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Grammar / Level 1 / Lesson 22

아/어 주다 and 아/어 보다

By Daniel Buckley · 8 minute read · TOPIK 1

Vocabulary

  1. 주다 - to give
  2. 돕다 - to help
  3. 사다 - to buy
  4. 찍다 - to take (a photo)
  5. 사진 - photo
  6. 가르치다 - to teach
  7. 고치다 - to fix
  8. 천천히 - slowly
  9. 좀 - a little, please (softens a request)
  10. 한번 - give it a go

도와주세요 is the word to know if you're ever in trouble in Korea. Look inside and there are two verbs: 도와, from 돕다, to help, and 주세요, please give. You're asking someone to give you some help.

Korean builds a lot of meaning this way. A second verb follows the 아/어 base of the first, gives up most of its own meaning, and says how the first one is meant. 주다 says someone benefits. 보다 says it's a try.

Building both

The first verb takes its 아/어 base, which is the 해요 form without 요. Irregular verbs come out the way they do in 해요. After a space comes 주다 or 보다, and that second verb takes all the endings.

Making 아/어 주다 and 아/어 보다

  • Take the 해요 form, drop 요, add a space and 주다.만들어요 → 만들어 주다사요 → 사 주다
  • Same again with 보다.입어요 → 입어 보다가요 → 가 보다
  • The second verb conjugates as usual.주다: 줘요, 줬어요보다: 봐요, 봤어요

※ A few very common pairs have become single words and lose the space, like 도와주다 and 빌려주다. You'll also see the space dropped elsewhere, which spelling rules allow.

아/어 주다: for someone

친구가 저녁을 만들었어요 reports a fact: my friend made dinner. 친구가 저녁을 만들어 줬어요 says they made it for someone, usually me, and that I'm glad they did. The second is what you'd say about a kindness, because in Korean leaving 주다 off can sound as if you didn't notice one.

  1. 친구가 저녁을 만들어 줬어요.

    Friend made dinner for (me).

  2. 엄마가 새 가방을 사 줬어요.

    Mum bought new bag for (me).

  3. 친구가 제 컴퓨터를 고쳐 줬어요.

    Friend fixed my computer for (me).

  4. 친구가 한국어를 가르쳐 줬어요.

    Friend taught Korean for (me).

  5. 동생한테 책을 읽어 줬어요.

    (I) read book for younger sibling.

The person who benefits usually takes 한테 or 에게, from lesson 14, as in example 5. When that person is you, it usually goes unsaid. 돕다 is the exception: it takes 을/를, as in 친구를 도와줬어요.

Pick a verb

사다사요사 줬어요

※ For someone you owe respect, 주다 becomes 드리다: 어머니께 가방을 사 드렸어요, I bought my mother a bag.

아/어 주세요: asking a favour

주세요 is how you ask for things: 물 주세요. Put a verb in front and you're asking someone to do something for you. Lesson 27 takes 세요 apart, so for now treat 주세요 as a chunk.

좀 softens a request, much as "please" does, and you'll hear it in most of them.

  1. 사진 좀 찍어 주세요.

    Please take photo (for me).

  2. 문 좀 열어 주세요.

    Please open door (for me).

  3. 천천히 말해 주세요.

    Please speak slowly (for me).

  4. 잠깐만 기다려 주세요.

    Just a moment, please wait (for me).

  5. 한국어를 가르쳐 주세요.

    Please teach (me) Korean.

아/어 보다: try it and see

Here 보다 means something like "and see". You do the thing to find out what it's like. It's the "try" of "try the soup", not the "try" of "try hard".

  1. 김치를 먹어 봤어요.

    (I) tried eating kimchi.

  2. 한국 노래를 들어 봤어요.

    (I) tried listening to Korean song.

  3. 친구한테 전화해 봤어요.

    (I) tried calling friend.

  4. 이 신발을 신어 보고 싶어요.

    (I) want to try on these shoes.

  5. 매운 음식을 먹어 볼 거예요.

    (I) will try eating spicy food.

Pick a verb

먹다먹어요먹어 봤어요

When people recommend something, you'll hear 아/어 보세요, built like 주세요. Add 한번 and it's "give it a go".

  1. 이 커피 한번 마셔 보세요.

    Give this coffee a go, try drinking (it).

In the past, 아/어 봤어요 often means you've done something at least once. 제주도에 가 봤어요 is "I've been to Jeju". Lesson 42 comes back to this.

※ 한번 is one word when it means "give it a go". Written 한 번, it's a count: one time.

For someone, or a try?

주다 points at a person who gets something out of it. 보다 points at you finding out. Pick the one that fits.

  1. 동생 사진을 ___.

    I took my younger sibling's photo for them.

  2. 이 옷을 ___.

    I tried on these clothes.

  3. 이 음식은 처음이에요. 한번 ___ 싶어요.

    This food is new to me. I want to give it a try.

  4. 길을 몰라요. 좀 ___.

    I don't know the way. Please tell me.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

Common mistakes

  1. 제가 친구를 책을 사 줬어요.

    제가 친구한테 책을 사 줬어요.

    English says "bought my friend a book", but the friend isn't the object. The book is, and the friend takes 한테.

  2. 문 좀 열고 주세요.

    문 좀 열어 주세요.

    주다 and 보다 follow the 아/어 base, not ~고.

  3. 매일 한국어를 공부해 봐요.

    매일 한국어를 공부하려고 해요.

    This can't mean "I try to study every day". 아/어 보다 is trying something out, not making an effort. Effort and intention take (으)려고 하다, which comes in lesson 36.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

사진 좀 ___ 주세요. (찍다) Please take a photo for me.

찍다 becomes 찍어요.

Summary

아/어 줬어요 forms
Dictionary해요아/어 줬어요
사다사요사 줬어요
만들다만들어요만들어 줬어요
읽다읽어요읽어 줬어요
가르치다가르쳐요가르쳐 줬어요
고치다고쳐요고쳐 줬어요
아/어 봤어요 forms
Dictionary해요아/어 봤어요
먹다먹어요먹어 봤어요
가다가요가 봤어요
마시다마셔요마셔 봤어요
듣다들어요들어 봤어요
입다입어요입어 봤어요

Now you can say

  1. 사진 좀 찍어 주세요.

    Please take photo (for me).

  2. 친구가 저녁을 만들어 줬어요.

    Friend made dinner for (me).

  3. 김치를 한번 먹어 보고 싶어요.

    (I) want to try eating kimchi.

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