Example Sentences#

1. 자유가 내 감옥이 되고 말았지¹
   Freedom ended up becoming my prison.
   • 말다 means ‘to stop’ or ‘to cease’, and in this context functions as an auxiliary verb indicating that the action mentioned in the preceding statement was eventually realized or completed.
   • -고 말다 is a grammar pattern used to express that an action was completed despite the speaker’s intention or desire to avoid it, often with a nuance of regret, inevitability, or an undesired outcome. It is commonly translated as ‘ended up doing’.
   • 았 is a past tense marker.
   • -지 is a sentence-ending particle that conveys the speaker’s presumption of shared understanding with the listener. In the declarative mood, it expresses certainty or strong affirmation, often asserting something believed to be obvious or mutually understood.