-아/어/해 보이다, 지다 | looks like, a change of state
Today, we’re going to learn about two grammar patterns -아/어 보이다 and -아/어 지다 grammar!
First, 아/어/해 보이다 is used to express that someone or something seems, appears, or looks a certain way.
We’ll learn how to express a change in state, like ‘The weather has become dark’ or ‘I have gotten taller.’
These grammar points are similar to the previous one, 주다, so it shouldn’t be too difficult!
Part 1,
Let’s grasp the concept of grammar
아/어/해 보이다 : someone or something seems, appears, or looks a certain way.
The verb 보이다 literally means “to be seen” or “to be visible.” However, in everyday Korean, it often takes on the meaning of “to look” or “to appear.” When you combine 보이다 with adjectives, it expresses that someone or something looks a certain way!
How to Form “보이다 grammar”
To form 보이다, start by conjugating the main verb and then adding 보이다 to the verb stem. Here’s how it works:
We conjugate the verb into the present tense, remove “요,” and then add 보이다 (Same as the 주다 grammar!)
✨보이다 is mostly used with *adjectives.*
■ 행복하다 (to be happy) → 행복해 보이다 (to look happy)
■ 춥다 (to be cold) → 추워 보이다 (to seem/look cold)
■ 비싸다 (to be expensive) → 비싸 보이다 (to look/seem expensive)
■ 크다 (to be big) → 커 보이다 (to look/seem big)
■ 힘들다 (to be hard) → 힘들어 보이다 (to look harder/difficult)
🐻❄️ More examples 🐻❄️
For the present tense, 보이다 becomes 보여요.
예뻐 보여. (casual)
You look pretty.
맛있어 보여요.
It looks tasty.
걔들은 항상 행복해 보여요.
They always seem happy.
하늘이 흐려 보여.
The sky seems cloudy.
For the past tense, 보이다 becomes 보였어요.
걔 진짜 똑똑해 보였여.
He seemed really smart.
그 분 처음에 차가워 보였여.
He seemed cold at first.
너 발표할 때 긴장해 보였어.
You seemed nervous when you were presenting.
For the future tense, 보이다 becomes 보일 거예요.
그 웨딩드레스를 입으면 정말 예뻐 보일 거예요.
If you wear that wedding dress, you’ll look really pretty.
* 예쁘다 -> 예뻐요-> 예뻐 보여요-> 예뻐 보일 거예요!
아마 처음에는 쉬워 보일 거예요.
At first, it might look easy.
-> You can say 쉬워 보일 수도 있어요 as well.
(쉽다 + 보이다(looks) + ㄹ/을 수도 있다(might))
이 방에 페인트를 칠하면 훨씬 밝아 보일 거예요. (밝다: to be bright)
If you paint this room, it’ll look a lot brighter.
* 밝다 -> 밝아요-> 밝아 보여요-> 밝아 보일 거예요!
👻
Then you might be wondering, what’s the difference between -는 것 같아요 and 보이다? In our previous lesson (#20), we learned that -는 것 같아요 can also mean “it seems like” or “it looks like.”
Let’s take a look at how they differ:
는 것 같아요: Focuses on your guess or personal opinion about a situation.
Can be used more broadly with verbs, adjectives, or entire clauses.
아/어/해 보여요: Focuses on how something physically appears or visually looks.
Generally used with adjectives to describe the outward appearance.
Basically, the biggest difference is that -는 것 같아요 can be used with verbs and a variety of other expressions to indicate a guess or inference, while 보이다 is generally combined with adjectives to focus on how something physically or outwardly appears.
If you want to say “It seems like it’s raining”, you need to use -는 것 같아요 because “to rain” is a verb.
So 비가 오는 것 같아요 is correct, while 비가 와 보여요 is incorrect.
맛있어 보여요: “It looks delicious” (based on the food’s outward appearance).
맛있는 것 같아요: “It seems delicious” (for instance, after tasting it or inferring its taste).
Now, let’s take a look at 아/어/해 지다 Grammar!
아/어/해 지다 : to indicate a change of state.
지다 ending is often translated as “to become” or “to get” in English and is typically attached to adjectives to show that something or someone is transitioning into a new state or condition.
How to Form “지다 grammar”
To form 지다, start by conjugating the main verb and then adding 지다 to the verb stem. Here’s how it works:
We conjugate the verb into the present tense, remove “요,” and then add 지다 (Same as the 주다 grammar!)
✨지다 is mostly used with *adjectives.*
■ 행복하다 (to be happy) → 행복해지다 (to become happy)
■ 춥다 (to be cold) → 추워지다 (to get cold)
■ 비싸다 (to be expensive) → 비싸지다 (to become expensive)
■ 크다 (to be big) → 커지다 (to become big)
■ 힘들다 (to be hard) → 힘들어지다 (to become harder/more difficult)
🐻❄️ More examples 🐻❄️
> Past tense
머리가 길어졌어요.
My hair has gotten longer.
기분이 좋아졌어요.
I feel better / My mood got better.
문제가 복잡해졌어요.
The problem has gotten more complicated.
날씨가 따뜻해졌어요.
The weather became warm.
✓ To express the ‘have + verb’ tense in Korean, we use the simple past tense, since 지다 often indicates a change in state, like ‘it was this in the past, and now it’s this.’ It is commonly used with the past tense to express ‘have become’ or ‘have gotten.’
> Present / Future tense
기후변화가 나빠지고 있어요.
The climate change is getting worse. (-> indicating an ongoing change.)
날씨가 더워지고 있어요.
The weather is getting hotter.
시험이 어려워질 거예요.
The exam will become difficult.
나는 더 강해질 거예요.
I will get stronger.
It’s pretty simple and straightforward!
To indicate a change in state, we use the grammar -지다, which is mostly used with adjectives.
We also have a verb 되다, which means “to become,” but it’s used in a completely different context.
For example:
I became a CEO when I was 40: 40살에 사장이 됐어요.
I want to become rich: 부자가 되고 싶어요.
-지다 is an ending that attaches to adjectives to show a change in state, while 되다 is a verb that means “to become” and is used in different contexts. So, don’t get confused by these two!
Let’s sum up!
Lessons 27 and 28 work together like this:
Conjugate the verb/adjectives into its present tense form.
Attach 주다, 지다, or 보이다 depending on the meaning you want.
(Conjugated Adjectives) + 보이다: Expresses “it looks like…” or “it appears…” (Not typically used with verbs)
(Conjugated Verbs) + 주다: Used to mean “doing something for someone.” (Not typically used with adjectives)
(Conjugated Adjectives) + 지다: Indicates a change of state (e.g., “become…”). (Not typically used with verbs)
Perfect, now let’s practice! 🌻
Part 2,
Practice making sentences #1
1. The weather suddenly got cloudy! I think I should go buy an umbrella.
(suddenly: 갑자기 / to be cloudy: 흐리다 / umbrella: 우산)
2. The baby has grown so much(to become big) in just a month! It’s amazing.
(baby: 아기/ to grow: = to be big 크다 / one month: 한달 / amazing: 신기하다)
3. Houses in Korea keep getting more expensive.
(keep: 계속 / expensive: 비싸다)
4. He was an unknown actor, but they’ve become really famous recently
(unknown actor: 무명배우 / to be famous: 유명하다 / recently: 최근)
5. If you eat this, you’ll feel better. (casually!)
(feel better: 기분이 낫다)
6. It was really cold last month, but it’s gradually getting warmer now.
(to be cold: 춥다 / gradually: 점점 / to be warm: 따뜻하다)
7. After using that cream, my skin became so much softer.
(to use: 쓰다 / skin: 피부 / to be soft: 부드럽다)
8. The situation is gradually getting better. That’s a relief.
(The situation: 상황/ gradually: 점점 / to be better: 낫다 / to be a relief: 다행이다)
9. Studying Korean was hard at first, but it’s gotten easier over time. (casually!)
(at first: 처음에 / to be easy: 쉽다 / over time: 시간이 지나면서(as time passed)
10. It feels like the economy is getting worse, and it breaks my heart. (casually!)
(economy: 경제 / to be bad: 나쁘다 / to break someone’s heart: 마음이 아프다)
11. I think you’ll look really pretty in that outfit.
(outfit: 옷)
12. When I first saw it, it looked pretty difficult.
(pretty: 꽤)
13. When we first met, you seemed a bit nervous, so it was hard to start a conversation. (casually!)
(first: 처음 / to be nervous: 긴장되다 / start a conversation : 말(을) 걸다)
14. She is always smiling, so she looks very kind.
(to smile : 웃다 / kind: 착하다)
15. This food looks spicy, but I think it will taste good. (casually!)
(to be spicy: 맵다 / taste good: 맛있다)
Thy these on your own first, before checking the answers!
