-아/어 봤자 Grammar in Korean: Meaning and How to Use It

What you'll learn

• Attach -아/어 봤자 to verbs, adjectives and nouns.
• Hear the pessimistic feeling of the ending.
• Match it with a futile result.
• Choose between -아/어 봤자, -아/어도 and -(으)ㄴ들.

Prerequisites: the ending -아/어도 and the -아/어 forms of verbs. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• -아/어 봤자 says that doing X will bring no benefit, or only a small one.
• The form is the -아/어 form + 봤자, with the same contractions as -아/어서.
• No past marker goes before 봤자.
• The result clause is negative or futile, never a command or a suggestion.
• It sounds spoken, and a little blunt.

Listen to two model sentences.

The next section defines the pattern.

What Does -아/어 봤자 Grammar Mean?

-아/어 봤자 means "even if you do X, it's pointless" or "even if X, it won't amount to much". A connective ending is a word ending that joins one clause to the next. -아/어 봤자 is a connective ending with a pessimistic prediction built in: the speaker has already decided how the story ends.

The prediction can be of two kinds. The first is "no use": the action will not change the outcome. The second is "only this much": the result will be small. 비싸 봤자 얼마나 비싸겠어요? means "Even if it's expensive, how expensive can it be?" The speaker expects a modest price.

The speaker is confident about the outcome. That is why the ending sounds a little blunt. It is natural between friends and colleagues, but it can sound rude if you say it to someone who is doing their best.

The next section shows how to build the form.

How Do You Form -아/어 봤자?

First make the -아/어 form of the verb or adjective. This is the same form that you use before -아/어서 and -아/어도. Then add 봤자. For 먹다 the -아/어 form is 먹어, so the result is 먹어 봤자.

The -아/어 form depends on the last vowel of the stem. After ㅏ or ㅗ add 아, and after any other vowel add 어. Vowel stems often contract.

Notice that the word 봤자 is always spelled the same, with a space before it. It is said [봗짜]: the final ㅆ is pronounced as ㄷ, and the ㅈ that follows is tensed. Revised Romanization (RR) writes the pronounced final consonant as t, so 봤자 becomes bwatja. RR does not show the tensing of ㅈ, since it comes from a neighbouring sound.

Why "봤"?

The word 봤자 comes from the verb 보다 ("see, try") plus the past marker 았 and the ending 자. In 해 봤자 you can still hear the idea "even after trying it". The pattern is also used with adjectives, and in 비싸 봤자 nobody "tries" being expensive. Today you can learn the whole 봤자 as one block that already contains the past marker.

Stems Ending in a Vowel

Vowel stems contract with 아/어 in the usual way: 가 + 아 = 가, 오 + 아 = 와, 하 + 여 = 해, 되 + 어 = 돼. For 하다 verbs, add 해 after the noun: 말해 봤자, 후회해 봤자.

Stems Ending in a Consonant

Consonant stems take 아 after ㅏ or ㅗ and 어 after other vowels: 알아 봤자, 많아 봤자, 먹어 봤자.

Irregular Stems

An irregular stem changes shape before a vowel, so it changes here too. 돕다 becomes 도와 봤자, 듣다 becomes 들어 봤자, 모르다 becomes 몰라 봤자, 부르다 (call) becomes 불러 봤자, 낫다 becomes 나아 봤자, 쓰다 becomes 써 봤자 and 춥다 becomes 추워 봤자.

Nouns with 이다

After a noun, use (이)라 봤자. 형이라 봤자 한 살 많아요 means "He may be my older brother, but he is only one year older." After a vowel, 이 drops: 부자라 봤자 ("even if he's rich"). This form is less common than the verb form.

The next section builds a full sentence.

Worked Example: Building 지금 서둘러 봤자 어차피 늦었어요

Say "Even if I hurry now, I'm late anyway." Follow five steps.

1. Find the verb. "To hurry" is 서두르다. It is a 르-irregular verb.
2. Make the -아/어 form. 서두르다 becomes 서둘러. The 르 gives an extra ㄹ and the ending 러: 서둘러.
3. Add 봤자. 서둘러 봤자 means "even if I hurry".
4. Write the result. "I'm late anyway" is 어차피 늦었어요. 어차피 means "anyway", and 늦었어요 is the past of 늦다.
5. Join. 지금 서둘러 봤자 어차피 늦었어요.

You'll know it worked when the first verb is in the -아/어 form followed by a spaced 봤자, and the polite ending 요 appears only once, at the end. Try the same steps with "Even if I wait, he won't come": 기다리다 gives 기다려 봤자, and 그 사람은 안 올 거예요 follows.

The next section covers tense and sentence types.

Which Tenses and Sentence Types Work with -아/어 봤자?

Korean puts the tense marker between the stem and the ending. -아/어 봤자 takes none, because the 봤 inside it already contains the past marker 았. You will never see 갔어 봤자 or 가겠어 봤자.

The main clause is a prediction. It can be in the past, the present or the future. Compare 어차피 늦었어요 (it is already too late) with 어차피 늦을 거예요 (you will be late). Questions that ask for real information do not fit, but a rhetorical question such as 뭐 해요? ("What's the point?") works.

A wh-question stresses the question word and does not end with a sharp rise: 가 봤자 뭐 해요? A yes/no question would need a rise but is unusual here.

The next section compares -아/어 봤자 with its neighbours.

How Is -아/어 봤자 Different from -아/어도 and -(으)ㄴ들?

All three can be translated as "even if". The difference is how pessimistic the speaker is and how formal the sentence is.

A close look at 가다:

• 지금 가도 늦지 않아요. If you go now, you won't be late. -아/어도 makes a plain concession and the result is still good.
• 지금 가 봤자 문이 닫혀 있을 거예요. If you go now, the door will be closed. -아/어 봤자 predicts a bad result.

The permission frame "may" belongs to -아/어도: 가도 돼요 ("You may go"). -아/어 봤자 cannot form it. 가 봤자 돼요 is not Korean.

For a firm, determined "even if", see -더라도. The next section covers variations and edge cases.

Variations and Edge Cases of -아/어 봤자

Helper Words: 아무리, 어차피

The word 아무리 ("however much") is the most common partner: 아무리 말해 봤자 소용없어요. The word 어차피 ("anyway") is the second: 어차피 해 봤자 마찬가지예요 ("Even if I do it, it's the same anyway"). These words are optional, but they strengthen the pessimism.

Set Results

A few result phrases appear again and again. They are worth learning as chunks.

Negative First Clause

A negative first clause with 안 or 지 않다 is possible but rare, because the pattern usually pictures an action someone might take. Most sentences use a positive first clause.

보다 as "Try"

Do not confuse 봤자 with the ordinary pattern -아/어 보다 ("try doing"). In 먹어 봤어요 ("I tried eating"), 봤어요 is a real verb. In 먹어 봤자, the word has become part of a fixed connector. If you see 봤자 in the middle of a sentence and no 요 or 다 follows, it is the connector.

The next section lists the mistakes that appear most often.

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

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

Learners often use it with a good result. Actually the result must be negative or futile. Wrong: 열심히 해 봤자 합격했어요. Right: 열심히 해서 합격했어요. Fix: if the result is good, use -아/어서.

Learners often add a past marker. Actually 봤자 already holds the past marker. Wrong: 갔어 봤자. Right: 가 봤자. Fix: use the plain -아/어 form.

Learners often use a command or suggestion. Wrong: 가 봤자 가세요. Fix: the pattern predicts, so end with a statement.

Learners often forget the contraction. Wrong: 오아 봤자 and 돕아 봤자. Right: 와 봤자 and 도와 봤자. Fix: use the same contractions as -아/어서.

Learners often treat it as "try and see". Actually 먹어 봐요 means "try eating it", but 먹어 봤자 means "even if you eat it, it's pointless". Fix: look at the whole word 봤자 and at the pessimistic result.

Learners often use it to be polite. Actually the tone is blunt. Fix: with a person you respect, use a softer pattern such as -아/어도 or add a gentle ending.

The next section gives you practice.

Practice and Answers

Do the four tasks, then compare with the key.

Task 1: join the sentences with -아/어 봤자. Write one sentence for each pair.

1. 지금 가요. / 문이 닫혀 있을 거예요.
2. 돈이 많아요. / 행복하지 않아요.
3. 아무리 말해요. / 소용없어요.
4. 비싸요. / 얼마나 비싸겠어요?

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

1. 갔어 봤자 소용없어요.
2. 열심히 해 봤자 합격했어요.
3. 돕아 봤자 마찬가지예요.

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "Even if I wait, he won't come." and "Even if you apologise now, it's no use."

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence with 아무리 and one with 어차피.

Answer key

1. (1) 지금 가 봤자 문이 닫혀 있을 거예요. (2) 돈이 많아 봤자 행복하지 않아요. (3) 아무리 말해 봤자 소용없어요. (4) 비싸 봤자 얼마나 비싸겠어요?
2. (1) 가 봤자 소용없어요. (2) 열심히 해서 합격했어요. (3) 도와 봤자 마찬가지예요.
3. 기다려 봤자 그 사람은 안 올 거예요. 지금 사과해 봤자 소용없어요. Other correct versions exist, for example 기다려도 안 올 거예요 in a neutral setting.
4. Sample answers: 아무리 설명해 봤자 아무도 안 들어요. 어차피 가 봤자 아무도 없을 거예요. Any pair is correct if the first verb is in the -아/어 form followed by 봤자 and the rest follows.

If task 1 was correct, you have the formation rule. If task 2 was hard, check whether you added a past marker, used a good result or skipped the contraction. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -아/어 봤자 Grammar?

After -아/어 봤자, learn -(으)ㄴ들 for the literary version of the same idea. For a firm, determined "even if", read -더라도. If you have not yet studied the neutral partner, go back to -아/어도.

For a wider view, the parent page Contrast and Concession lists every connector in this group. To plan by level, use Intermediate Grammar.

A note on level. This site places -아/어 봤자 at B2. That is an editorial estimate based on how textbooks usually order grammar, not an official list. For official exam information, check topik.go.kr.

This lesson covers -아/어 봤자 in the polite and casual styles. It does not cover every written variation. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. Revised Romanization follows the national rules and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does -아/어 봤자 Mean?

-아/어 봤자 means 'even if you do X, it will be no use' or 'it will not amount to much'. The speaker predicts a pointless or trivial result. 지금 가 봤자 문이 닫혀 있을 거예요 means 'Even if you go now, the door will be closed.' It is spoken Korean with a slightly blunt, pessimistic tone.

How Do You Form -아/어 봤자?

Take the -아/어 form of the verb or adjective and add 봤자. 가다 becomes 가 봤자, 먹다 becomes 먹어 봤자, 하다 becomes 해 봤자 and 비싸다 becomes 비싸 봤자. Irregulars follow the -아/어 rule: 돕다 becomes 도와 봤자 and 모르다 becomes 몰라 봤자. After a noun use (이)라 봤자.

What Kind of Result Follows -아/어 봤자?

A negative or futile result: 소용없다 (no use), 마찬가지다 (the same), 별수 없다 (nothing to be done), or a rhetorical question such as 뭐 해요? A good result does not fit, because the pattern says the effort will not pay off. If the result is good, use -아/어서 or -아/어도 instead.

Can -아/어 봤자 Be Used with the past Tense?

Not before 봤자. The 봤자 already contains the past marker 았, so you do not add another: 갔어 봤자 is wrong. The main clause can be in the past or the future, as in 지금 서둘러 봤자 어차피 늦었어요. The first clause describes a case that is being supposed, not a finished event.

What Is the Difference between -아/어 봤자 and -아/어도?

-아/어도 is neutral: 'even if', and the result stays the same. -아/어 봤자 is pessimistic: 'even if, it is pointless'. It also cannot lead to a command or permission, while -아/어도 can (-아/어도 되다). Use -아/어도 for a plain concession and -아/어 봤자 when you want to say that the effort is wasted.

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