haru Korean › Grammar › Level 2B › V-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다
V-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 — nearly … · almost … (but it didn't happen)
Nearly … · almost … (but it didn't happen). Korean grammar for upper beginner learners — Level 2B, lesson 9: 하마터면 늦을 뻔했어요 (I nearly missed it — first day at work).
What it means
-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 means 'nearly …': something almost happened, but in the end it did not. 버스를 놓쳤어요 = I missed the bus; 버스를 놓칠 뻔했어요 = I nearly missed it (but I caught it). It is the future modifier -(으)ㄹ (Lesson 2A-3) + 뻔하다: after a 받침 add 을 뻔하다 (늦을 뻔했어요, 잃을 뻔했어요); after a vowel add ㄹ 뻔하다 (놓칠 뻔했어요, 넘어질 뻔했어요); verbs that end in ㄹ simply keep their ㄹ (울 뻔했어요, 졸 뻔했어요). Because the thing did not happen, you talk about it afterwards, so the sentence almost always ends in 뻔했어요. 하마터면 ('very nearly') often comes in front and makes it stronger: 하마터면 첫날부터 지각할 뻔했어요. The reason usually comes first with -아서/어서: 길이 막혀서 면접에 늦을 뻔했어요. 큰일 날 뻔했어요 ('that was a close call') is a set phrase, and Koreans also use the pattern as a joke: 배가 고파서 죽을 뻔했어요 = I was starving.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -을 뻔했어요 | 받침 O | 늦다 + 을 뻔했어요 → 늦을 뻔했어요 |
| -ㄹ 뻔했어요 | 받침 X · ㄹ (울 뻔) | 놓치다 + ㄹ 뻔했어요 → 놓칠 뻔했어요 |
Key points
- V-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 = nearly … (but it didn't happen): 받침 → 을 뻔했어요 (늦을 뻔 · 잃을 뻔) · no 받침 or ㄹ → ㄹ 뻔했어요 (놓칠 뻔 · 울 뻔)
- It is about something that did NOT happen, so it almost always ends in 뻔했어요. 하마터면 in front makes it stronger: 하마터면 큰일 날 뻔했어요.
Examples
- 늦다 → 늦을 뻔했어요. 잃다 → 잃을 뻔했어요. 앉다 → 앉을 뻔했어요.
- 놓치다 → 놓칠 뻔했어요. 넘어지다 → 넘어질 뻔했어요. 지각하다 → 지각할 뻔했어요.
- 울다 → 울 뻔했어요. 졸다 → 졸 뻔했어요.
- 버스를 놓쳤어요. ↔ 버스를 놓칠 뻔했어요.
- 하마터면 큰일 날 뻔했어요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 2B, lesson 17; Yonsei University Korean 3-1, lesson 9; Sogang University Korean 5B, lesson 1; Ewha Womans University Korean 3-2, lesson 14; Hongik University Korean 2B, lesson 11; Hanyang University Korean 4-2, lesson 11.
Also in this lesson
- V-아/어 있다 — is …-ed · is sitting / standing / open — a state that stays
- V-아다/어다 주다 — go and get … for someone · take someone somewhere — two steps, one favour
- A-군요 · V-는군요 · N(이)군요 — oh, so … · I see … — reacting to something you have just found out