Korean grammar · Level 5
V-다 못해 · A-다 못해
Unable to bear it any longer — or past the limit into something else
Taught in Level 5, Unit 4: Sujin's Friday
Sujin stood outside her office until frustration turned into something worse. -다 못해 has two jobs: after a verb, you could not keep doing it any longer, so you did something else; after an adjective, a state went so far it became another one.
Example
답장을 기다리다 못해 제가 먼저 전화했어요.
I couldn't wait for a reply any longer, so I rang first.
The full explanation is in the unit · part of the Level 5 Pass, opening soon · Level 5, Unit 4
Practise it in context · Level 5, Unit 4
Sujin's Friday
The rule with a table, Sori’s tips, practice that checks itself, a review room and a one-page cheat sheet.
See the unit preview →