못돼
moh-ttwae
mottwae
descriptive
못되다
To say nasty, mean, evil politely in the present tense, use 못돼요 (moh-ttwae-yoh) · mottwaeyo. Below is the full conjugation of 못되다 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 | 못돼요 moh-ttwae-yoh mottwaeyo | 못됩니다 moh-ttwaem-nee-dah mottoemnida | |
| Past | 못됐어 moh-ttwae-ssuh mottwaesseo | 못됐어요 moh-ttwae-ssuh-yoh mottwaesseoyo | 못됐습니다 moh-ttwae-sseum-nee-dah mottwaesseumnida |
| Future | 못될 거야 moh-ttwael guh-yah mottoel geoya | 못될 거예요 moh-ttwael guh-yae-yoh mottoel geoyeyo | 못될 겁니다 moh-ttwael guhm-nee-dah mottoel geomnida |
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
못되세요
moh-ttwae-sae-yoh
mottoeseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
못돼요
moh-ttwae-yoh
mottwaeyo
Question Polite (요)
못돼요?
moh-ttwae-yoh-?
mottwaeyo?
Connective "and" — (고)
못되고
moh-ttwae-goh
mottoego
Conditional "if" — (면)
못되면
moh-ttwae-myuhn
mottoemyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
못되고 있어요
moh-ttwae-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
mottoego isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
못되고 싶어요
moh-ttwae-goh shee-puh-yoh
mottoego sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
못될 수 있어요
moh-ttwael soo ee-ssuh-yoh
mottoel su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
못돼서
moh-ttwae-suh
mottwaeseo
Noun form — (기)
못되기
moh-ttwae-gee
mottoegi
Noun form — (음)
못됨
moh-ttwaem
mottoem