Search from various English teachers...
Mojave
매운가 보다 or 맵은가 보다
To express "I guess/assume" in Korean, you use -나 보다 with action verbs and (으)ㄴ가 보다 with descriptive verbs (in the present tense, at least - although, in practice, -나 보다 can be used with descriptive verbs too).
Anyway...
크다 --> 큰가 보다
작다 --> 작은가 보다
But...
맵다 --> 매운가 보다
Why is the present tense conjugated form of 맵다 used? Why isn't it just 맵은가 보다? Are all -ㅂ irregular adjectives conjugated first instead of using the verb stem as with other adjectives? What about other irregular forms?
감사합니다!
Oct 31, 2013 12:39 AM
Answers · 4
As you assumed, "맵다" is a "ㅂ irregular verb".
e.g.
춥다 > 추 + ㅂ > 추 + 우 > 추 + 우 + ㄴ 가 보다 > 추운가 보다
덥다 > 더 + ㅂ > 더 + 우 > 더 + 우 + ㄴ 가 보다 > 더운가 보다
쉽다/귀엽다/밉다/아름답다, etc
As for 'ㅂ regular verbs",
좁다(narrow) > 좁 + ㄴ 가 보다 > 좁은 가 보다
입다(to put on) > 입는가 보다
\^o^/
October 31, 2013
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
Mojave
Language Skills
English, French, Italian, Korean, Spanish
Learning Language
French, Italian, Korean, Spanish
Articles You May Also Like

Santa, St. Nicholas, or Father Christmas? How Christmas Varies Across English-Speaking Countries
3 likes · 0 Comments

Reflecting on Your Progress: Year-End Language Journal Prompts
2 likes · 1 Comments

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
25 likes · 17 Comments
More articles
