📘 Grammar 44: How to Use ~나 보다 – I Guess / I Assume in Korean

📘 How to Use ~나 보다 – I Guess / I Assume in Korean

Do you want to say “I guess he’s sleeping,” “She must be tired,” or “It looks like it’s raining” in Korean?

Then you need to learn how to use ~나 보다, a super useful expression in Korean used to express assumptions, guesses, or indirect conclusions.

This grammar is commonly used when you're not 100% sure but you assume based on a situation or clue.

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📌 What Does ~나 보다 Mean?

~나 보다 means “I guess,” “It seems that…,” or “I assume…”

It’s a polite and non-assertive way to express your opinion or guess based on what you see or feel.

Structure:

• Action verb + 나 보다
• Descriptive verb (adjective) + (으)ㄴ가 보다
• Noun + 인가 보다

📘 Example Sentences

• 비가 오나 봐요 – I guess it’s raining
  bi-ga o-na bwa-yo
• 그 사람은 바쁜가 봐요 – I guess he’s busy
  geu sa-ram-eun ba-ppeun-ga bwa-yo
• 졸린가 봐요 – I think he’s sleepy
  jol-lin-ga bwa-yo
• 학생인가 봐요 – I guess he’s a student
  hak-saeng-in-ga bwa-yo

📊 Grammar Table – ~나 보다 Forms

Type	Form	Meaning	Romanization
Action Verb	가나 봐요	I guess (he) is going	ga-na bwa-yo
Descriptive Verb	춥나 봐요 / 추운가 봐요	I guess it’s cold	chup-na bwa-yo / chu-un-ga bwa-yo
Noun	학생인가 봐요	I guess (he) is a student	hak-saeng-in-ga bwa-yo
Past	했나 봐요	I guess (he) did it	haet-na bwa-yo

💡 Usage Notes

• Used when making informed assumptions
• Very soft and humble way to express a thought
• Common in daily Korean speech

Examples:

• 지금 자나 봐요 – I guess he’s sleeping
• 길이 막히나 봐요 – I guess there’s traffic

❗ Common Mistakes

• ❌ 간 봐요 → ✅ 가나 봐요
• ❌ 이다 봐요 → ✅ 인가 봐요
• Don't mix up 나 봐요 with ~거 같아요 (they are similar but slightly different in nuance)

🧪 Mini Quiz – Test Yourself!

1. How do you say “I guess it’s raining”?
   a) 비 와요
   b) 비가 오나 봐요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 비가 오나 봐요

2. Translate: “I guess he is a teacher.”
   a) 선생님이에요
   b) 선생님인가 봐요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 선생님인가 봐요

3. Which is correct for “I guess she left”?
   a) 떠나나 봐요
   b) 떠났나 봐요
   
   Click to Show Answer

   ✅ b) 떠났나 봐요

✅ Conclusion

Now you can express polite and thoughtful assumptions in Korean using ~나 보다!

• Attach to verb stems and adjust based on verb type
• Great for casual speech when you're guessing
• Shows humility and openness to uncertainty

Practice these:

• “I guess she’s happy” → 행복한가 봐요
• “I guess they already left” → 벌써 갔나 봐요

📘 Coming Up Next

Next lesson: How to Use ~더라고요 – Sharing Your Experience in Korean
Learn how to say “I saw that it was,” “I tried and it was,” and more!

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