# 못상겼어



## maghanish2

안녕하세요!

I hope you guys can help me with this. I am very confused.

I have learned from my Korean friends these two phrases:

You are mean = 못됬어
You are ugly = 못생겼어

However, I am trying to figure out what the original verb form is and I can't seem to figure it out. Also, it seems that the verbs are conjugated in the past tense, just because I recognize the ㅆ, but maybe I am wrong. I don't konw since I can't figure out what the original verb infinitive (-다 form) is.

제발 도와줘!

고맙습니다!


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## marcie

안녕하세요. 
I think 못됐어 is standard expression instead of 못됬어.
못됐어 is not in past tense. The original adjective is 못되다. But 못됐어 is the combination of 못되다+ 었다. 못되었다 was reduced to 못됐다. 
It may feel past tense. I think just accept it as present tense. 
It is the same situation as 못생겼어. 
못생기었다 became reduced to 못생겼다. 

^^


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## coffee99

I'm not Korean - just a beginner! But here's my thoughts in case they're of any use...

My understanding is that in the phrase "못 생겼어" the verb is "생기다" (one of its meanings is 'form'), and "못" expresses negation - kind of a combination of "not" and "couldn't" (so like, "공부 안 했어" means that you didn't study, "공부 못 했어" implies that you couldn't and didn't study - I think!!). So altogether "못 생겼어" could literally be translated like 'a person who couldn't take form/shape well' which is 'ugly'... but I'm only guessing!!! Hope I'm not completely wrong!!


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## maghanish2

Thanks for the help.  Yeah, coffee99 I was seeing those words in there that I recognized and wondered if they had a connection.

marcie, how would you conjugate these verbs in the present tense?  Would it just be 못돼?  Or is that form never used?

고맙습니다!


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## marcie

This form 못됐다 looks like the past tense, right?
But when Koreans use this form as the past tense, they say 못됐었다.

For example, 
Marcie is mean. 마시는 못됐어. 

Marcie was mean but now we don't know she is mean or not. 
In this case we can say 마시는 못됐었어.

I hope you figured it out.


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## Hesoo

I think 못됐다 IS definitely the past "FORM" of 못되다.
But as marcie said it doesn't seem to be used as the meaning of the "past" today.

Maybe it used be used as a past form,
but now "못됐어" is more like an idiomatic expression when referring to a mean person in the present situation.

And still, the present form 못되다 is being used.
ex)
그 여자는 못되서 싫어. I don't like her because she's mean.
그 못된 노인은 벌 받을거야. The mean old man will be punished.

ps.
못되다(o), 못됐다(=못되 + 었/았다) (o)
못돼다(x), 못됬다 (x)


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## maghanish2

Thanks again for your guys' help.  It makes sense to me now.

But is there any rule as to when you might use this past "form" that is now used as the present form?  I mean the verb isn't conjugated normally, in both the words 못됬어 and 못생겼어.

Is there a rule or just something I gotta memorize?

고맙습니다!


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## marcie

I researched about the reason that 못생겼다 is accepted as a present expression. As you said, this verb is not conjugated. 
'-어 잇-' from the medieval Korean is combined with 못생기다 and '-어 잇-' means the continuation of the perfect tense. So even modern Korean still uses this fossilized form. 
You can find other examples.
For instance, 못났다, 잘났다, 못생겼다, 잘생겼다, 못됐다, 멀었다
In summary, they are the past tense but meanings are accepted as the present tense.


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## maghanish2

Okay.  Thank you very much marice.  I really appreciate all of your help with this subject!


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