Korean grammar · Level 4 · 4급
V-고 보니
Only once I'd done it…
V-고 보니 means that only after finishing an action did you realise something — often a surprise. -다 보니 is about something happening gradually; -고 보니 is about the moment the action is done. 알고 보니 (“it turned out that…”) is a fixed phrase you will hear all the time.
Examples
가사를 다 번역하고 보니 모르는 문법이 많았어요.
Once I'd translated all the lyrics, I realised there was a lot of grammar I didn't know.
택시에서 내리고 보니 휴대폰이 없었어요.
Only after I'd got out of the taxi did I realise my phone was gone.
알고 보니 그 배우는 제 친구의 형이었어요.
It turned out that the actor was my friend's older brother.
Practise it in context · Level 4, Unit 4
Pop culture
A dialogue with audio, practice that checks itself, Hoya’s mistakes, a reading and a writing task.
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