the verb 잊어버리다 means “to forget”, often with a nuance of completely forgetting or losing something from memory.
It’s made up of:
- 잊다 = to forget
- -어버리다 = a grammatical ending that adds a sense of finality or completeness (like “ended up forgetting” or “forgot completely”)
💡 Nuance Compared to Similar Verbs:
- 잊다 → plain “to forget” (neutral/formal)
- 잊어버리다 → “to completely forget” or “to forget and it’s done” (more emotional or final)
- 깜빡하다 → “to momentarily forget” (like “Oops, I forgot!”)
- 까먹다 → casual/slangy “to forget” (literally “to eat and forget”)
🧠 Example Sentences:
- 비밀번호를 잊어버렸어요. → I forgot my password.
- 그 사람 이름을 잊어버렸어. → I completely forgot that person’s name.
- 아픈 기억을 잊어버리고 싶어요. → I want to forget the painful memories.
Want to see how it’s conjugated in different tenses or how it compares to 까먹다 and 깜빡하다 in real-life situations? I’ve got examples for that too! 🚀 Just say the word. Or forget it… 😏 (pun intended) Complete conjugation chart, maybe?