성공적이다

§ What does 성공적이다 mean?

The Korean adjective 성공적이다 (seong-gong-jeok-i-da) means 'to be successful' or 'to be achieving a desired aim or result.' You'll use this word when you want to describe something that has gone well, achieved its goal, or turned out favorably. It's a straightforward term that you'll hear and use frequently in everyday conversation.

Think of it this way: if you planned something, worked towards it, and it went according to plan (or even better!), then you can describe that outcome as 성공적이다. It can apply to various situations, from a small personal endeavor to a large-scale project.

DEFINITION

To be achieving a desired aim or result.

§ When do people use 성공적이다?

You'll hear and use 성공적이다 in many contexts. Here are some common scenarios:

• Describing events or projects: When a meeting, presentation, or event goes well and achieves its objectives.
• Talking about outcomes: When the result of an effort or plan is positive.
• Referring to performances or achievements: When someone's performance is commendable or an achievement is made.
• Discussing business or ventures: When a business or new venture is flourishing.

Let's look at some examples to make this clearer:

In this example, someone is commenting on a project that went well. The past tense 성공적이었어요 (seong-gong-jeok-i-eot-eo-yo) indicates that the success has already been realized.

Here, the speaker is relaying information about a successful meeting. The structure ~다고 들었어요 (da-go deul-eot-eo-yo) means 'I heard that...'.

This example uses the future tense, expressing confidence in an upcoming marketing strategy. The ~을 것입니다 (eul geot-im-ni-da) ending indicates future tense and a degree of certainty.

§ How is it different from 성공하다?

You might also come across the verb 성공하다 (seong-gong-ha-da), which means 'to succeed.' While both are related to success, they are used differently grammatically. 성공적이다 is an adjective, meaning it describes the quality or state of being successful. 성공하다 is a verb, meaning it expresses the action of succeeding.

• 성공적이다 (Adjective): Describes *what* something is like (successful).
• 성공하다 (Verb): Describes *what* something does (succeeds).

For instance:

Here, 성공했어요 (seong-gong-haet-eo-yo) is the past tense of the verb 성공하다, indicating the action of succeeding.

Compare that to:

In this case, 성공적이에요 uses the adjective form to describe the state of his business. The nuance is subtle but important for correct grammar.

§ Common phrases with 성공적이다

Here are a few more common ways you'll see 성공적이다 used:

• 매우 성공적이다 (mae-u seong-gong-jeok-i-da): Very successful
• 꽤 성공적이다 (kkwae seong-gong-jeok-i-da): Quite successful
• 성공적인 결과 (seong-gong-jeo-gin gyeol-gwa): Successful result (Here, 성공적인 is the attributive form of the adjective, meaning it modifies the noun 'result'.)
• 성공적인 삶 (seong-gong-jeo-gin salm): Successful life

Mastering 성공적이다 will allow you to express positive outcomes and achievements clearly in Korean. Keep practicing with examples, and you'll get the hang of it in no time!

§ Understanding 성과 vs. 성공적이다

Many learners confuse the noun form of 'success' (성공, seonggong) or 'achievement/result' (성과, seonggwa) with the adjective 'to be successful' (성공적이다, seonggongjeogida). While related, they are used in different grammatical structures. 성공적이다 describes the state of being successful, while 성공 and 성과 are nouns that refer to the success or outcome itself.

DEFINITION

성공 (seonggong): success (noun)

DEFINITION

성과 (seonggwa): achievement, result (noun)

You wouldn't say "이것은 너무 성공적이다" (This is too successful) directly when you mean "This is a great success." Instead, you might say "이것은 큰 성공이다" (This is a big success).

§ Incorrectly Using as a Verb

Remember, 성공적이다 is an adjective. This means it describes a noun or a situation. It does not act as a verb that takes an object. You cannot directly '성공적이다' something. You would use a verb like '성공하다' (to succeed) or describe a noun with '성공적인' (successful, adjectival form).

Here, 성공적으로 (성공적 + 으로, a common adverbial ending) modifies the verb 마쳤다 (finished), showing how it was finished. It's not 성공적이다 마쳤다.

§ Confusing with '잘하다' (to do well)

While both imply a positive outcome, 잘하다 focuses on the act of performing something well, whereas 성공적이다 describes the overall positive result or state of being successful. A project can be done 잘 (well) but might not be 성공적 (successful) if the desired outcome wasn't met. Conversely, something could be 성공적 even if there were minor hiccups along the way.

§ Overusing '너무' (too/very) with '성공적이다'

While '너무' can mean 'very' in informal speech, it literally means 'too much' or 'excessively'. Using it with '성공적이다' can sometimes sound a bit unnatural or imply that something is too successful in a negative way, like "excessively successful." It's often better to use '아주', '정말', or '매우' for 'very' when you want to emphasize success.

COMMON MISTAKE

너무 성공적이다 (literally: too successful)

BETTER OPTION

아주 성공적이다 (very successful)

BETTER OPTION

정말 성공적이다 (really successful)

§ Not Using the Adjectival Form Correctly

When you want to describe a noun as 'successful', you need to use the adjectival form '성공적인' (seonggongjeogin), which comes from 성공적이다. You cannot directly place 성공적이다 before a noun.

• Incorrect: 성공적이다 프로젝트 (successful project)
• Correct: 성공적인 프로젝트 (successful project)

The '은/는' particle is crucial here. 성공적인 acts as a descriptive adjective directly before the noun.

§ Confusing Subject-Predicate Agreement

Like all Korean adjectives, 성공적이다 functions as the predicate of a sentence, describing the subject. Ensure your subject and predicate logically align. The thing that 'is successful' should be your subject.

Here, '그 프로젝트는' (That project) is the subject, and '성공적이었다' (was successful) is the predicate describing the project.