This is the 11447th most frequent Korean word.
꼴찌였다는
"Was the last place" or "was the worst."
In this sentence, '꼴찌였다는' is used to refer to the state of having been in last place, emphasizing the factual recognition in the context of the race.
그는 경주에서 꼴찌였다는 사실을 받아들일 수 없었다.
He couldn't accept the fact that he was in last place in the race.
Here, '꼴찌였다는' encapsulates the idea that someone was in the last position in a test, focusing on a piece of discreet information.
그녀가 테스트에서 꼴찌였다는 것은 누구에게도 알려지지 않았다.
That she was last on the test was not known to anyone.
In this example, '꼴찌였다는' reflects a recalled state of being last, contextualized as a childhood memory.