(으) ㄹ뻔하다 [ Korean Grammar ]

Today, we'll be looking at the usage of "(으) ㄹ뻔하다" Korean grammar pattern, with some example sentences.

I hope you have properly understood the usage of 거의, as we’ve learnt earlier. Check the link below:

거의 Korean Grammar Pattern  

There's another way of expressing almost, “almost” or “nearly” in Korean and that is ~ㄹ/을 뻔 하다.

Usage:

An expression used to express that the incident mentioned in the preceding statement almost occurred but ultimately did not occur. It can be used in the expressions used to exaggerate something that happened in the past. 

~뻔 is a bound noun which is used with 하다 like 수 with 있다.

A bound noun ~뻔 indicates that a certain event could happen but eventually did not happen.

It has the nuances of satisfaction. There's a sense of " 다행이다 ". It can be understood as when you might use the expression-

" That was close. " 

Now let's look at the conjugation rule :

• ~ㄹ 뻔하다 Is used when the verb stem ends with a vowel. 
• ~을 뻔하다 Is used when the verb stem ends with a consonant.

Lets see some example sentences :

• 울 뻔 했어.
  I almost cried. ( But I didn't.)
• 급하게 뛰어오다가 하마터면 넘어질 뻔했다.
  I almost fell while running in a hurry.
• 조금만 더 늦었더라면 기차를 놓칠 뻔했다.
  If it had been a little later, I would have missed the train.
• 그녀는 짙은 연기에 거의 질식해 죽을 뻔했다.
  She almost choked to death in the thick fumes. ( But she didn't die )
• 난 바람에 거의 날아갈 뻔 했다.
  I was almost blown over by the wind. (But thank goodness that didn't happen.)
• 그는 너무 조심성 없이 차를 몰아서 사람들을 칠 뻔했다
  He was driving so carelessly he almost ran over people.
• 눈길에서 속력을 줄이지 않아서 사고가 날 뻔했다.
  I almost had an accident because I didn’t slow down on the snowy road.
• 지수는 부모님의 사고 소식을 듣고 정신을 잃을 뻔했다.
  Jisoo almost lost her mind when she heard the news of her parents' accident.
• 출퇴근 시간이라 지하철을 타지 않았으면 약속 시간에 늦을 뻔했다.
  If I hadn't taken the subway because it was rush hour, I would have been late for my appointment.
• 유민이는 여자 친구의 헤어지자는 말을 듣고 그 자리에 주저앉을 뻔했다.
  Yoo-Min almost collapsed after hearing her girlfriend's words of breaking up.
• 김 선수는 큰 부상을 입고 선수 생명을 잃을 뻔했지만 재활 치료를 통해 극복했다.
  Kim was seriously injured and almost lost his life, but he overcame it through rehabilitation treatment.

To understand TOPIK Test structure, application process, Levels and Passing scores etc. check these pages:

1. TOPIK – The Complete Guide & 2. TOPIK Levels and Passing Marks. You can also Practice Online with TOPIK GUIDE Mock Tests.

Learning Korean can be tricky, especially when the goal of your learning is conversation. If you’ve ever attempted to speak Korean but were unable to, then hopefully you’ll find this post helpful.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions or suggestions. Comment down below.