Key Facts
- Hangul: 실패하다 (silpaehada)
- Meaning: to fail
- Level: B1
- Part of speech: verb
- Stem: 실패하
- Conjugation class: 하다 type
- Grammar: The plan or attempt takes 이/가 (계획이 실패했어요); the thing failed at takes 에.
- Usage: Used for plans, projects and attempts. Opposite: 성공하다.
What Does 실패하다 Mean?
The plan or attempt is the subject and takes 이/가: 계획이 실패하다. What you failed at can take 에. It suits plans, projects and attempts. Its opposite is 성공하다, and the two share the same frame: the attempt takes 이/가 and the goal takes 에, so you can swap one verb for the other without changing the particles.
Senses:
- to fail: Not achieve a goal or plan: 계획이 실패하다.
How Do You Pronounce 실패하다?
실패하다 is read as spelled. The formal present 실패합니다 is [실패함니다], and the past 실패했어요 is [실패해써요]. The ㄹ at the end of 실 is a short l-sound, so the syllables stay separate.
How Do You Use 실패하다 in a Sentence?
첫 번째 시도는 실패했어요.
The first attempt failed.
첫 번째 시도는 실패했어요 reports that the first attempt failed. 시도는 is the topic, and 실패했어요 is [실패해써요].
이 방법은 자주 실패해요.
This method often fails.
이 방법은 자주 실패해요 uses 자주 to say often. The present tense here describes a general tendency of the method, not a single event.
실패하면 다시 도전하세요.
If you fail, try again.
실패하면 다시 도전하세요 turns the conditional into advice: if you fail, try again.
How Does Silpaehada Conjugation Work?
실패하다 is a 하다 verb. 하 and 여 contract to 해, so the polite present is 실패해요 and the past is 실패했어요. Endings that begin with a consonant keep 하 (실패하면, 실패하는).
실패하다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 실패해요 | ||
| Polite past | 실패했어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 실패할 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 실패하겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 실패합니다 | ||
| Formal past | 실패했습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 실패할 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 실패해 | ||
| Casual past | 실패했어 | ||
| Casual future | 실패할 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 실패하고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 실패하세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 실패해서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 실패하면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 실패하는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 실패한 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 실패할 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 실패 안 해요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 실패하지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 실패했어요 | [실패해써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 실패할 거예요 | [실패할꺼예요] |
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 실패하겠어요 | [실패하게써요] |
| Formal present | 실패합니다 | [실패함니다] |
| Formal past | 실패했습니다 | [실패핻씀니다] |
| Formal future | 실패할 것입니다 | [실패할꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 실패했어 | [실패해써] |
| Casual future | 실패할 거야 | [실패할꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 실패하고 싶어요 | [실패하고 시퍼요] |
| Negative (long form) | 실패하지 않아요 | [실패하지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 시험을 실패했어요
Correct: ✓ 시험에 떨어졌어요
Why: 실패하다 does not take an object, and for exams the everyday verb is 떨어지다 with 에: 시험에 떨어지다. 실패하다 is the word for plans and attempts.
What Is Easy to Confuse with 실패하다?
| Word | How to tell it from 실패하다 |
|---|---|
| 성공하다 | The opposite: to succeed. |
| 떨어지다 | Used for failing an exam: 시험에 떨어지다. |
| 틀리다 | To be wrong or make a mistake. |
성공하다 is the opposite. 떨어지다 is the verb for failing an exam. 틀리다 is to be wrong or make a mistake, a smaller thing than a failed plan.
Where Does 실패하다 Turn Up?
Projects, methods and first attempts are typical subjects. 포기하다 and 도전하다 often follow when people decide what to do next.
Dialogue: a Colleague Helps after an Unsuccessful Test
Two colleagues discuss a test that did not work. They name the failed attempt and consider another method.
Sora:
이번에도 실패했어요.
Ibeonedo silpaehaesseoyo.
It failed again this time.
Daniel:
이 방법은 자주 실패해요?
I bangbeobeun jaju silpaehaeyo?
Does this method often fail?
Sora:
네, 첫 번째 시도도 실패했어요.
Ne, cheot beonjjae sidodo silpaehaesseoyo.
Yes, the first attempt failed too.
Daniel:
실패하면 다른 방법을 써 보세요.
Silpaehamyeon dareun bangbeobeul sseo boseyo.
If it fails, try a different method.
실패했어요 reports completed attempts. 실패해요 asks about a recurring problem, and 실패하면 introduces advice for that outcome. 이번에도 means this time too; 첫 번째 시도 names the first attempt. Keeping 시도 in view makes clear that the failure concerns a task, rather than a person's worth.
Which Phrases Use 실패하다?
- 시도에 실패하다 — to fail in an attempt. 시도 names the attempt, and 에 marks what the person failed at. 시도가 실패하다 instead makes the attempt itself the subject.
- 실험에 실패하다 — to fail in an experiment. This describes not reaching the intended experimental result. It does not necessarily mean that nothing useful was learned.
- 또 실패하다 — to fail again. 또 marks repetition. It can sound frustrated in a personal account, while a report may simply be counting repeated unsuccessful attempts.
- 실패는 성공의 어머니 — failure is the mother of success. This familiar saying presents failure as something people can learn from. It is encouragement, rather than a promise that every failure will eventually lead to success.
실패한 시도 means a failed attempt. The modifier 실패한 lets you identify which attempt you are discussing before naming it. In a conversation about several tests, this is more precise than repeating “it failed” without making clear which test you mean.
Where Will You Hear or See 실패하다?
News stories use 실패하다 for unsuccessful negotiations, business efforts, and plans. Everyday speakers use it for recipes, repairs, and other attempts that did not work. On a device or app, the shorter noun 실패 may appear in an error message where a complete sentence would take more space.
로그인 실패 means login failure, and 연결 실패 means connection failure. These labels report an unsuccessful operation. They do not by themselves explain whether the cause was a password, a network problem, or something else. The next instruction or error details provide that information.
실패하다 is a direct word. When comforting a friend, naming the attempt can make the meaning more precise: an experiment or method failed. The example 실패하면 다시 도전하세요 offers another attempt, but the speaker should still consider whether the listener wants advice immediately after disappointing news.
Why Does English “Fail” Cause Mistakes?
English uses “fail” for an exam, a task, and a machine that stops working. Korean divides those situations. 시험에 떨어지다 is the everyday expression for failing an exam. 고장 나다 describes a machine breaking down. 실패하다 works when an intended action or plan does not succeed.
Korean also uses a task phrase before 는 데 실패하다. 문제를 푸는 데 실패하다 means to fail to solve a problem. 데 is separate here because it refers to the task. The object 문제를 belongs with solving; 실패하다 itself is not taking that noun directly as an object.
Pay attention to forms that are possible but socially unlikely. 실패하세요 appears in the table because it is a grammatical form. As a direct instruction, it would tell someone to fail, so it is not a normal encouraging wish. 실패하면 is useful for discussing a possible setback without wishing it on the listener.
Related Words for Exam Setbacks
| Korean | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 불합격 | failure to pass | The result of an exam or screening. |
| 낙제 | failing a course or year | Concerns academic progression, rather than any failed attempt. |
| 재시험 | retest; resit | Another test after the earlier one. |
| 점수 | score | The number that may determine whether someone passes. |
For exam situations, the Korean exams and grades lesson teaches the more specific language of results and passing.
Mini Drill: Name the Failed Task
- Change 실패하다 to the polite past.
- Choose the everyday exam expression: 시험을 실패하다 or 시험에 떨어지다.
- Complete “if it fails”: ___ 다른 방법을 써 보세요.
- Which phrase makes the attempt the subject: 시도가 실패하다 or 시도에 실패하다?
Show drill answers
- 실패했어요.
- 시험에 떨어지다.
- 실패하면.
- 시도가 실패하다. 이/가 marks the subject.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 연결 실패 explain the cause of the problem?
- Which word means method: 시도 or 방법?
- Is 실패하세요 a normal wish for someone's success?
Show answers
- No. It only reports that the connection failed.
- 방법.
- No. As an instruction it tells someone to fail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Say I Failed My Exam?
시험에 떨어졌어요 is the usual phrase.
What Does 실패하다 Describe?
Plans, projects and attempts.
What Is the Opposite?
성공하다, to succeed.
How Do I Say If You Fail, Try Again?
실패하면 다시 도전하세요.
Which Words Are Related to 실패하다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Compare 성공하다 and 떨어지다, then 도전하다. The rule behind 실패해요 (to fail) is in 하다 to 해요, and the Korean verb conjugator tests other stems. For the negative of 실패하다 (to fail), see negating 하다 verbs. 실패하다 (to fail) sits beside 성공하다 and 떨어지다 in the Korean verb dictionary.