-고 말다
go malda
Grammar · 1 sense
ended up, finally did
Examples
그만 화를 내고 말았어요.
I ended up losing my temper.
친구의 비밀을 말하고 말았습니다.
I ended up telling my friend's secret.
다이어트 중인데 케이크를 먹고 말았어.
I was on a diet, but I ended up eating cake.
When you'd hear it
Common in both conversation and writing, especially when describing an unwanted or regrettable result. It appears with polite endings in everyday speech and with more formal endings in reports or narratives.
What learners get wrong
Unlike -아/어 버리다, -고 말다 often highlights that an action happened despite intentions or resistance, as in 다이어트 중인데 케이크를 먹고 말았어. It can also suggest that something eventually happened, not simply that it was completed.
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