-아/어 보다 Try: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Build -아/어 보다 on any verb stem, including 가다, 하다 and 마시다.
• Say, in Korean, that you tried something and invite another person to try it.
• Tell -아/어 보다 apart from -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 and -(으)려고 하다.
• Spot and fix the most common mistakes, such as reading 보다 as "watch".

Prerequisites: the lesson on the Korean SOV sentence pattern and the polite ending -아요/어요. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• -아/어 보다 is an auxiliary construction: the main verb comes first and 보다 follows it.
• The vowel rule is the same as for -아요/어요: 아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, and 어 after other vowels.
• In this pattern 보다 does not mean "see". It adds the idea of trying.
• The past form 해 봤어요 often means "I have done it" (experience).
• -아/어 보세요 is a polite invitation: "Please try."

Listen to the two model sentences for this lesson.

The next section defines the pattern and shows what it means.

What Does -아/어 보다 Try Mean?

-아/어 보다 means "do something in order to find out what it is like". The speaker does an action once, or a few times, as a test or as a new experience. An auxiliary verb is a verb that follows a main verb and adds a meaning to it instead of acting alone. In 먹어 보다, the main verb is 먹다 ("eat") and the auxiliary is 보다.

The word 보다 normally means "to see" or "to watch". In this pattern it keeps only a trace of that meaning: you do the action and "look at the result". English "give it a try" and "have a go" are close translations. The pattern says nothing about success. 먹어 봤어요 means that you tasted the food, not that you liked it.

A First Example

Here are two sentences, one in the past and one in the polite request form.

In both sentences the main verb carries the connecting vowel (어), and 보다 comes right after it in its own word. The first sentence is a report of something you did. The second is a friendly invitation that a shop assistant might say. The next section shows exactly how the pattern is formed.

How Does -아/어 보다 Try Work?

The rule has two steps: attach 아 or 어 to the stem of the main verb, then add 보다 and conjugate it. The stem is the verb without its dictionary ending -다. For 먹다 the stem is 먹.

1. Choose 아 or 어 by the last vowel of the stem. If the last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, use 아. For every other vowel, use 어. 하다 uses its own form, 해.
2. Add the auxiliary 보다 as a separate word. 먹어 보다, 입어 보다, 앉아 보다.
3. Conjugate 보다 for the tense and speech level. 봐요 (polite present), 봤어요 (polite past), 보세요 (polite request).

Pattern Table

Three small points explain most of the table. First, when the stem ends in a vowel, 아 or 어 merges with it: 가 + 아 gives 가, and 오 + 아 gives 와. Second, 듣다 is a ㄷ-irregular verb, so its ㄷ changes to ㄹ before a vowel: 들어 보다. Third, 보다 itself can be the main verb: 보다 + 아 보다 gives 봐 보다, "see and find out", as in 한번 봐 보세요 ("Please have a look").

How Do the Tenses Look?

Only 보다 changes with tense and speech level. The main verb stays as 먹어. This is the same idea as in the Korean SOV sentence pattern: the last word carries the grammar.

A note on spelling. The official spelling rules (한글 맞춤법, Article 47) say that an auxiliary verb is normally written as a separate word, and they allow joined spelling in some cases. So 먹어 보다 and 먹어보다 are both acceptable. This site uses the spaced form because it shows the two parts clearly. The next section builds one sentence from scratch.

Worked Example: Building 김치를 먹어 봤어요

To say "I tried kimchi", start from the dictionary verb and add the pattern in five steps.

1. Pick the main verb. "Eat" is 먹다, and the object is 김치 ("kimchi").
2. Find the stem and its last vowel. The stem is 먹, and its vowel is ㅓ, so the connecting vowel is 어: 먹어.
3. Add the auxiliary 보다. 먹어 보다 means "try eating".
4. Choose the tense and speech level. For the polite past, 보다 + 았어요 becomes 봤어요, because ㅗ + ㅏ combine into ㅘ.
5. Put the object particle on 김치 and finish. 김치를 먹어 봤어요. In normal speech the sentence is said as [김치를 머거 봐써요].

You'll know it worked when the sentence ends with 봤어요, 먹어 stands directly before it, and the object 김치를 comes first. The same steps give 불고기를 먹어 봤어요 ("I tried bulgogi") and 한국 노래를 들어 봤어요 ("I listened to a Korean song").

The next section compares this pattern with two others that learners often mix up with it.

How Is -아/어 보다 Different from Similar Forms?

Three patterns can all be translated with "tried" or "try", but each answers a different question. -아/어 보다 says that you do or did an action as a test. -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 says that the experience exists somewhere in your life. -(으)려고 하다 says that you plan to do the action.

The sentences are said as [김치를 머근 저기 이써요] and [김치를 머그려고 해요]. The first two patterns overlap in the past tense. 한국에 가 봤어요 can mean "I have been to Korea", and 한국에 간 적이 있어요 means the same. The difference is emphasis. -아/어 보다 focuses on the act of trying, and -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 focuses on the fact that the experience exists. For this reason, 한국에 가 봤어요 is the more casual everyday choice, while 간 적이 있어요 is useful for "have you ever" questions.

The two patterns also join: 먹어 본 적이 있어요 means "I have tried eating it". Use this when you want to stress both the test and the life experience, for example when someone asks if you have ever tried a dish. The lesson on -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 experience explains the second half, and -(으)려고 하다 explains plans.

The next section covers the other ways the pattern is used.

When Do You Use -아/어 보다, and When Not?

Use -아/어 보다 when the action is new, optional or being offered as a test. Do not use it for routine actions, because a habit is not a trial. The pattern grows into several useful sentence types.

Invitations, Permission and Offers

The same pattern becomes a set of common phrases when the ending of 보다 changes.

In a restaurant, a polite server uses the honorific verb 드시다 ("to eat", respectful), so the invitation is 이거 한번 드셔 보세요. The first part, 드셔, is 드시 + 어. Everyone can understand 먹어 보세요, but 드셔 보세요 sounds more respectful toward a customer or an older person.

Going Somewhere New

With movement verbs the pattern often means "go and see for yourself": 한번 가 보세요 ("You should go there sometime") and 와 보세요 ("Come and see"). In the past it can mean "I have been there": 한국에 가 봤어요.

When the Pattern Does Not Fit

Skip -아/어 보다 in three situations. First, with routine actions, such as 매일 아침 커피를 마셔요 ("I drink coffee every morning"), because 마셔 봐요 would suggest a test. Second, with adjectives and states, since you cannot "try being" tall. The pattern attaches almost always to action verbs. Third, in sentences that describe a failed attempt with no result, where Korean uses other forms, for example -(으)려고 하다 for "try to".

What this lesson does not cover. Other auxiliary verbs such as -아/어 주다 and -아/어 버리다, and the idea of wanting to try (-아/어 보고 싶다), have their own lessons. The set is listed on the page for Korean auxiliary verbs.

An honest limit. The pattern describes a test or an experience, not effort. When you mean "try hard" or "try to do something difficult", Korean uses 노력하다 ("make an effort") or the form -(으)려고 하다. The line between "try" and "have experienced" is soft, so listeners rely on the context.

The next section lists the errors that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -아/어 보다?

Learners make five predictable mistakes. Each has a reason and a fix.

Learners often assume 보다 still means "watch". Actually 보다 here only adds "try". 먹어 봐요 does not mean "I watch someone eat". Fix: read the construction as one unit, "try eating".

Learners often assume the vowel is always 어. Actually the vowel follows the stem. Wrong: 앉어 보다. Right: 앉아 보다. Fix: look at the last vowel of the stem, and use 아 only after ㅏ and ㅗ.

Learners often assume the request is 봐세요. Actually the polite request form is 보세요. Wrong: 한번 입어 봐세요. Right: 한번 입어 보세요. Fix: 보세요 is 보 + 세요, and the vowel does not change.

Learners often assume the pattern fits habits. Actually it describes a trial or an experience. Wrong: 저는 매일 김치를 먹어 봐요 for "I eat kimchi every day". Right: 저는 매일 김치를 먹어요. Fix: ask whether the action is a test or something new.

Learners often assume the pattern means "try hard". Actually it means "do and see". Fix: for effort, say 노력해요 ("I make an effort").

Practice puts these rules into your own sentences, as the next section shows.

Practice and Answers

Complete the four tasks, then compare your answers with the key.

Task 1: choose 아 or 어. Write the form of the verb with 보다 (the dictionary form).

1. 앉다
2. 만들다
3. 가다
4. 마시다

Task 2: fix the error. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 한번 입어 봐세요.
2. 의자에 앉어 봐요.
3. 저는 매일 아침 커피를 마셔 봐요. (The meaning is "I drink coffee every morning".)

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "I tried bibimbap." and "Please try this once." (for a friend).

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence about a food you have tried and one question that asks a friend whether they have been to Korea.

Answer key

1. (1) 앉아 보다 (2) 만들어 보다 (3) 가 보다 (4) 마셔 보다
2. (1) 한번 입어 보세요. (2) 의자에 앉아 봐요. (3) 저는 매일 아침 커피를 마셔요.
3. 비빔밥을 먹어 봤어요. 이거 한번 먹어 봐. (A polite version is 이거 한번 드셔 보세요 or 이거 한번 먹어 보세요.)
4. Sample answers: 저는 불고기를 먹어 봤어요. ("I tried bulgogi.") 한국에 가 봤어요? ("Have you been to Korea?") Any verb is correct if the vowel matches the stem and 보다 follows as its own word.

If task 1 was correct, you have the vowel rule. If task 2 was hard, return to the pattern table and check the stem. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -아/어 보다 Try?

After -아/어 보다 try, learn the pattern for doing something for another person in -아/어 주다 do for. It uses the same vowel rule, so the first half will feel familiar. Then read the lesson on the experience pattern, -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 experience, to practise saying "I have done it before".

For a wider view, the parent page Korean auxiliary verbs lists every lesson in learning order. If you want to say what you want to try, continue with -고 싶다 want to, which gives sentences such as 한번 가 보고 싶어요 ("I want to go and see once").

This lesson covers -아/어 보다 in the polite and casual forms. It does not cover its use in connected sentences such as -아/어 보니까 ("when I tried it"). About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. The Korean text and spoken forms on this page were machine-generated and reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026. Romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does -아/어 보다 mean? -아/어 보다 means "to try doing something" or "to do it and see what happens". It attaches to a verb stem, as in 먹어 보다 ("try eating") and 가 보다 ("go and see"). The past form 먹어 봤어요 often means "I have tried it", so the pattern also carries a sense of experience.

How do I form -아/어 보다? Take the verb stem and look at its last vowel. After ㅏ or ㅗ add 아 보다, and after any other vowel add 어 보다. 하다 becomes 해 보다. Then conjugate 보다 as usual, giving 봐요 in the polite present and 봤어요 in the past, as in 먹어 봐요 and 먹어 봤어요.

What is the most common mistake with -아/어 보다? The most common mistake is reading 보다 as "watch" or "see", so 먹어 봐요 seems to mean "I watch eating". Here 보다 only adds the idea of trying. A second mistake is the wrong vowel, as in 먹아 보다. A third is writing 봐세요 instead of 보세요 in invitations.

How is -아/어 보다 different from similar forms? -아/어 보다 says you try or tried something. -(으)ㄴ 적이 있다 says you have the experience at some point in life, as in 먹은 적이 있어요. -(으)려고 하다 says you plan to do it, as in 먹으려고 해요. The first two can combine as 먹어 본 적이 있어요, meaning "I have tried eating it".

Do I use -아/어 보다 in speech, writing or both? -아/어 보다 is common in both. In speech it appears as 먹어 봐요, 먹어 봤어요 and 한번 해 볼게요. In formal writing and on signs it appears as 사용해 보십시오 ("please try using it") or 먹어 보았습니다. The grammar is the same, and only the ending changes with the speech level.