haru Korean › Grammar › Level 3A › V-나 보다
V-나 보다 — it seems … · they must be … — guessing from what you see or hear (verbs)
It seems … · they must be … — guessing from what you see or hear (verbs). Korean grammar for intermediate learners — Level 3A, lesson 4: 먹어 보니까 맛있던데요 (I tried it and it was good — tasting and recalling).
What it means
-나 보다 is how you make a guess from something in front of you — a smell, a queue, an empty plate: 맛있는 냄새가 나요. 할머니가 요리를 하시나 봐요. Add 나 봐요 to the stem of a verb, and of 있다 and 없다 (맛있나 봐요, 재미있나 봐요, 없나 봐요). A stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ: 만들다 → 만드나 봐요, 팔다 → 파나 봐요. For something that has already happened, use -았/었나 봐요 — and here adjectives join in too: 끝났나 봐요, 먹었나 봐요, 바빴나 봐요. In the present, adjectives keep the -(으)ㄴ가 봐요 you learned in Lesson 3A-3 (매운가 봐요, 바쁜가 봐요), and nouns keep N인가 봐요. The guess is about someone or something else, so you don't use it for your own actions or plans — except when you suddenly realise something about yourself: 제가 많이 피곤했나 봐요. With nothing in front of you to go on, -(으)ㄹ 것 같아요 (Lesson 2A-7) is the better choice.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -나 봐요 | 동사 · 있다/없다 (지금) | 먹다 + 나 봐요 → 먹나 봐요 |
| -았/었나 봐요 | 지난 일 (동사 · 형용사) | 끝나다 + 았나 봐요 → 끝났나 봐요 |
Key points
- V-나 보다 = it seems … · … must be … (from what you can see): verbs and 있다 · 없다 + 나 봐요 (요리하나 봐요 · 맛있나 봐요) · ㄹ drops (만들다 → 만드나 봐요) · the past -았/었나 봐요 for every word (끝났나 봐요 · 바빴나 봐요)
- The partner of A-(으)ㄴ가 보다 · N인가 보다 (Lesson 3A-3): 매운가 봐요 · 학생인가 봐요. Not for your own plans — you know what you are doing.
Examples
- 눈으로 보거나 귀로 들은 것이 있어요. 그것을 보고 생각한 것을 말해요.
- 동사 · 있다 · 없다 + 나 봐요: 요리하나 봐요 · 맛있나 봐요 · 없나 봐요.
- ㄹ이 빠져요: 만들다 → 만드나 봐요 · 팔다 → 파나 봐요.
- 지난 일은 -았/었나 봐요 (동사 · 형용사 다): 끝났나 봐요 · 바빴나 봐요.
- 형용사의 지금은 3과 -(으)ㄴ가 봐요: 매운가 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
- V-아/어 보니(까) — I tried it and found … — what you find out by doing
- A/V-던데(요) — I noticed … · I found … — telling what you saw or tasted yourself
- A/V-(으)니 — because … (written) — the reason on notices, signs and in announcements