아/어 버리다 (a/eo beorida) means "to do completely".
Says an action is completely finished: 다 먹어 버렸어요 (da meogeo beoryeosseoyo), "I ate it all up". It often sounds relieved or sorry.
Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language
- Same choice as 아요/어요: 아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, 어 after other vowels, 해 for 하다.
- It says the action is completely over, and adds a feeling: relief that it's done, or regret that it happened.
Build it
When to use it
Done and gone
Nothing is left; it's finished.
Sadly, it happened
Something happened that you wish hadn't.
Relief
You're glad it's out of the way.
Watch out
버리다 goes on verbs, not adjectives. For a change in an adjective, use 아/어지다.
In context
6 examples- 1
동생이 제 아이스크림을 먹어 버렸어요.
Dongsaengi je aiseukeurimeul meogeo beoryeosseoyo.
My younger sibling ate my ice cream.
- 2
영화가 너무 지루해서 중간에 자 버렸어요.
Yeonghwaga neomu jiruhaeseo junggane ja beoryeosseoyo.
The movie was so boring that I fell asleep halfway through.
- 3
하고 싶은 말을 다 해 버렸어요.
Hago sipeun mareul da hae beoryeosseoyo.
I said everything I wanted to say.
- 4
우산을 지하철에 두고 내려 버렸어요.
Usaneul jihacheore dugo naeryeo beoryeosseoyo.
I got off the subway and left my umbrella behind.
- 5
그 사람은 아무 말도 없이 가 버렸어요.
Geu sarameun amu maldo eopsi ga beoryeosseoyo.
He just left without a word.
- 6
비밀번호를 또 잊어버렸어요.
Bimilbeonhoreul tto ijeobeoryeosseoyo.
I forgot my password again.
Practice
5 questions마시다 + 아/어 버리다 (past)
Relief or regret
The same form can sound happy or sad, and the situation tells you which. 숙제를 끝내 버렸어요 sukjereul kkeunnae beoryeosseoyo sounds relieved: the homework is out of the way. 지갑을 두고 와 버렸어요 jigabeul dugo wa beoryeosseoyo, "I went and left my wallet behind", sounds sorry. Either way, the thing is finished and can't be undone.
Words that grew out of it
Two of these are so common that they became words of their own, written without a space: 잊어버리다 ijeobeorida, "to forget", and 잃어버리다 ireobeorida, "to lose".
아/어 버리다 or 아/어 놓다?
Both say an action is complete. 아/어 놓다 a/eo nota keeps the result around for later: 밥을 해 놓았어요 babeul hae noasseoyo, "I've made the rice (so it's ready)". 아/어 버리다 is about it being over and gone: 밥을 다 먹어 버렸어요 babeul da meogeo beoryeosseoyo, "I've eaten all the rice".
Look it up in the dictionary
The entry for 아 in two trusted Korean dictionaries.
