Learn Korean: Noun + 봐도

Let’s take a look at the Korean sentence pattern Noun + 봐도. The noun here refers to any person. We use it to express that even to the point of view of someone or a certain group of people, someone is really handsome or something is really difficult (other adjectives apply). For example, men are not really verbal about other men’s appearance. But if a guy says that another guy is handsome in his eyes, that guy is definitely handsome. We simply add 봐도 to the keyword 남자 (man). 남자가 봐도 means even in the eyes of man. Then, we add the statement (to be handsome). The actual sentence is 남자가 봐도 진짜 잘생겼어.

Here’s another example. A soldier comes across a teenager doing a plank in the park. He asks what that is for and the boy says it’s for his preparation for a sports match. To motivate him, the soldier says that what he is doing is not easy even for a soldier. The keyword is 군인 (soldier). Then, we add the statement (to be difficult). The actual sentence is군인이 봐도 힘들겠다. His intention is to say that he is doing a great job.

여자가 봐도 예뻐.

She is pretty from the point of view of women too. (if she is pretty in the eyes of women, she surely is the eyes of men)

어른이 봐도 참 재미있어.

This movie is aimed for kids but it is interesting for me as an adult.

수학 선생 봐도 어렵네.

This problem is difficult even for a math teacher. (that’s why don’t be upset if you can’t solve it right away)