30. Korean Grammar: 아/어 보다 (To Try Doing Something)

Korean Grammar: 아/어 보다 (To Try Doing Something)

In this post, we'll learn how to use 아/어 보다 in Korean, which means "to try doing something." This is super useful when you want to talk about trying new things like food, clothes, activities, and more!

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1. What is 아/어 보다?

아/어 보다 is added to a verb stem to express the idea of trying something. It’s similar to saying "Try eating", "Try wearing", or "Try going" in English.

How to Conjugate:

• If the verb stem ends with ㅏ or ㅗ, use -아 보다
• For all other vowels, use -어 보다
• If the verb stem ends with 하다, use -해 보다

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2. Examples of 아/어 보다

1. 먹어 보다
   (To try eating)
   • 새로운 음식을 먹어 봤어요.
     (I tried eating new food.)
2. 가 보다
   (To try going)
   • 제주도에 가 봤어요?
     (Have you tried going to Jeju Island?)
3. 배워 보다
   (To try learning)
   • 한국어를 배워 보고 싶어요.
     (I want to try learning Korean.)
4. 타 보다
   (To try riding)
   • 저는 말(馬)을 타 봤어요.
     (I’ve tried riding a horse.)
5. 해 보다
   (To try doing)
   • 새로운 운동을 해 봐요.
     (Try doing a new exercise.)

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3. Tense Changes with 아/어 보다

• Present Tense:
  • 먹어 봐요 (Try eating it.)
• Past Tense:
  • 먹어 봤어요 (I tried eating it.)
• Future Tense:
  • 먹어 볼 거예요 (I will try eating it.)

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4. Important Note: Put On Verbs (입다, 신다, 쓰다)

For verbs like 입다 (to wear clothes), 신다 (to wear shoes), and 쓰다 (to wear hats/glasses), using 아/어 보다 changes the meaning!

Without 보다 With 보다

입어요 (I wear it.)	입어 봐요 (Try it on.)
신어요 (I wear shoes.)	신어 봐요 (Try on the shoes.)
써요 (I wear a hat.)	써 봐요 (Try on the hat/glasses)

So, be careful! If you say 옷을 입어요, it means "I am wearing clothes," but 옷을 입어 봐요 means "Try on the clothes."

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5. Vocabulary from Examples

Korean English

먹다	To eat
가다	To go
배우다	To learn
타다	To ride
하다	To do
입다	To wear (clothes)
신다	To wear (shoes)
쓰다	To wear (hat/glasses)

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6. Quick Quiz (Test Yourself!)

1️⃣ Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Form:

1. (타다) → 자전거를 ___ 봤어요? (Have you tried riding a bike?)
2. (배우다) → 한국어를 ___ 보고 싶어요. (I want to try learning Korean.)
3. (쓰다) → 이 모자를 ___ 봐요! (Try on this hat!)
4. (입다) → 이 옷을 ___ 봤어요? (Did you try on these clothes?)
5. (먹다) → 김치를 ___ 봐요. (Try eating kimchi.)

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2️⃣ Choose the Correct Option:

1. Try wearing these shoes
   a) 이 신발을 신어요
   b) 이 신발을 신어 봐요
   c) 이 신발을 타 봐요
2. I tried going to the park
   a) 공원에 가요
   b) 공원에 가 봐요
   c) 공원에 가 봤어요
3. Have you tried riding a horse?
   a) 말을 타 봤어요?
   b) 말을 입어 봤어요?
   c) 말을 써 봤어요?
4. Try learning a new language
   a) 새로운 언어를 배워요
   b) 새로운 언어를 배워 봐요
   c) 새로운 언어를 가 봐요
5. I will try eating sushi
   a) 초밥을 먹어 봤어요
   b) 초밥을 먹어 볼 거예요
   c) 초밥을 먹어요

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3️⃣ Translate into Korean:

1. Try on this hat.
2. I tried eating spicy food.
3. Have you tried going to Busan?
4. I want to try riding a bike.
5. Try learning Korean!

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Try answering the quiz and see how much you’ve learned about using 아/어 보다 to talk about trying new things in Korean! 😊✨