V-아/어 보다

to try to do something

Explanation

-/ 보다 expresses trying out or experiencing an action, and corresponds to 'try' in English.

When the verb stem ends in ㅏ or ㅗ, - 보다 is used.

Otherwise - 보다 is used.

For verbs that end in 하다, the form changes to - 보다.

In general, when used with the present tense, it expresses trying something, and when used with the past tense, it expresses having the experience of doing something.

Details

When -아/어 보다 is used to express the experiencing of something, it is not used together with the verb 보다.

한국 영화를 봐 봤어요.

Kimchi Reader

Expresses the meaning of trying something out or experiencing an action.

Details

Spacing

Both versions [아/어]보다 and 아/어 보다 (with space) exist and can be used interchangeably. source

Examples
김치를 <span class='focus'>먹어보세요</span>.
Try eating kimchi.
제가 한번 <span class='focus'>읽어볼까요</span>?
Shall I try reading it once?
갈비를 먹<span class='focus'>어 봤어요?</span>
Have you tried Korean ribs?

12 more sentences in the app — free account.