Korean grammar · Level 3 · 3급
V-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다
Almost, nearly
-(으)ㄹ 뻔했다 describes something that very nearly happened but didn't — usually something bad. Because the moment has already passed, it is almost always in the past: 뻔했어요. Use -ㄹ 뻔했다 after a vowel or ㄹ and -을 뻔했다 after a consonant.
| When | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ends in a vowel or ㄹ | -ㄹ 뻔했어요 | 놓칠 뻔했어요 · 울 뻔했어요 |
| ends in a consonant | -을 뻔했어요 | 늦을 뻔했어요 · 잊을 뻔했어요 |
Examples
버스를 놓칠 뻔했어요.
I almost missed the bus.
호떡을 들고 뛰다가 넘어질 뻔했어요.
I nearly fell over running with the hotteok.
시험에 늦을 뻔했어요.
I was nearly late for the exam.
Practise it in context · Level 3, Unit 5
I almost missed the bus
A dialogue with audio, practice that checks itself, Hoya’s mistakes, a reading and a writing task.
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