KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -(으)ㄹ 뻔하다
Korean Grammar “-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 4)
How to attach it
Attach the pattern to the verb stem, which is the dictionary form without 다. Compare how each verb below changes depending on its last sound.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | With this pattern | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 보다 | to see, to watch | 볼 뻔하다 | bol ppeonhada |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽을 뻔하다 | ilgeul ppeonhada |
| 하다 | to do | 할 뻔하다 | hal ppeonhada |
| 살다 | to live | 살 뻔하다 | sal ppeonhada |
What changes
- After a stem ending in a vowel, ㄹ is added to the last syllable (보 → 볼). After a stem ending in a consonant, 을 is added (읽 → 읽을). A stem ending in ㄹ keeps it (살 → 살), and 하 becomes 할.
Explanation
길에서 미끄러져서 넘어질 뻔했어요.
“-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다” means “almost / nearly did …”: something was about to happen but in the end did not. It is almost always used in the past form “-(으)ㄹ 뻔했다.” The sentence means “I slipped on the street and almost fell.”
계단에서 미끄러져서 넘어질 뻔했어요.
“-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다” means “almost did ~ / nearly ~” and describes something that did not actually happen but came very close. It attaches to a verb stem and is usually used as “-(으)ㄹ 뻔했어요.” The sentence means “I slipped on the stairs and almost fell.” The person did not actually fall.
계단에서 미끄러져 하마터면 크게 다칠 뻔했어요.
“-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다” means “almost did ~ / nearly ~”: something almost happened but in fact did not (often paired with 하마터면). The sentence means “I slipped on the stairs and almost got badly hurt.” “-(으)ㄹ 지경이다” describes an extreme state you are actually in, whereas “뻔했다” means the thing was narrowly avoided.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 길에서 미끄러져서 넘어질 뻔했어요.
Said aloud, it sounds like [기레서 미끄러져서 너머질 뻔해써요].
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 길에서 | ||
| 길 | ㄱ+ㅣ+ㄹ | [기] gi |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | [레] re |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 미끄러져서 | ||
| 미 | ㅁ+ㅣ | mi |
| 끄 | ㄲ+ㅡ | kkeu |
| 러 | ㄹ+ㅓ | reo |
| 져 | ㅈ+ㅕ | jyeo |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 넘어질 | ||
| 넘 | ㄴ+ㅓ+ㅁ | [너] neo |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [머] meo |
| 질 | ㅈ+ㅣ+ㄹ | jil |
| 뻔했어요 | ||
| 뻔 | ㅃ+ㅓ+ㄴ | ppeon |
| 했 | ㅎ+ㅐ+ㅆ | [해] hae |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [써] sseo |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 길에 → [기레]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 길 | noun | road, way | TOPIK level 1 |
| 계단 | noun | stairs | TOPIK level 3 |
| 하마터면 | adverb | nearly (but it didn't happen) | TOPIK level 4 |
| 크다 | adjective | big | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 길에서 미끄러져서 넘어질 ____.
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Answer: 길에서 미끄러져서 넘어질 뻔했어요.
Question 2 Choose the word that fits the blank: 계단에서 미끄러져서 넘어질 ____했어요.
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Answer: 계단에서 미끄러져서 넘어질 뻔했어요.
Question 3 Which is the correct form of 보다 + -(으)ㄹ 뻔하다?
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Answer: 볼 뻔하다
Question 4 Which is the correct form of 읽다 + -(으)ㄹ 뻔하다?
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Answer: 읽을 뻔하다
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