Lesson 5
쓰다
1. to be bitter
Ex)
약이 쓰다 (dictionary form) = medicine tastes bitter
커피가 써요. (formal language) = Coffee tastes bitter.
* When verb stem ends in the vowel ㅡ and it is followed by a suffix that starts with a vowel, the ㅡ is automatically dropped. For example, “쓰다 = 쓰 + -다 → 쓰 + -어요 → ㅆ + -어요 → 써요”.
2. harsh situations
Ex)
쓴맛을 보다 = to experience the most bitter part (of something)
쓴맛을 봐야 정신을 차리지. = They will come to their senses only after they get a taste of something bitter.
씁쓸하다
1. to be somewhat bitter
Ex) 다크 초콜릿이 씁쓸해요.
2. to feel a little displeased or to be put off
Ex) 결과가 좋지 않아서 씁쓸해요. = I’m a bit frustrated and unhappy because the result was not good.
결과 = result
좋다 = to be good
-지 않다: negative verb ending (Core Grammar Level 1 Lesson 21 “Negative Sentences”)
-아/어/여서: Reason + -아/어/여서 + Result (Core Grammar Level 3 Lesson 7 “Linking Verbs With -아/어/여서”)