haru Korean › Grammar › Level 3A › A-(으)ㄴ가 보다 · N인가 보다
A-(으)ㄴ가 보다 · N인가 보다 — it seems … · … must be … — a guess from a clue (adjectives and nouns)
It seems … · … must be … — a guess from a clue (adjectives and nouns). Korean grammar for intermediate learners — Level 3A, lesson 3: 비가 이렇게 올 줄 몰랐어요 (I didn't know it would rain this much — weather and surprise).
What it means
-(으)ㄴ가 보다 is a guess built on a clue: you have just seen or heard something, and you draw a conclusion from it — 리사 씨 우산이 다 젖었네요. 밖에 비바람이 심한가 봐요 (Lisa's umbrella is soaked — the storm must be bad out there). The form is the -(으)ㄴ가 of -(으)ㄴ가요? (Lesson 2A-11) plus 보다, 'it looks like'. Adjectives take 은가 봐요 after a 받침 (많은가 봐요, 작은가 봐요) and ㄴ가 봐요 after a vowel or ㄹ (바쁜가 봐요; ㄹ drops: 힘들다 → 힘든가 봐요, 멀다 → 먼가 봐요). ㅂ adjectives change as usual: 춥다 → 추운가 봐요, 무덥다 → 무더운가 봐요. Nouns take 인가 봐요: 휴가인가 봐요, 장마철인가 봐요. Compare -(으)ㄴ 것 같다 (Lesson 2A-4): 것 같다 is simply your opinion and works for almost anything, including yourself; -(으)ㄴ가 보다 needs a clue and is normally about other people or things, not about yourself. 있다 and 없다 (and words like 맛있다, 재미없다) take -나 봐요 like verbs, and a guess about the past takes -았/었나 봐요 — both come in Lesson 3A-4. Today: adjectives and nouns in the present.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -은가 봐요 | 형용사 · 받침 O | 많다 + 은가 봐요 → 많은가 봐요 |
| -ㄴ가 봐요 | 형용사 · 받침 X · ㄹ / 명사(이다) | 바쁘다 + ㄴ가 봐요 → 바쁜가 봐요 |
Key points
- A-(으)ㄴ가 봐요 = it seems … · … must be … (from a clue): 받침 → 은가 봐요 (많은가 · 추운가) · no 받침 or ㄹ → ㄴ가 봐요 (바쁜가 · 힘든가) · nouns → 인가 봐요 (휴가인가)
- You need a clue — something you saw or heard — and it is about other people or things, not yourself. Verbs, 있다/없다 and the past take -나 봐요: that is Lesson 3A-4.
Examples
- 본 것이나 들은 것이 있을 때, 그것을 보고 「아마 그럴 거예요」 하고 말해요.
- 형용사 받침 O → -은가 봐요: 많은가 봐요 · 추운가 봐요. 받침 X · ㄹ → -ㄴ가 봐요: 바쁜가 봐요 · 힘든가 봐요. 명사 → 인가 봐요: 휴가인가 봐요.
- 리사 씨 우산이 다 젖었네요. → 밖에 비바람이 심한가 봐요.
- -(으)ㄴ 것 같아요(2A 4과)는 내 생각을 그냥 말해요. -(으)ㄴ가 봐요는 본 것 · 들은 것이 있을 때, 보통 다른 사람의 일을 말해요.
- 2A 11과 「바쁜가요?」 → 바쁜가 + 봐요 = 바쁜가 봐요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 3A, lesson 4; Yonsei University Korean 3-1, lesson 7; Sogang University Korean 3B, lesson 5; Ewha Womans University Korean 3-2, lesson 9; Hongik University Korean 3A, lesson 1; Hanyang University Korean 3-1, lesson 5.
Also in this lesson
- A/V-(으)ㄹ 텐데 — it will probably …, so … — a guess, then advice, a question, a worry or a wish
- A-(으)냐고 · V-느냐고 · N(이)냐고 하다 · 묻다 — passing on a question — he asked if …, she asked where …
- A/V-(으)ㄹ 줄 몰랐다 · -(으)ㄴ/는 줄 알았다 — I never expected … · I thought …, but … — surprises and mistaken beliefs