Korean grammar patterns › Level 5
-기 일쑤이다
often (do something bad), habitually
Level 5 · TOPIK II · advanced
How to use it
Describes something undesirable that happens frequently as a habit, based on real experience.
Forming it
| 늦다 | → 늦기 일쑤이다 |
| 거르다 | → 거르기 일쑤예요 |
| 잊다 | → 잊기 일쑤였어요 |
Not for one-time events or predictions, and not for good habits: ✗ 매일 운동하기 일쑤예요.
Examples
그 친구는 약속 시간에 늦기 일쑤예요.
That friend is often late for appointments.
바쁘다 보니 아침을 거르기 일쑤예요.
I'm so busy that I often skip breakfast.
Compared with similar patterns
-기 십상이다 predicts a likely bad result; -기 일쑤이다 reports a bad thing that repeatedly happens.