봐
bwah
bwa
regular
보다
To say to see, to watch politely in the present tense, use 봐요 (bwah-yoh) · bwayo. Below is the full conjugation of 보다 across the three tenses and three everyday speech levels.
Grammar note (regular): Regular verbs and adjectives conjugate predictably. Before 어-series suffixes, vowels may contract (가 + 아 → 가, 보 + 아 → 봐), but no consonant in the stem changes. If the final vowel of the stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, use 아; otherwise use 어. Consonant-final stems: 먹 + 어 → 먹어; vowel-final: 가 + 아 → 가.
Conjugation table
pron. = pronunciation guide · RR = Revised Romanization
| Tense | Casual (반말) | Polite (요) | Formal (합니다) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 봐요 bwah-yoh bwayo | 봅니다 bohm-nee-dah bomnida | |
| Past | 봤어 bwah-ssuh bwasseo | 봤어요 bwah-ssuh-yoh bwasseoyo | 봤습니다 bwah-sseum-nee-dah bwasseumnida |
| Future | 볼 거야 bohl guh-yah bol geoya | 볼 거예요 bohl guh-yae-yoh bol geoyeyo | 볼 겁니다 bohl guhm-nee-dah bol geomnida |
Example sentences
- casual present뭐 봐?What are you watching?
- polite present저는 주말에 보통 영화를 봐요.I usually watch movies over the weekend.
- formal present저희 가족은 저녁마다 뉴스를 봅니다.My family watches the news every evening.
- casual past그 드라마 봤어?Did you watch that drama?
- polite past어제 공원에서 고양이를 봤어요.I saw a cat in the park yesterday.
- formal past지난주에 면접을 봤습니다.I had a job interview last week.
- casual future나 내일 시험 볼 거야.I’m taking an exam tomorrow.
- polite future오늘 밤에 축구 경기를 볼 거예요.I’m going to watch the soccer game tonight.
- formal future이번 주말에 새 집을 볼 겁니다.I will look at a new apartment this weekend.
- honorific -(으)세요여기 보세요.Please look here.
How it’s used
보다 covers seeing, watching and looking. After the -아/어 form of another verb it means “try doing”: 먹어 보세요 (“try eating it”), 입어 봐도 돼요? (“can I try it on?”). It also appears in set phrases such as 시험을 보다 (to take an exam) and 면접을 보다 (to have an interview), and the humble form 뵙다 is used for seeing someone senior: 내일 뵙겠습니다.
Common mistake
Joining “try” with -고 instead of -아/어: ✗ 먹고 봐요 → ✓ 먹어 봐요. 먹고 봐요 means “eat, and then watch,” not “try eating.”
Other useful forms
Honorific / Command Polite (-(으)세요)
보세요
boh-sae-yoh
boseyo
Suggestion / Let's Polite (요)
봐요
bwah-yoh
bwayo
Question Polite (요)
봐요?
bwah-yoh-?
bwayo?
Connective "and" — (고)
보고
boh-goh
bogo
Conditional "if" — (면)
보면
boh-myuhn
bomyeon
Progressive (고 있어요)
보고 있어요
boh-goh ee-ssuh-yoh
bogo isseoyo
Want to (고 싶어요)
보고 싶어요
boh-goh shee-puh-yoh
bogo sipeoyo
Can / Able to ((으)ㄹ 수 있어요)
볼 수 있어요
bohl soo ee-ssuh-yoh
bol su isseoyo
Because / So (아/어서)
봐서
bwah-suh
bwaseo
Noun form — (기)
보기
boh-gee
bogi
Noun form — (음)
봄
bohm
bom