TOPIK II · LEVEL 5
-고야 말다
-고야 말다 says that something finally happened in the end despite resistance or effort (often with regret), or, with 겠다, that the speaker is determined to make it happen no matter what.
시제·상Tense & aspectHan: -고야 말겠다 expresses the speaker's own determination, so in a statement the subject should be 'I'; about someone else, quote it: 동생은 꼭 합격하고야 말겠다고 했어요.
Examples
십 년 동안 노력한 끝에 그는 자기 꿈을 이루고야 말았다.After ten years of effort, he finally made his dream come true.
몇 번이나 조심하라고 했는데 아이가 컵을 깨고야 말았다.I told the child to be careful several times, but in the end he broke the cup.
이번에는 꼭 담배를 끊고야 말겠습니다.This time I will quit smoking, no matter what.
참으려고 했지만 영화 마지막 장면에서 결국 울고야 말았어요.I tried to hold it in, but I ended up crying at the last scene of the movie.
Don’t mix up
-고야 말다vs-고 말다Same meaning, but -고야 말다 adds stronger emphasis on 'in the end, despite everything'; -고 말다 is more neutral and common in speech: 버스를 놓치고 말았어요.-고야 말다vs-아/어 버리다-아/어 버리다 stresses that an action is completely done (with relief or regret) without the idea of a long struggle: 숙제를 다 해 버렸어요.-고야 말다vs-게 되다-게 되다 is a neutral result caused by circumstances, not by resistance overcome or strong will: 회사 때문에 부산으로 이사하게 됐어요.How to build it
V+고야 말다 (말았다 = result; 말겠다 = determination)
이기다 → 이기고야 말았다 / 이기고야 말겠다
- Attaches to action verbs; it is not used with adjectives or 이다 (not *춥고야 말았다).
- In the past (말았다) it marks an outcome reached after struggle, resistance or warnings; it sounds odd for routine, expected actions like eating breakfast.
- With 말겠다 / 말 거예요 (determination) the subject of a statement is usually the speaker; for another person, quote it: 꼭 이기고야 말겠다고 했어요.
- It is not used in commands or suggestions (not *-고야 마세요, *-고야 맙시다).
Classic mistake
Wrong: 동생은 이번 시험에 꼭 합격하고야 말겠어요.
Right: 저는 이번 시험에 꼭 합격하고야 말겠어요.
-고야 말겠다 expresses the speaker's own determination, so in a statement the subject should be 'I'; about someone else, quote it: 동생은 꼭 합격하고야 말겠다고 했어요.
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)려던 참이다Says that you were just about to do something at the very moment someone suggested it or something happened.
- -아/어 내다-아/어 내다 shows that someone gets through something hard and carries it through to the end by their own effort or endurance.
- -아/어 대다Attached to an action verb, it shows someone doing that action over and over or very intensely, usually to a degree the speaker finds excessive or annoying.
- -았/었던Modifies a noun with a past event or state that is recalled as finished and no longer continuing: 'that I once …', 'that used to be'. It sounds more reminiscent and distant than -(으)ㄴ or -던.
- -(이)란N(이)란 picks out a concept that you are about to define or explain the essence of: "N is (by its nature)…", "what we call N is…".
- -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다Use -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다 when the situation makes it plain to you that something, usually something bad, will happen or has happened.
- -(으)ㄴ 끝에Shows that a result was finally reached after a long or difficult process of doing something.
- -(으)ㄹ 망정-(으)ㄹ망정 means 'even if I have to accept this bad situation, I still won't give up something more important,' or 'although X is true, Y still holds.'
- -(으)ㄹ 즈음-(으)ㄹ 즈음 means "around the time when something happens": it marks an approximate time, not an exact moment.