보다 | What is 보다? A보다 B, V-아/어 보다, and 보다 vs 더 explanation 

This article examined the Korean item 보다 in three roles: as a base verb meaning “to see,” as a comparative particle attached to a noun to mean “than,” and as an auxiliary verb after V-아/어 that means “to try.” It presented rules for word order, spacing, and intensifiers, and it contrasted 보다 with 더 to prevent common learner errors. The discussion targeted English-speaking learners and employed only original examples for clarity.

Core functions of 보다: verb, comparative, and auxiliary

보다 originally meant “to see.” In grammar, it extended to mark comparison and to signal a trial attempt of an action. Korean maintained strict placement rules for each role. As a verb, 보다 behaved like other action verbs and received tense and politeness endings. As a comparative particle, 보다 attached directly to a noun with no space. As an auxiliary, 보다 followed V-아/어 and formed a light-verb construction meaning “try V.” Each role remained distinct in form and meaning, which allowed learners to parse sentences reliably.

보다 as a lexical verb: “to see, to watch”

As a full verb, 보다 conjugated normally. Learners produced: 영화를 봅니다 “I watch a movie,” or 어제를 보았습니다 is ungrammatical and should be 어제 영화를 보았습니다 “I watched a movie yesterday.” When 보다 functioned as the only verb, no comparative meaning was present. This section clarified the baseline meaning so that later comparative uses did not cause confusion.

보다 as a comparative particle after a noun

Comparative 보다 attached directly to a noun without a space: N보다. It introduced a reference point. The compared item typically came as the grammatical subject, and the predicate carried the scale of comparison.

Pattern: B이/가 A보다 (더) Adjective/Verb.

• 이 호텔이 그 호텔보다 조용합니다. “This hotel is quieter than that hotel.”
• 오늘이 어제보다 덥습니다. “Today is hotter than yesterday.”
• 민수가 작년보다 돈을 더 모읍니다. “Minsu saves more money than last year.”

더 meant “more” and highlighted the direction or degree of increase. In simple adjectival sentences, 더 remained optional because the predicate already encoded the scale, but 더 added clarity and emphasis. The sentence 오늘이 어제보다 덥습니다 and 오늘이 어제보다 더 덥습니다 were both acceptable, with the latter sounding more explicit.

Strict vs inclusive comparison: N보다 vs N이상

When numbers were involved, N보다 많다/적다 expressed a strict inequality (greater/less than N), while N이상/이하 expressed an inclusive boundary (at least/at most N).

• 10명보다 많습니다. “There are more than 10 people.” (11, 12, …)
• 10명 이상입니다. “There are at least 10 people.” (10, 11, 12, …)

This distinction prevented misreporting in academic, business, or legal contexts.

Negative and reverse comparison: 덜, N보다 못하다

덜 conveyed “less” in degree, while N보다 못하다 expressed that the compared item fell short in ability or quality.

• 이 커피가 어제 것보다 덜 씁니다. “This coffee is less bitter than yesterday’s.”
• 팀B가 팀A보다 수비가 못합니다. “Team B’s defense is worse than Team A’s.”

Intensifiers with comparative 보다: 훨씬, 좀, 더

Common adverbs modified the strength of comparison. 훨씬 indicated a large gap, 좀 indicated a small or polite adjustment, and 더 indicated a general increase.

• 이번 모델이 지난 모델보다 훨씬 가볍습니다. “This model is much lighter than the last one.”
• 그 방법이 이 방법보다 좀 복잡합니다. “That method is a bit more complex than this one.”

V-아/어 보다: “try doing”

The auxiliary construction V-아/어 보다 meant “to try” and described an attempt or experience. It formed naturally with imperatives and suggestions. As a writing convention, many teachers recommended writing the auxiliary 보다 separately from the main verb (해 보다, 먹어 보다) in formal prose, while conversational contractions such as 해봐요 or 먹어봤어요 appeared frequently in everyday writing.

• 새 어휘를 소리 내어 읽어 보았습니다. “I tried reading the new words aloud.”
• 이 길로 가 보세요. “Please try going this way.”
• 사용설명서를 먼저 읽어 보지 마십시오. “Do not try reading the manual first.” (context-dependent instruction)
• 매운 음식을 여러 번 먹어 보다 보면 괜찮아집니다. “If you keep trying spicy food several times, it becomes fine.”

Past experience with -아/어 봤다 indicated that the speaker had already attempted the action at least once. Progressive repetition with -다 보면 often implied gradual improvement through repeated trials.

Fixed comparative frames with 보다

In expressions such as 생각보다, 예상보다, and 평소보다, 보다 attached to a noun to mean “than X (thought, expected, usual).” These compact frames were productive and formal enough for academic writing.

• 회의가 생각보다 빨리 끝났습니다. “The meeting ended earlier than I thought.”
• 결과가 예상보다 좋았습니다. “The results were better than expected.”
• 오늘은 평소보다 일찍 출근했습니다. “I went to work earlier than usual today.”

Time adverbs worked smoothly with the frame “N보다 + 더/덜 + Adverb/Adjective,” producing precise yet concise sentences in reports and emails.

Word order and particle placement with comparative 보다

The compared baseline followed by 보다 usually preceded the subject that was being evaluated. The subject took 이/가 (or topic 은/는 in discourse), and the predicate carried the adjective or verb scale. This order increased clarity and sounded native in formal writing.

• (Baseline) 그 계획보다 (Subject) 이 계획이 (Scale) 더 현실적입니다. “Compared with that plan, this plan is more practical.”

Misplacements such as attaching subject markers directly to 보다 (예: A보다가) produced ungrammatical or unintended forms. Learners were advised to attach particles to the compared nouns and to keep 보다 directly after the baseline noun.

Spacing summary for clarity

• Comparative: N보다 (no space). 예: 작년보다, 계획보다.
• Auxiliary: V-아/어 보다 (often spaced in formal prose); contractions such as 해봐요 occurred in speech-like writing.

보다 vs 더: distinct functions

보다 introduced the reference point (“than X”). 더 indicated the increase (“more”). They frequently co-occurred but served different roles. Removing 더 often left a correct sentence, but nuance became weaker. Removing 보다 removed the baseline and could cause ambiguity. Formal compositions therefore placed both when precision mattered.

• 새 제품이 이전 제품보다 더 조용합니다. “The new product is quieter than the previous product.”

Original mini-examples for controlled practice

• 이 코스가 입문 코스보다 훨씬 체계적입니다. “This course is much more structured than the introductory course.”
• 발표를 녹음해 보았더니 속도가 빨랐습니다. “I tried recording my presentation, and the speed was fast.”
• 검토 시간이 예상보다 오래 걸렸습니다. “The review took longer than expected.”
• 그 장비는 우리 장비보다 덜 정확합니다. “That equipment is less accurate than ours.”
• 설정을 바꿔 보세요. 결과가 이전보다 좋아집니다. “Please try changing the settings. The results become better than before.”

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

1. Omitting the baseline: Saying 더 빠릅니다 without A보다 often forced the reader to infer the comparison. Including A보다 prevented ambiguity in reports and exams.
2. Using 이상 when “strictly more than” is intended: 10명보다 많습니다 excluded equality, while 10명 이상입니다 included it. The two forms were not interchangeable in precise statements.
3. Misplacing particles around 보다: The pattern B이/가 A보다 Adjective minimized clashes. Constructions like A보다가 were unrelated and should be avoided unless the -다가 connective was intended with a verb stem.
4. Collapsing the auxiliary: In formal writing courses, teachers often preferred 해 보았다 over 해봤다. Matching the expected register improved consistency across documents.

Conclusion

This article presented a structured overview of 보다 in three roles and supplied precise guidance for formal usage. As a comparative particle, 보다 marked the baseline and worked smoothly with 더, 덜, 훨씬, and numeric expressions, including the contrast with 이상/이하. As an auxiliary after V-아/어, 보다 conveyed a trial or experiential attempt and fit well with advice and reflection. As a lexical verb, 보다 retained the meaning “to see.” By following the placement, spacing, and role distinctions summarized above, learners produced accurate and clear sentences that met formal writing expectations.