-아/어 보이다
Seem to, Appear to
-아/어 보이다 is used to say something or someone 'looks', 'seems', or 'appears' a certain way based on visual evidence. It attaches to the stem of an adjective.
How It Works
This pattern is used to express the speaker's judgment or impression about the state or appearance of a person, object, or situation. It's based on visual cues.
Conjugation Rules:
The conjugation depends on the last vowel of the adjective stem:
- If the last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, you add -아 보이다.
- 좋다 (to be good) → 좋아 보이다 (to look good)
- 작다 (to be small) → 작아 보이다 (to look small) - If the last vowel is anything else (ㅓ, ㅜ, ㅣ, ㅡ, etc.), you add -어 보이다.
- 맛있다 (to be delicious) → 맛있어 보이다 (to look delicious)
- 슬프다 (to be sad) → 슬퍼 보이다 (to look sad) - For adjectives ending in 하다, it becomes -해 보이다.
- 피곤하다 (to be tired) → 피곤해 보이다 (to look tired)
- 행복하다 (to be happy) → 행복해 보이다 (to look happy)
This pattern is almost exclusively used with adjectives. When you want to guess about an action (a verb), you should use a different pattern like -는 것 같다.
The tense is expressed on the final verb, 보이다. For example, 'looked tired' would be 피곤해 보였어요.
Examples (5)
- 오늘 아주 행복해 보여요.
You look very happy today.
Word by Word: Today very happy look.
- 이 음식은 맛있어 보여요.
This food looks delicious.
Word by Word: This food delicious looks.
- 그 영화는 재미없어 보여요.
That movie looks uninteresting.
Word by Word: That movie uninteresting looks.
- 새로 산 옷이 작아 보여요.
The clothes I just bought look small.
Word by Word: Newly bought clothes small look.
- 어제 민준 씨가 많이 피곤해 보였어요.
Minjun looked very tired yesterday.
Word by Word: Yesterday Minjun Mr. very tired looked.
This example shows the past tense form, where -았/었- is attached to 보이다, becoming 보였다.
Common Mistakes
Using -아/어 보이다 with verbs instead of adjectives.
Not Quite비가 와 보여요.Better비가 오는 것 같아요.-아/어 보이다 describes the appearance of a state (adjective), not an action (verb). To guess about an ongoing action like 'it looks like it's raining', you should use a pattern like -는 것 같다.
Confusing -아/어 보이다 (looks like) with -아/어 보다 (try doing).
Not Quite이 케이크 맛있어 봐요.Better이 케이크 맛있어 보여요.맛있어 봐요 would mean 'Try being delicious', which is nonsensical. 맛있어 보여요 means 'It looks delicious'. The verb 보이다 (to be seen) is different from 보다 (to see/try).
Learn This First
To express 'seem to, appear to', you need the 아/어 form and the verb 보이다.
Related Patterns
- -ㄴ/는/ㄹ 것 같다Seems Like, Looks Like
Both express conjecture. However, -아/어 보이다 is specifically based on visual appearance, while -ㄴ/는/ㄹ 것 같다 is a more general guess that can be based on any kind of evidence or feeling, not just sight.
- -게 보이다Seem, Appear
This pattern is very similar and often interchangeable with -아/어 보이다. For example, '행복해 보여요' and '행복하게 보여요' both mean 'You look happy'. -아/어 보이다 can sometimes feel slightly more subjective or as a direct impression.
- Adjective conjugation
This pattern attaches directly to adjective stems and follows standard vowel harmony rules for the -아/어 part. Knowing how to conjugate adjectives is essential to use this pattern correctly.
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.