말아먹다
ma-ra-meok-da · literally “Roll up and eat”
Situation: Your Korean classmate walks out of the exam room groaning: 시험 완전히 말아먹었어.
✕ What AI tells you
Translates it as 'I completely rolled up and ate the exam.'
Why it fails: 말아먹다 is slang for ruining something completely: an exam, a presentation, a business. It sounds like a total, often self-inflicted failure.
✓ What Koreans actually say
말아먹다 = ruin, bomb (casual slang). With friends it's fine. In formal settings, say 결과가 안 좋았어요.
시험 망했어.
si-heom mang-hae-sseo
The most common casual version: 'I failed the exam'
그 사람이 회사를 말아먹었대.
geu sa-ra-mi hoe-sa-reul ma-ra-meo-geot-dae
'I heard he ran the company into the ground' — gossip, harsh
발표 결과가 좋지 않았습니다.
bal-pyo gyeol-gwa-ga jo-chi a-nat-seum-ni-da
To a boss or teacher: 'The presentation didn't go well'
Cultural nuance, in depth
말다 means 'to roll' (김밥을 말다) or 'to mix rice into soup' (국에 밥을 말다), so 말아먹다 pictures something finished off in one go. As slang it's punchy and a bit rough. About yourself it sounds self-deprecating; about someone else's business or show it's a harsh judgment.
- #double-verbs
- #slang
- #school
More on daily life
- Daily Lifev0.5
-아/어 내다
-a/eo nae-da · “Do and put out”
AI gets it wrong:했어 just states who did it. 내다 after a verb adds 'all the way through, despite difficulty'. 해냈어요 is the triumphant 'I did it!' Koreans actually say.Say instead:선생님, 저 해냈어요!See why → - Daily Lifev0.5
-아/어 대다
-a/eo dae-da · “Do and touch”
AI gets it wrong:대다 after a verb means doing it over and over, too much — and the speaker is annoyed. The dog didn't just bark; it wouldn't stop barking all night.Say instead:애가 장난감 사 달라고 졸라 대요.See why → - Daily Lifev0.5
-아/어 두다 · 놓다
-a/eo du-da · no-ta · “Do and put down”
AI gets it wrong:놓다 and 두다 ('put') after a verb mean the action is done ahead of time and the result stays in place. Your host is saying 'The room's ready, and I'll leave the door open for you.'Say instead:제가 식당 예약해 둘게요.See why →