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KOREAN VERB

썩다

to rot, to go bad (a rope, fruit, a tooth)

  • Verb

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

현재 · now and habits: polite, formal and casual speech

Form Polite Formal Casual
AffirmativeI rot
NegativeI don’t rot

Past

과거 · finished actions: 갔어요, 갔습니다, 갔어

Form Polite Formal Casual
AffirmativeI rotted
NegativeI didn’t rot

Future

미래 · plans and guesses: -(으)ㄹ 거예요

Form Polite Formal Casual
AffirmativeI will rot
NegativeI won’t rot

Honorific

높임말 · to or about an elder: the -시- forms

Form Polite Formal
PresentI rot (respectfully)
PastI rotted (respectfully)
FutureI will rot (respectfully)

Connectives

연결 어미 · and, so, if, because, but: joining two sentences

  1. And (-고) rotting, and…, and…
  2. So, and then (-아/어서) rotting, and…, so…
  3. If, when (-(으)면) if I rot
  4. Because (-(으)니까) because I rot
  5. But (-지만) I rot, but…

How to use 썩다

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    여름에는 과일이 하루 만에 썩어요.

    In summer, fruit goes bad in a single day.

  2. Past

    단것을 너무 먹어서 어금니가 썩었어요.

    I ate too many sweets, so a molar has rotted.

  3. Future

    밧줄을 비에 두면 금방 썩을 거예요.

    If you leave the rope in the rain, it'll rot quickly.

  4. Honorific

    할아버지는 어금니가 두 개나 썩으셨어요.

    Two of Grandpa's molars have decayed.

  5. Connectives

    사과가 하나 썩으면 다른 것도 금방 썩어요.

    If one apple rots, the others go bad fast too.

Good to know

  • 썩은 is the adjective form: 썩은 사과, a rotten apple. 이가 썩었어요 is a cavity, and 속이 썩다 is to eat your heart out over something.

Where you hear 썩다

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Korean · Fluency Level 2

  • 여름에는 배추가 빨리 썩어요. In summer the cabbage goes bad quickly.
  • 사과가 벌써 썩었어요. The apples have already gone bad.
  • 비를 맞으면 그 줄은 썩을 거예요. If it gets rained on, that rope will rot.
3
The Sun and the Moon

Fluency Level 2 · 줄이 썩어서 수수밭에 떨어졌대요.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: verb.