헛돼
huh-ttwae
heottwae
descriptive
헛되다
To say vain, fruitless politely in the present tense, use 헛돼요 (huh-ttwae-yoh) · heottwaeyo. Below is the full conjugation of 헛되다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (descriptive): Descriptive verbs (형용사) function like adjectives in Korean and conjugate the same way as regular action verbs. They cannot take the progressive -고 있어요 or imperative forms. 좋다 (to be good) → 좋아요; 크다 (to be big) → 커요 (으-irregular).
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 헛돼요 huh-ttwae-yoh heottwaeyo | 헛됩니다 huh-ttwaem-nee-dah heottoemnida | |
| Past | 헛됐어 huh-ttwae-ssuh heottwaesseo | 헛됐어요 huh-ttwae-ssuh-yoh heottwaesseoyo | 헛됐습니다 huh-ttwae-sseum-nee-dah heottwaesseumnida |
| Future | 헛될 거야 huh-ttwael guh-yah heottoel geoya | 헛될 거예요 huh-ttwael guh-yae-yoh heottoel geoyeyo | 헛될 겁니다 huh-ttwael guhm-nee-dah heottoel geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
헛되세요
huh-ttwae-sae-yoh
heottoeseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
헛돼요
huh-ttwae-yoh
heottwaeyo
Question Polite (요)
헛돼요?
huh-ttwae-yoh-?
heottwaeyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
헛되고
huh-ttwae-goh
heottoego
Conditional "if" — (면)
헛되면
huh-ttwae-myuhn
heottoemyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
헛되고 있어요
huh-ttwae-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
heottoego isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
헛되고 싶어요
huh-ttwae-goh shee-puh-yoh
heottoego sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
헛될 수 있어요
huh-ttwael soo ee-ssuh-yoh
heottoel su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
헛돼서
huh-ttwae-suh
heottwaeseo
Noun form — (기)
헛되기
huh-ttwae-gee
heottoegi
Noun form — (음)
헛됨
huh-ttwaem
heottoem