Korean grammar patterns › Level 3
-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다
almost, nearly (did — but it didn't happen)
Level 3 · TOPIK II · intermediate
How to use it
Something nearly happened but in the end did not. Used in the past tense (-(으)ㄹ 뻔했다), often with 하마터면.
Forming it
| 넘어지다 | → 넘어질 뻔했다 |
| 늦다 | → 늦을 뻔했다 |
| 잊다 | → 잊을 뻔했다 |
| 울다 | → 울 뻔했다 |
Present tense is not used: ✗ 늦을 뻔해요. Don't confuse with -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다 (it's obvious that).
Examples
길이 미끄러워서 넘어질 뻔했어요.
The road was slippery, so I almost fell.
알람을 못 들어서 회사에 늦을 뻔했어요.
I didn't hear my alarm, so I was almost late for work.
Compared with similar patterns
-(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다 predicts that something will obviously happen; -(으)ㄹ 뻔했다 says it almost happened but didn't.