Try doing - ~해 보다

Try doing - ~해 보다

보다 means "see" and ~해 보다 is a special expression which means "try doing". This expression is used very commonly in ordinary conversations.

● Rule

Add 보다 to a spoken form of a verb. (Verbs - Present, Past)

• 해 보다 = try doing
  
• 가 보다 = try going
  
• 먹어 보다 = try eating
• 마셔 보다 = try drinking
• 읽어 보다 = try reading
• 들어 보다 = try listening
• 사 보다 = try buying
  
• 앉아 보다 = try sitting
• 봐 보다 = try seeing/looking/watching
• 올라가 보다 = try going up
• 쳐 보다 = try playing (the instrument)
  

The tables below are showing the written and spoken forms, and their respective positive and negative forms.

Remember that the plain form of verbs is the most basic from which many other forms of verbs derive and the plain form itself is rarely used in both written and spoken Korean.

I have omitted the present negatives for both written and spoken forms because people never use it in this way.

Instead of saying, "don't try eating", people would say, "don't eat" which is 먹지마.

There are two ways of expressing past negatives and one is more common than the other. "안~" form is more commonly used.

Factual/Declarative (Written)	Plain	Present	Past
Positive	먹어 보다	먹어 본다	먹어 봤다
Negative	먹어 보지 않다		먹어 보지 않았다 안 먹어 봤다

Dialogue/Conversation (Spoken)	Plain	Present	Past
Positive	먹어 보다	먹어 봐	먹어 봤어
Negative	먹어 보지 않다		먹어 보지 않았어 안 먹어 봤어

 
Eg.

• 안나는 중국 음식을 먹어 봤다. = Anna tried eating Chinese food.
  
• 찰스는 조나단 에드워즈의 책을 읽어 봤다. = Charles tried reading Jonathan Edwards' book.
• 예전에 먹어 봐서 코코넛을 또 사 봤다 = Because I tried eating it before, I tried buying a coconut again. (Conjunctions - Because, So)

예전에 = in the past, before
또  = again

• 이 음악을 들어 봐! = Try listening to this music!
• 이 차를 마셔 봐! = Try drinking this tea!
• 이 언덕에 올라가 봐. 그리고 푸른하늘을 봐 봐. = Try going up this hill! And try looking at the blue sky!
  

• 독일 가 봤어? = Tried going to Germany? (= Have you been to Germany?)
• 이 오래된 소파에 앉아 봤어? = Tried sitting on this old sofa?
  
• 피아노 쳐 봤어? = Tried playing the piano?
  

Formal Form
Refer to Verbs - Formal [Present, Past] 

Eg.
Written Form

• 먹어 봅니다 = try eating
  
• 먹어 봤습니다 = tried eating
  
• 먹어 보지 않았습니다 = haven't tried eating
• 안 먹어 봤습니다 = haven't tried eating

Spoken Form

• 먹어 봐요 = try eating
  
• 먹어 봤어요 = tried eating
  
• 먹어 보지 않았어요 = haven't tried eating
  
• 안 먹어 봤어요 = haven't tried eating