-아/어 보니까
Now That I've Tried/experienced
'-아/어 보니까' means 'now that I've tried/experienced X, I found out Y'. It connects an action you took with a new discovery you made as a result.
How It Works
'-아/어 보니까' is a powerful pattern for expressing a judgment, realization, or discovery that comes directly from personal experience. It links an action the speaker tried with the resulting new knowledge or feeling.
Structure:
Verb Stem + -아/어 보니까
Conjugation Rules:
- If the verb stem's last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ, you add -아 보니까.
- 가다 (to go) → 가 보니까 (Now that I've gone...)
- 보다 (to see) → 봐 보니까 (Now that I've seen...) - If the verb stem's last vowel is anything else (ㅓ, ㅜ, ㅣ, etc.), you add -어 보니까.
- 먹다 (to eat) → 먹어 보니까 (Now that I've eaten...)
- 입다 (to wear) → 입어 보니까 (Now that I've tried wearing...)
- 듣다 (to listen) → 들어 보니까 (Now that I've listened...) (ㄷ irregular) - For 하다 verbs, it becomes 해 보니까.
- 공부하다 (to study) → 공부해 보니까 (Now that I've studied...)
- 사용하다 (to use) → 사용해 보니까 (Now that I've used...)
The key nuance is the element of discovery. The second clause almost always contains information that was unknown, unexpected, or different from the speaker's prior assumption before they performed the action in the first clause.
Examples (5)
- 이 옷을 입어 보니까 생각보다 잘 어울려요.
Now that I've tried on these clothes, they suit me better than I thought.
Word by Word: These clothes try wearing because than thought well suit me.
- 제주도에 직접 가 보니까 왜 사람들이 좋아하는지 알겠어요.
Now that I've actually gone to Jeju Island, I understand why people like it.
Word by Word: To Jeju Island directly go try because why people like (it) I understand.
- 한국에서 살아 보니까 한국 문화에 대해 더 잘 알게 되었어요.
After living in Korea, I got to know Korean culture much better.
Word by Word: In Korea live try because Korean culture about more well came to know.
The experience of 'living in Korea' led to the discovery/result of 'knowing the culture better'.
- 그 식당 음식을 먹어 보니까 정말 맛있더라고요.
I tried the food at that restaurant, and it turned out to be really delicious.
Word by Word: That restaurant's food eat try because really was delicious.
The speaker is reporting their discovery (it was delicious) after the experience of eating there.
- 새로 나온 앱을 사용해 보니까 아주 편리했어요.
Now that I've used the new app, I found it was very convenient.
Word by Word: Newly released app use try because very was convenient.
Common Mistakes
Using '-아/어 보니까' for general cause-and-effect where no personal trial or experience is involved.
Not Quite비가 와 보니까 길이 막혔어요.Better비가 와서 길이 막혔어요.'-아/어 보니까' implies that the subject actively tried something. One cannot 'try raining'. For simple cause and effect, use a different connector like -아/어서 (because) or -니까 (so/because).
Confusing it with a simple sequence of events.
Different Meaning숙제를 해 보니까 TV를 봤어요.Better숙제를 하고 나서 TV를 봤어요.This sentence just lists two actions in order. There's no discovery. '-아/어 보니까' requires the second clause to be a result or realization from the first. For a simple sequence, use -고 나서 (after doing).
Learn This First
To express 'now that I've tried', you need the 'try' pattern and verb conjugation.
Related Patterns
- -(으)니까So, Because
This is the second core component, indicating a reason or the context for a discovery. '-아/어 보니까' specifies that the reason or discovery comes from the direct experience described in the first part of the sentence.
- -더니I Noticed, And Then
Similar in that it can express a discovery based on an observation. However, '-더니' is often used when observing someone else's action or a change in a situation, while '-아/어 보니까' is used for the speaker's own direct trial or experience.
- -고 나니까After Doing, Now That
Also means 'after doing something...'. The focus of '-고 나니까' is on the completion of an action leading to a result. '-아/어 보니까' puts more emphasis on the experience or trial of the action itself leading to a discovery.
- -ㄴ/는/ㄹ 줄 몰랐다I Didn’t Know That…, I Had No Idea That…
This pattern, meaning 'I didn't know that...', often appears in the second clause following '-아/어 보니까' to explicitly state the new realization. For example: '이 약을 먹어 보니까 이렇게 효과가 좋은 줄 몰랐어요.' (After trying this medicine, I had no idea it was so effective.)