-아/어 보이다
a/eo boida
Grammar · 1 sense
Looks like, seems like
Examples
마크 씨, 얼굴이 피곤해 보여요. 무슨 일 있어요?
Mark, you look tired. Did something happen?
도서관 앞에서 봤는데 많이 우울해 보였어요.
I saw him in front of the library, and he looked really sad.
이 음식은 많이 매워 보이는데 괜찮아요?
This food looks really spicy. Are you okay?
When you'd hear it
Common in everyday conversation, including comments about someone’s condition, mood, or food. It also appears frequently in dramas and informal workplace conversations, usually with polite endings such as 보여요 or 보였어요.
What learners get wrong
Do not confuse this with -아/어 보다, which means trying an action, as in 먹어 봐요. In -아/어 보이다, 보이다 is part of the pattern used with words such as 피곤하다 and 우울하다.
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