Overview
The grammatical expression (으)ㄹ 만하다 is used to indicate that an action or experience is worth doing, worth considering, or deserving of a particular action. It conveys a sense of positive evaluation or recommendation, suggesting that the subject possesses qualities that make the action meaningful, beneficial, or justifiable.
Usage
(으)ㄹ 만하다 is primarily attached to verb stems to express that the action described by the verb is worthwhile. It is commonly used in situations where you want to:
- Recommend something: "This movie is worth watching." (이 영화는 볼 만해요.)
- Evaluate something positively: "This restaurant is worth trying." (이 식당은 가 볼 만해요.)
- Indicate that something meets a certain standard or is good enough: "It's not perfect, but it's good enough to use." (완벽하진 않지만 쓸 만해요.)
- It can also be used in the negative form (e.g., -지 않을 만하다 or 안/못 + (으)ㄹ 만하다) to express that something is not worth doing.
Conjugation Rules
(으)ㄹ 만하다 attaches to the stem of a verb. The choice between -을 만하다 and -ㄹ 만하다 depends on the final consonant of the verb stem:
-
Verb stem ends in a vowel or 'ㄹ': Attach -ㄹ 만하다.
- 가다 (to go) + -ㄹ 만하다 → 갈 만하다 (worth going)
- 보다 (to see/watch) + -ㄹ 만하다 → 볼 만하다 (worth watching)
- 만들다 (to make) + -ㄹ 만하다 → 만들 만하다 (worth making)
-
Verb stem ends in a consonant (other than 'ㄹ'): Attach -을 만하다.
- 먹다 (to eat) + -을 만하다 → 먹을 만하다 (worth eating)
- 읽다 (to read) + -을 만하다 → 읽을 만하다 (worth reading)
- 찾다 (to find) + -을 만하다 → 찾을 만하다 (worth finding)
The 만하다 part can be conjugated for tense and politeness levels (e.g., 만해요, 만했어요, 만할 거예요).
Knowledge Plus
- (으)ㄹ 만하다 is often used in conjunction with -아/어 보다 (to try doing something) to form -아/어 볼 만하다, meaning "worth trying" or "worth experiencing." For example, "가 볼 만하다" (worth visiting/trying to go).
- While similar in meaning, (으)ㄹ 만하다 focuses on the deservingness or suitability of an action, whereas -가치가 있다 (to have value) emphasizes the inherent value or worth of a noun or concept.
- This expression is a versatile way to give recommendations or express a positive assessment of an activity or object.
- It can also be used with adjectives (e.g., 예쁠 만하다 - "it's pretty enough," or "it's worth being pretty," though less common and often implies a different nuance like 'it's understandable that it's pretty'). However, its primary and most common usage is with verbs.