나쁘다 Korean adjective conjugation

to be bad

Every form of 나쁘다 across the four speech levels. It is 으 irregular — The stem 으 drops before a vowel ending: 쓰다 → 써요.

기본형Principal parts

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

관형사형Modifier
나쁜
아/어Infinitive
나빠
-으니Since
나쁘니
합니다Formal
나쁩니다

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 나빠요나쁩니다나빠나쁘다

과거Past

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
서술Statement 나빴어요나빴습니다나빴어나빴다

미래·추측Future & presumptive

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
-겠-Will / must be 나쁘겠어요나쁘겠습니다나쁘겠어나쁘겠다
-을 것이다Going to 나쁠 거예요나쁠 것입니다나쁠 거야나쁠 것이다

의문Questions

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 나빠요?나쁩니까?나빠?나쁘니?
과거Past 나빴어요?나빴습니까?나빴어?나빴니?

부정Negation

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
Not (short) 안 나빠요안 나쁩니다안 나빠안 나쁘다
-지 않다Not (long) 나쁘지 않아요나쁘지 않습니다나쁘지 않아나쁘지 않다

높임Honorific

해요체Polite합니다체Formal해체Casual한다체Plain
현재Present 나쁘세요나쁘십니다나쁘셔나쁘시다
과거Past 나쁘셨어요나쁘셨습니다나쁘셨어나쁘셨다

관형사형Modifying a noun

현재Present
나쁜
과거Past
나쁜
미래Future
나쁠
회상Used to
나쁘던

연결Joining clauses

-고and
나쁘고
-게-ly / so that
나쁘게
-어서so / and then
나빠서
-으니까since
나쁘니까
-으면if / when
나쁘면
-지만but
나쁘지만
-는데and / but (setting up)
나쁜데
-어도even if
나빠도

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.

이 나라는 살기 나쁜 나라다.

This country is a bad country to live in.

그녀는 기분이 나빠 보인다.

She looks unhappy.

이보다 더 나쁠 수는 없었어.

It couldn't have been worse.

상황은 우리가 생각했던 것보다 나쁘다.

The situation is worse than we believed.

자주 묻는 질문Common questions

How do you conjugate 나쁘다 in Korean?

나쁘다 (to be bad) is 나빠요 in the polite 해요체, 나쁩니다 in formal 합니다체, 나빠 in casual 반말 and 나쁘다 in the plain written style. The past is 나빴어요.

What is the past tense of 나쁘다?

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

Is 나쁘다 irregular?

Yes — it is 으 irregular (으 불규칙). The stem 으 drops before a vowel ending: 쓰다 → 써요. That is why the stem looks different in 나빠 and 나쁘니 but unchanged in 나쁩니다.

What TOPIK level is 나쁘다?

1급 — TOPIK 1, beginner.

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.