형편없 intact. Only the ending moves.
What TOPIK level is 형편없다?
5급 — TOPIK 5, advanced.
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.