못되다 Korean adjective conjugation
mean
Every form of 못되다 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
- 못된
- 아/어Infinitive
- 못돼
- -으니Since
- 못되니
- 합니다Formal
- 못됩니다
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 | 못돼요 | 못됩니다 | 못돼 | 못되다 |
과거Past
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 서술Statement | 못됐어요 | 못됐습니다 | 못됐어 | 못됐다 |
미래·추측Future & presumptive
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -겠-Will / must be | 못되겠어요 | 못되겠습니다 | 못되겠어 | 못되겠다 |
| -을 것이다Going to | 못될 거예요 | 못될 것입니다 | 못될 거야 | 못될 것이다 |
의문Questions
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 현재Present | 못돼요? | 못됩니까? | 못돼? | 못되니? |
| 과거Past | 못됐어요? | 못됐습니까? | 못됐어? | 못됐니? |
부정Negation
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 안Not (short) | 안 못돼요 | 안 못됩니다 | 안 못돼 | 안 못되다 |
| -지 않다Not (long) | 못되지 않아요 | 못되지 않습니다 | 못되지 않아 | 못되지 않다 |
높임Honorific
| 해요체Polite | 합니다체Formal | 해체Casual | 한다체Plain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 현재Present | 못되세요 | 못되십니다 | 못되셔 | 못되시다 |
| 과거Past | 못되셨어요 | 못되셨습니다 | 못되셨어 | 못되셨다 |
관형사형Modifying a noun
- 현재Present
- 못된
- 과거Past
- 못된
- 미래Future
- 못될
- 회상Used to
- 못되던
연결Joining clauses
- -고and
- 못되고
- -게-ly / so that
- 못되게
- -어서so / and then
- 못돼서
- -으니까since
- 못되니까
- -으면if / when
- 못되면
- -지만but
- 못되지만
- -는데and / but (setting up)
- 못된데
- -어도even if
- 못돼도
문형Sentence patterns
How the dictionary says this verb is used. The numbers are slots: 1 is the subject, 2 the object.
- 1이 못되다
예문In real sentences
From the dictionary, each with its translation.
어떻게 그런 못된 말을 해?
You know, someone with three hearts shouldn't be so mean.
세상에서 제일 못된 여자예요
One, two, three, go. It's not fair.
이건 설치류잖아. 그리고 아주 못되게 생겼어
That is a rodent, and it looks mean.
제니가 돌리에게 못된 짓을 그만 두라고 말했어요
I told you to stop being so mean to Dollie.
자주 묻는 질문Common questions
How do you conjugate 못되다 in Korean?
못되다 (mean) is 못돼요 in the polite 해요체, 못됩니다 in formal 합니다체, 못돼 in casual 반말 and 못되다 in the plain written style. The past is 못됐어요.
What is the past tense of 못되다?
못됐어요 in everyday polite speech, 못됐습니다 formally. It is built from the 아/어 form 못돼 plus ㅆ, which is why an irregular stem shows its irregularity here.
Is 못되다 a regular verb?
Yes. Its stem never changes shape: 못됩니다, 못돼, 못되니 all keep 못되 intact. Only the ending moves.
What TOPIK level is 못되다?
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.