HYEJU LANGUAGE LAB · INTERMEDIATE 27 · LESSON 112
A-아/어 보이다Look… / Seem… (adjectives)
-아/어 보이다 attaches to adjectives to describe how something looks from the outside: 피곤해 보여요 (you look tired), 맛있어 보여요 (it looks delicious). It is about appearance, not a fact you know for sure.
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A situation you already know
Your coworker comes in with dark circles under her eyes.
You look a bit tired today. Are you okay?
You can’t know how she feels inside, but she looks tired. 피곤해 보여요 describes what you see.
Build the form
- 피곤하다 → 피곤해 + 보이다 → 피곤해 보여요Complete expression
- 맛있다 → 맛있어 + 보이다 → 맛있어 보여요Complete expression
- 젊다 → 젊어 + 보이다 → 젊어 보여요Complete expression
- 어렵다 → 어려워 + 보이다 → 어려워 보여요Complete expression
- 예쁘다 → 예뻐 + 보이다 → 예뻐 보여요Complete expression
- Adjective stem + -아/어 보이다: 좋아 보여요, 피곤해 보여요, 슬퍼 보여요.
- Irregulars use their -아/어 form: 어렵다 → 어려워 보여요, 바쁘다 → 바빠 보여요.
- Past (it looked): -아/어 보였어요 → 피곤해 보였어요.
- Before a noun: -아/어 보이는 N → 맛있어 보이는 케이크.
- With nouns: N처럼 보이다 → 학생처럼 보여요.
- It goes mainly with adjectives. For actions, use -는 것 같다 or -는 것처럼 보이다.
Think in Korean · an English-speaker’s guide
- English “look + adjective” (You look happy) matches very well; the person or thing is the subject: 민수 씨가 행복해 보여요.
- Don’t use it to describe your own feelings: ✗제가 피곤해 보여요 sounds like you’re looking in a mirror. It’s fine for your appearance in a photo: 사진에서 제가 피곤해 보여요.
- A common compliment: 실제 나이보다 젊어 보여요 (You look younger than your age).
Six examples in context
This cake looks really delicious!
You look much younger than your real age.
The problem looks a bit hard. Shall we solve it together?
Minsu didn’t look like he was in a good mood yesterday.
You look taller in those clothes.
There are a lot of happy-looking people.
Compare with related patterns
-(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다
피곤한 것 같아요.“It seems he’s tired.” A guess from any kind of evidence (Lesson 74). -아/어 보이다 is based on appearance.
-(으)ㄴ/는 척하다
괜찮은 척해요.“He pretends to be fine.” Acting, not appearance (Lesson 100).
-아/어지다
예뻐졌어요.“You’ve gotten prettier.” A change (Lesson 76).
| Pattern | Choose it when… |
|---|---|
| -아/어 보이다 | how something looks |
| -(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다 | a guess from any evidence |
| -(으)ㄴ/는 척하다 | pretending |
| -아/어지다 | a change |
Common mistakes
Use the -아/어 form: 피곤해.
Put a space before 보이다.
Before a noun, use -아/어 보이는.
어렵다 is ㅂ irregular.
Mini practice · six questions
Try each one before opening the answer. Translation answers are models; other natural wording is possible.
- Fill in the blank오늘 기분이 ______. 좋은 일 있어요? (좋다)
Check answer
오늘 기분이 좋아 보여요. 좋은 일 있어요?
좋다 → 좋아 보여요.
- Fill in the blank그 가방 정말 ______. 어디에서 샀어요? (비싸다)
Check answer
그 가방 정말 비싸 보여요. 어디에서 샀어요?
비싸다 → 비싸 보여요.
- Choose the natural form(슬퍼 보이는 / 슬픈 보이는) 표정이에요.
Check answer
슬퍼 보이는
Before a noun → -아/어 보이는.
- Choose the natural form사진에서 동생이 실제보다 (어려 보여요 / 어리어 보여요).
Check answer
어려 보여요
어리다 → 어려.
- Fix the mistake그 문제는 쉽어 보여요.
Check answer
그 문제는 쉬워 보여요.
ㅂ irregular → 쉬워.
- Say it in KoreanYou looked really happy yesterday.
Check answer
어제 정말 행복해 보였어요.
Past → 보였어요.
Today’s key point
Appearance: adjective + -아/어 보이다 (past 보였어요; before a noun -아/어 보이는 N). Space before 보이다.
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