TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-나 보다/-(으)ㄴ가 보다
-나 보다/-(으)ㄴ가 보다 express a guess based on something you notice: 'it seems that …'.
추측·판단Guessing & judgingHan: You know your own feelings directly, so you don't guess about them with -(으)ㄴ가 보다.
Examples
민수 씨가 요즘 많이 바쁜가 봐요.Minsu seems to be very busy these days.
밖에 비가 오나 봐요. 사람들이 우산을 쓰고 있어요.It seems to be raining outside. People are using umbrellas.
불이 꺼져 있네요. 다들 집에 갔나 봐요.The lights are off. Everyone must have gone home.
Don’t mix up
-나 보다/-(으)ㄴ가 보다vs-(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다-는 것 같다 is a general 'I think'; -나 보다 needs something you've just seen or heard as evidence: 비가 오는 것 같아요 vs (seeing wet umbrellas) 비가 오나 봐요.How to build it
V+나 보다
A+(으)ㄴ가 보다
N+인가 보다
오다 → 오나 봐요, 바쁘다 → 바쁜가 봐요, 학생 → 학생인가 봐요
- Use it for guesses about others or situations, not about your own feelings.
- Past forms take -나 보다: 갔나 봐요, 바빴나 봐요.
- In speech -나 보다 also appears after adjectives (바쁘나 봐요), but -(으)ㄴ가 보다 is the standard form.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 저는 배가 고픈가 봐요.
Right: 저는 배가 고파요.
You know your own feelings directly, so you don't guess about them with -(으)ㄴ가 보다.
Practise -나 보다/-(으)ㄴ가 보다 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄹ 텐데-(으)ㄹ 텐데 states what the speaker expects is probably true and uses that guess as background for advice, a contrast, or an unfinished feeling of worry or wish.
- -(으)ㄴ/는 줄 알다/모르다-(으)ㄴ/는 줄 알다 = 'I thought (wrongly) that …'; -(으)ㄴ/는 줄 모르다 = 'I didn't know that …'.
- -(으)ㄴ/는 모양이다Use -(으)ㄴ/는 모양이다 to make a guess about someone or something based on what you have just seen or heard: "it looks like / apparently".
- -(으)ㄹ지 모르다Use -(으)ㄹ지도 모르다 to say that something might happen or might be true, while you are not sure.
- -(으)ㅁ-(으)ㅁ turns a verb or adjective into a noun; it is used in notes, notices, memos and written records.
- -(으)며-(으)며 is a formal, written 'and' (listing) or 'while' (two actions at once).
- -(이)야-(이)야 emphasizes a topic as obvious or as the only one meant: 'as for N, of course …'.
- -(으)ㄹ 겸-(으)ㄹ 겸 gives one of two or more purposes for a single action: 'partly to …, and also to …'.
- -(으)ㄹ 걸 그랬다-(으)ㄹ 걸 그랬다 expresses regret: 'I should have done …' (but didn't).
