아어해 보다

아/어/해 보다 grammar is mainly used to tell about past experience(경험) and to try out something(시도).  We already learned the expression ‘Verb-아/어/해 보세요‘ which is a combination of ‘아/어/해 보다’ and ‘(으)세요’. 아/어/해 보세요 is used to suggest or recommend people to try something. For example-

아/어/해 보다 means ‘to try an action’ or ‘to talk about an experience’. 아/어/해 보다 attaches after a verb stem. It is used to try action or to talk about previous experience.

‘여수에 한번 가 보세요.’ Please try to go to Yeosu. Here, ‘가 보세요’ is a combination of the verb ‘가다 (to go), ‘아 보다’ and ‘세요. (Yeosu Island is beautiful. So I recommend it as a travel destination.)

In this lesson, we’re going to look at ‘아/어/해 보다‘.

혹시 여수에 가 봤어요?” Have you ever been to Yeosu?

아니요.아직 안 가 봤어요.” No, I haven’t been there.

그러면 여수에 한번 가 보세요.” Then, try to visit Yeosu. “정말 예뻐요.” It’s really beautiful.

아 보다 grammar

When you mean ‘시도 (try)’, ‘한번 (try) ‘is often used along with that. For example,

‘제가 한번 읽어볼까요?’ May I try to read it? 

‘제가 한번 해 볼게요.’ I will try to do it.

And a present sentence-final ending such as ‘세요’ is commonly used. Let’s look at the next examples.

‘저는 여수에 가 봤어요.’ I have been to Yeosu. ‘가 봤어요’ is a combination of the verb ‘가다 (to go)’, ‘아 보다’ and ‘았어요. ‘In the past, I don’t know when, but I went to Yeosu. I talk about the experience that I went to Yeosu.

‘가 봤어요’ express ‘경험 (the experience).’ And normally a past sentence-final ending such ‘았어요’ is used.

어 보다 grammar

Let’s look at the next examples.
‘이 노래를 한번 들어보세요.’ Please try to listen to this song.
Here, ‘들어 보세요’ is a combination of the verb ‘듣다 (to listen) and ‘어 보다’ and ‘세요. ‘The verb ‘듣다’ is ‘ㄷ irregular conjugation verb’. When ‘ㄷ’ meets a vowel, ‘ㄷ’ changes ‘ㄹ’.So it becomes ‘들어’.
‘이 노래를 한번 들어보세요.’ Please try to listen to this song.’들어 보세요’ talks about ‘시도 (try)’. ‘한번’ is used together. The present sentence-final ending ‘세요’ is used.

Let’s look at the next sentence.
‘저는 이 노래를 들어 봤어요.’ I have listened to this song.
Here, ‘들어 봤어요’ is a combination of the verb ‘듣다 (to listen)’, ‘어 보다’ and ‘았어요.’ I listened to the song in the past. I talk about the song I have listened to. In this time, ‘어 보다’ is used.’들어 봤어요’ talks about ‘경험 (the experience). The past sentence-final ending ‘았어요’ is used.

Let’s look at the next examples.

‘이 노래를 한번 들어보세요.’ Please try to listen to this song.

Here, ‘들어 보세요’ is a combination of the verb ‘듣다 (to listen) and ‘어 보다’ and ‘세요. ‘The verb ‘듣다’ is ‘ㄷ irregular conjugation verb’. When ‘ㄷ’ meets a vowel, ‘ㄷ’ changes ‘ㄹ’.So it becomes ‘들어’.

‘이 노래를 한번 들어보세요.’ Please try to listen to this song.’들어 보세요’ talks about ‘시도 (try)’. ‘한번’ is used together. The present sentence-final ending ‘세요’ is used.

Let’s look at the next sentence.

‘저는 이 노래를 들어 봤어요.’ I have listened to this song.

Here, ‘들어 봤어요’ is a combination of the verb ‘듣다 (to listen)’, ‘어 보다’ and ‘았어요.’ I listened to the song in the past. I talk about the song I have listened to. In this time, ‘어 보다’ is used.’들어 봤어요’ talks about ‘경험 (the experience). The past sentence-final ending ‘았어요’ is used.

아/어/해 보다 grammar conjugation

When the vowel before ‘다’ is ‘ㅏ’ or ‘ㅗ’, ‘- 아 보다’ is used.

For example, when you look at the verb 가다 (to go).Remove ‘다’ from the basic form. The vowel before ‘다’ is ‘ㅏ’.Then ‘아 보다’ is used after that. So it becomes ‘가 보다’.

When the vowel before ‘다’ is other vowels other than ‘ㅏ’ or ‘ㅗ’, then ‘어 보다’ is used.

For example, when you look at the verb ‘입다 (to wear)’.Remove ‘다’ from ‘만들다.’ Then there is a vowel ‘ㅣ’ in the stem.Then ‘어 보다’ is used after that. So it becomes ‘입어 보다’

Those verbs which end in ‘하다’ can be changed from ‘하다’ to ‘해 보다’.

When you look at the conjugation of ‘하다,’ remove ‘다’ from ‘하다’. Attach ‘여 보다.’ It becomes ‘하여 보다’. Here ‘하’ and ‘여’ are combined to become ‘해’. So it becomes ‘해 보다’.

You don’t need to remember this process. Simply you can think that ‘하다 changes to ‘해 보다.’ For example, when you look at the verb 공부하다 (to study). You can change ‘하다’ to’해 보다’. So it becomes ‘공부해 보다’.

아/어/해 보다 Practice

‘다시 한번 읽어 볼게요.’ I will try to read them again. ‘읽어 볼게요’ is a combination of the verb ‘읽다 (to read)’, ‘어 보다’ and ‘ㄹ게요.’

‘한국어를 공부해 볼까요?’ Shall we study Korean? 공부해 볼까요’ is a combination of the verb ‘공부하다 (to study) and ‘해 보다’ and ‘ㄹ까요.’

저는 스키를 타 봤어요. (I have ridden a ski.), 타 봤어요’ is a combination of the verb ‘타다 (to ride) and ‘아 보다’ and ‘았어요.’

김치를 먹어 봤어요. Have you eaten Kimchi. ‘먹어 봤어요’ is a combination of the verb ‘먹다 (to eat) and ‘어 보다’ and ‘았어요.’

아/어/해 보다
아/어/해 보다

아/어/해 보다 summary

From the basic form of a verb, when the vowel in front of ‘다’ is ‘ㅏ’ or ‘ㅗ,’ ‘아 보다’ is used. So ‘가다’ becomes ‘가 보다’. 

when the other vowels other than ‘ㅏ’ or ‘ㅗ’, ‘어 보다’ is used. So ‘입다’ becomes ‘입어 보다’. 

You can change ‘하다’ to ‘해 보다’. So ‘공부하다’ becomes ‘공부해 보다’. 

‘가 봤어요’ is a combination of the verb ‘가다 (to go) and ‘아 보다’ and ‘았어요. It’s talking about 경험 (experience).

‘가 볼까요?’ is a combination of the verb ‘가다 (to go) and ‘아 보다’ and ‘ㄹ까요. ‘This expresses is ‘시도 (try)’.