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Grammar / Level 2 / Lesson 42

ㄴ/은 적이 있다 and 아/어 봤다: experience

By Daniel Buckley · 9 minute read · TOPIK 2

Vocabulary

  1. 적 - a time, an occasion (in the past)
  2. 번 - time (counting occasions)
  3. 처음 - the first time
  4. 아직 - still, yet
  5. 타다 - to ride, to get on
  6. 잃어버리다 - to lose
  7. 넘어지다 - to fall over
  8. 떨어지다 - to fall, to fail (an exam)
  9. 외국 - foreign country
  10. 회 - raw fish

한국에 가 본 적이 있어요? Have you ever been to Korea? Learn Korean and you'll be asked this early and often.

Korean has no "have been" tense. 갔어요 reports one trip, and the listener may ask which. To say something is part of your history, whenever it was, you need a form built for that.

아/어 봤어요: I've tried it

You've met this one. 아/어 보다 is doing something to see what it's like. In the past, that adds up to having done it at least once, so 아/어 봤어요 is often simply "I've done that".

  1. 제주도에 가 봤어요.

    (I) have tried going to Jeju.

  2. 김치를 먹어 봤어요.

    (I) have tried eating kimchi.

  3. 스키를 타 봤어요?

    Have (you) tried riding ski?

  4. 이 노래를 들어 봤어요.

    (I) have tried listening to this song.

보다 itself is awkward here. 봐 봤어요 stacks 보다 on 보다 and usually sounds clumsy, so for watching and seeing, people say plain 봤어요 or use the next form.

Pick a verb

먹다먹어요먹어 봤어요

ㄴ/은 적이 있다: there's been a time

적 is a noun meaning an occasion in the past. It only appears after a modifier, and 있다 says that such an occasion exists. So 간 적이 있어요 is "a time when I went exists", which is how Korean says "I've been".

Making ㄴ/은 적이 있다

  • The ㄴ/은 form from {lesson 32|/grammar/neun-geot-noun-clauses}, then 적이 있어요.가다 → 간 적이 있어요먹다 → 먹은 적이 있어요듣다 → 들은 적이 있어요살다 → 산 적이 있어요

Pick a verb

가다가간 적이 있어요

  1. 한국에 간 적이 있어요.

    There is a time (I) went to Korea.

  2. 이 영화를 본 적이 있어요.

    There is a time (I) saw this movie.

  3. 그 사람을 만난 적이 있어요.

    There is a time (I) met that person.

  4. 어렸을 때 부산에 산 적이 있어요.

    When (I) was young, there is a time (I) lived in Busan.

  5. 한국 음식을 만든 적이 있어요?

    Is there a time (you) made Korean food?

The two forms combine, and 아/어 본 적이 있다 is what people very often say: 먹어 본 적이 있어요, "there's a time I tried eating it". In speech 이 tends to drop: 가 본 적 있어요?

  1. 매운 음식을 먹어 본 적이 있어요?

    Is there a time (you) tried eating spicy food?

  2. 한국 노래를 불러 본 적이 있어요.

    There is a time (I) tried singing Korean song.

※ Stick to verbs with this for now. Adjectives usually take 았/었던 적, as in 바빴던 적, and 던 comes in Level 3.

Things that just happened to you

아/어 보다 keeps a trace of trying, so it suits things you chose to do. For accidents and bad luck, ㄴ/은 적이 있다 is the plain way to say it, because it only says the occasion exists.

  1. 지갑을 잃어버린 적이 있어요.

    There is a time (I) lost wallet.

  2. 길에서 넘어진 적이 있어요.

    There is a time (I) fell over on street.

  3. 시험에 떨어진 적이 있어요.

    There is a time (I) failed exam.

You will sometimes hear 아/어 봤어요 on things like these, from someone saying "I've been through that too". As a neutral statement of fact, though, 적이 있어요 is the safer choice.

Never, and not yet

Change 있어요 to 없어요 and you have "I've never". 한 번도, not even once, adds force, and it works with both forms.

With 아/어 봤어요 you can also pick your negative. 안 먹어 봤어요 just reports that you haven't. 못 먹어 봤어요 usually hints that you haven't had the chance, and 아직, yet, goes well with it.

  1. 한국에 간 적이 없어요.

    There is no time (I) went to Korea.

  2. 비행기를 한 번도 탄 적이 없어요.

    Even one time, there is no time (I) rode plane.

  3. 외국에 한 번도 안 가 봤어요.

    (I) haven't tried going abroad even one time.

  4. 회는 아직 못 먹어 봤어요.

    Raw fish, (I) still couldn't try eating.

  5. 이런 음식은 처음 먹어 봐요.

    This kind of food, (I) try eating for the first time.

Example 5 is what to say with the first mouthful. It's in the present, because the experience is happening now.

Past, or experience?

A plain past reports an event. These forms report that your life contains one. 적이 있다 is about some occasion in your life, so it sounds wrong for yesterday's lunch or for things you do all the time.

  1. 어제 친구를 ___.

    I met a friend yesterday.

  2. 지갑을 ___.

    I've lost my wallet before.

  3. 그 영화를 ___.

    I've seen that movie.

  4. 제주도에 가 봤어요? 아니요, 아직 ___.

    Have you been to Jeju? No, not yet.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

In a conversation

A

한국에 가 본 적이 있어요?

To Korea is there a time tried going?

B

네, 작년에 갔어요. 부산에 일주일 있었어요.

Yes, last year went. In Busan one week stayed.

A

부산에서 회를 먹어 봤어요?

In Busan raw fish tried eating?

B

아니요, 회는 아직 못 먹어 봤어요.

No, raw fish still couldn't try eating.

A

그럼 다음에 꼭 먹어 보세요.

Then next time definitely please try eating.

Common mistakes

  1. 어제 김치를 먹은 적이 있어요.

    어제 김치를 먹었어요.

    적이 있다 is for some occasion in your life, not a recent dated event. Use the plain past.

  2. 한국에 갔은 적이 있어요.

    한국에 간 적이 있어요.

    ㄴ/은 already marks the past, so it goes straight on the stem, with no 았/었.

  3. 제주도에 가 봐요.

    제주도에 가 봤어요.

    가 봐요 is "try going", or "I'm trying it now". To say you've been, 보다 has to be past.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

한국에 ___. (가다, use 적이 있다) I've been to Korea.

ㄴ attaches to the stem 가.

Summary

ㄴ/은 적이 있어요 forms
DictionaryStemㄴ/은 적이 있어요
가다가간 적이 있어요
먹다먹먹은 적이 있어요
듣다듣들은 적이 있어요
살다살산 적이 있어요
만들다만들만든 적이 있어요
하다하한 적이 있어요
아/어 봤어요 forms
Dictionary해요아/어 봤어요
가다가요가 봤어요
먹다먹어요먹어 봤어요
듣다들어요들어 봤어요
만들다만들어요만들어 봤어요
하다해요해 봤어요

Now you can say

  1. 한국에 간 적이 있어요.

    There is a time (I) went to Korea.

  2. 비행기를 한 번도 탄 적이 없어요.

    Even one time, there is no time (I) rode plane.

  3. 이런 음식은 처음 먹어 봐요.

    This kind of food, (I) try eating for the first time.

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