(으)ㄹ 뻔하다

Overview

The grammatical pattern (으)ㄹ 뻔하다 is used to express that an action or state almost happened or nearly occurred, but ultimately did not. It conveys a sense of a "close call" or a "near miss." This expression often implies a feeling of relief that something negative was avoided, or sometimes regret that something positive didn't quite come to pass.

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Usage

(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 is attached to the stem of verbs and adjectives to indicate that the subject was on the verge of performing an action or experiencing a state, but something intervened to prevent it. It's commonly used when describing situations where there was a high probability or a very close proximity to an event happening. For instance, if you nearly fell, or if you almost missed a train, this expression would be appropriate. It emphasizes the unrealized potential of an event.

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Conjugation Rules

The conjugation of (으)ㄹ 뻔하다 depends on whether the verb/adjective stem ends in a consonant or a vowel.

1. If the verb/adjective stem ends in a vowel or 'ㄹ': Attach -ㄹ 뻔하다.
   • Example: 가다 (to go) -> 갈 뻔하다 (almost went)
   • Example: 만들다 (to make) -> 만들 뻔하다 (almost made)
2. If the verb/adjective stem ends in a consonant (other than 'ㄹ'): Attach -을 뻔하다.
   • Example: 먹다 (to eat) -> 먹을 뻔하다 (almost ate)
   • Example: 죽다 (to die) -> 죽을 뻔하다 (almost died)

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Knowledge Plus

(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 is often used with adverbs like 하마터면 (almost, nearly, by a hair's breadth) to further emphasize the closeness of the event. While it can be used for both positive and negative near-misses, it is more frequently encountered in contexts where a negative outcome was narrowly avoided, leading to a sense of relief. For example, "하마터면 늦을 뻔했어요" (I almost was late). It can also be used with past tense markers like -았/었을 뻔했다 to emphasize that the near-miss itself happened in the past.