겹다

Korean

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈkjɘ(ː)p̚t͈a̠]
• Phonetic hangul: [겹(ː)따]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	gyeopda
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	gyeobda
McCune–Reischauer?	kyŏpta
Yale Romanization?	kyēpta

Etymology 1

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 계우다 (Yale: kyeyGwuta), a transitive verb meaning "to lose to; to be defeated by; to fail to overcome". The verb has the shape of a -Gwu- causative, but the putative etymon, 계다 (Yale: kyeyta, “to pass (of time)”), is not clearly semantically connected.

In the late fifteenth century, Middle Korean /β/ lenited to /w/, which created a series of Korean verb stems which irregularly alternated between coda /-p/ and /-w/. At some later point, kyey(G)wu- was mistakenly reanalyzed as being such an irregular stem instead of a regular /u~w/-final stem, resulting in the modern /-p/ stem. As for the vowel shift, it is likely that with the loss of the Middle Korean consonant G, the stem kyey.wu- was reanalyzed as kye.ywu- after which the second vowel simplified, creating the modern form. Both sound shifts are first widely attested in the eighteenth century. The verb apparently adjectivalized at around the same time, when the object was reanalyzed as the subject of the inflecting stem.

Adjective

겹다 • (gyeopda) (irregular, infinitive 겨워, sequential 겨우니)

1. (of task, situation, etc.) to be too much (for someone); to be excessive; to be beyond one's capacity
2. (of a person) to be overwhelmed (with emotion); to be beyond restraint; to be uncontrollable

Conjugation

    Selected forms of the adjective 겹다 (gyeopda): consonant-stem, ㅂ(b)-irregular

Sentence-final forms
		Formal non-polite (해라체)	Informal non-polite (해체)	Informal polite (해요체)	Formal polite (하십시오체)
Indicative	Non-past	겹다 gyeopda	겨워 gyeowo	겨워요 gyeowoyo	겹습니다 gyeopseumnida
	Past	겨웠다 gyeowotda	겨웠어 gyeowosseo	겨웠어요 gyeowosseoyo	겨웠습니다 gyeowotseumnida
Interrogative	Non-past	겨우냐 gyeounya	겨워 gyeowo	겨워요 gyeowoyo	겹습니까 gyeopseumnikka
	Past	겨웠냐 gyeowonnya	겨웠어 gyeowosseo	겨웠어요 gyeowosseoyo	겨웠습니까 gyeowotseumnikka
Assertive		겹겠다 gyeopgetda	겹겠어 gyeopgesseo	겹겠어요 gyeopgesseoyo	겹겠습니다 gyeopgetseumnida
Connective forms
Cause/Reason		겨워 gyeowo	겨워서 gyeowoseo	겨우니 gyeouni	겨우니까 gyeounikka
Contrast		겹지만 gyeopjiman	겨운데 gyeounde	겹더니 gyeopdeoni
Conjunction		겹고 gyeopgo
Condition		겨우면 gyeoumyeon	겨워야 gyeowoya
Noun and determiner forms
Verbal nouns		겨움 gyeoum	겹기 gyeopgi
Past-tense verbal nouns		겨웠음 gyeowosseum	겨웠기 gyeowotgi
Determiners	Present		겨운 gyeoun
	Future		겨울 gyeoul

Sentence-final forms with honorific
		Plain (해라체)	Informal (해체)	Polite (해요체)	Formal (하십시오체)
Indicative	Non-past	겨우시다 gyeousida	겨우셔 gyeousyeo	겨우세요, 겨우셔요 gyeouseyo, gyeousyeoyo	겨우십니다 gyeousimnida
	Past	겨우셨다 gyeousyeotda	겨우셨어 gyeousyeosseo	겨우셨어요 gyeousyeosseoyo	겨우셨습니다 gyeousyeotseumnida
Interrogative	Non-past	겨우시냐 gyeousinya	겨우셔 gyeousyeo	겨우세요, 겨우셔요 gyeouseyo, gyeousyeoyo	겨우십니까 gyeousimnikka
	Past	겨우셨냐 gyeousyeonnya	겨우셨어 gyeousyeosseo	겨우셨어요 gyeousyeosseoyo	겨우셨습니까 gyeousyeotseumnikka
Assertive		겨우시겠다 gyeousigetda	겨우시겠어 gyeousigesseo	겨우시겠어요 gyeousigesseoyo	겨우시겠습니다 gyeousigetseumnida
Connective forms with honorific
Cause/Reason		겨우셔 gyeousyeo	겨우셔서 gyeousyeoseo	겨우시니 gyeousini	겨우시니까 gyeousinikka
Contrast		겨우시지만 gyeousijiman	겨우신데 gyeousinde	겨우시더니 gyeousideoni
Conjunction		겨우시고 gyeousigo
Condition		겨우시면 gyeousimyeon	겨우셔야 gyeousyeoya
Noun and determiner forms with honorific
Verbal nouns		겨우심 gyeousim	겨우시기 gyeousigi
Past-tense verbal nouns		겨우셨음 gyeousyeosseum	겨우셨기 gyeousyeotgi
Determiners	Present		겨우신 gyeousin
	Future		겨우실 gyeousil

Derived terms

• 눈물겹다 (nunmulgyeopda)
• 역겹다 (yeokgyeopda)
• 정겹다 (jeonggyeopda)
• 흥겹다 (heunggyeopda)
• 힘겹다 (himgyeopda)

 

Etymology 2

Presumably from Middle Korean 계다 (kyeyta, “to pass (of time)”), but appears to have merged phonologically and grammatically with the "to be excessive" adjective above, becoming an adjective and undergoing highly irregular sound shifts.

Adjective

겹다 • (gyeopda) (irregular, infinitive 겨워, sequential 겨우니)

1. (of season, time) to have already passed

Conjugation

    Selected forms of the adjective 겹다 (gyeopda): consonant-stem, ㅂ(b)-irregular

Sentence-final forms
		Formal non-polite (해라체)	Informal non-polite (해체)	Informal polite (해요체)	Formal polite (하십시오체)
Indicative	Non-past	겹다 gyeopda	겨워 gyeowo	겨워요 gyeowoyo	겹습니다 gyeopseumnida
	Past	겨웠다 gyeowotda	겨웠어 gyeowosseo	겨웠어요 gyeowosseoyo	겨웠습니다 gyeowotseumnida
Interrogative	Non-past	겨우냐 gyeounya	겨워 gyeowo	겨워요 gyeowoyo	겹습니까 gyeopseumnikka
	Past	겨웠냐 gyeowonnya	겨웠어 gyeowosseo	겨웠어요 gyeowosseoyo	겨웠습니까 gyeowotseumnikka
Assertive		겹겠다 gyeopgetda	겹겠어 gyeopgesseo	겹겠어요 gyeopgesseoyo	겹겠습니다 gyeopgetseumnida
Connective forms
Cause/Reason		겨워 gyeowo	겨워서 gyeowoseo	겨우니 gyeouni	겨우니까 gyeounikka
Contrast		겹지만 gyeopjiman	겨운데 gyeounde	겹더니 gyeopdeoni
Conjunction		겹고 gyeopgo
Condition		겨우면 gyeoumyeon	겨워야 gyeowoya
Noun and determiner forms
Verbal nouns		겨움 gyeoum	겹기 gyeopgi
Past-tense verbal nouns		겨웠음 gyeowosseum	겨웠기 gyeowotgi
Determiners	Present		겨운 gyeoun
	Future		겨울 gyeoul

Sentence-final forms with honorific
		Plain (해라체)	Informal (해체)	Polite (해요체)	Formal (하십시오체)
Indicative	Non-past	겨우시다 gyeousida	겨우셔 gyeousyeo	겨우세요, 겨우셔요 gyeouseyo, gyeousyeoyo	겨우십니다 gyeousimnida
	Past	겨우셨다 gyeousyeotda	겨우셨어 gyeousyeosseo	겨우셨어요 gyeousyeosseoyo	겨우셨습니다 gyeousyeotseumnida
Interrogative	Non-past	겨우시냐 gyeousinya	겨우셔 gyeousyeo	겨우세요, 겨우셔요 gyeouseyo, gyeousyeoyo	겨우십니까 gyeousimnikka
	Past	겨우셨냐 gyeousyeonnya	겨우셨어 gyeousyeosseo	겨우셨어요 gyeousyeosseoyo	겨우셨습니까 gyeousyeotseumnikka
Assertive		겨우시겠다 gyeousigetda	겨우시겠어 gyeousigesseo	겨우시겠어요 gyeousigesseoyo	겨우시겠습니다 gyeousigetseumnida
Connective forms with honorific
Cause/Reason		겨우셔 gyeousyeo	겨우셔서 gyeousyeoseo	겨우시니 gyeousini	겨우시니까 gyeousinikka
Contrast		겨우시지만 gyeousijiman	겨우신데 gyeousinde	겨우시더니 gyeousideoni
Conjunction		겨우시고 gyeousigo
Condition		겨우시면 gyeousimyeon	겨우셔야 gyeousyeoya
Noun and determiner forms with honorific
Verbal nouns		겨우심 gyeousim	겨우시기 gyeousigi
Past-tense verbal nouns		겨우셨음 gyeousyeosseum	겨우셨기 gyeousyeotgi
Determiners	Present		겨우신 gyeousin
	Future		겨우실 gyeousil