에라 모르겠다

e-ra mo-reu-get-da · literally “Ugh, I don't know”

♪ From the song 에라 모르겠다 (“FXXK IT”) by BIGBANG, 2016

Situation: A friend stares at a menu for ages, then says 에라 모르겠다, 다 시키자! You ask AI what 에라 모르겠다 means.

✕ What AI tells you

Translates it as 'Well, I don't know', as if your friend is unsure of something.

Why it fails: It isn't about knowledge. 에라 모르겠다 means 'I'm done worrying — whatever happens, happens', usually right before an impulsive decision. Closer to 'Oh, whatever!' or 'Screw it'. BIGBANG's 2016 song 에라 모르겠다 (English title 'FXXK IT') used the phrase.

✓ How it's used

에라 모르겠다 = giving up on thinking, then acting. Say it to yourself or friends, never to a boss.

  • 에라 모르겠다, 그냥 다 시키자!

    e-ra mo-reu-get-da, geu-nyang da si-ki-ja

    'Oh whatever, let's just order everything!'

  • 에라 모르겠다, 일단 자자.

    e-ra mo-reu-get-da, il-dan ja-ja

    'Forget it, I'm going to sleep' — giving up on homework or work for the night

  • 잘 모르겠습니다.

    jal mo-reu-get-seum-ni-da

    Polite, at work: 'I'm not sure' — the actual 'I don't know'

Cultural nuance, in depth

에라 is an exclamation of frustration that only appears in phrases like this one. Said to a manager, 에라 모르겠다 would sound like you've stopped caring about the task.

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