V + -(으)ㄹ 뻔하다 – Almost Did / Nearly Happened
Meaning: Almost did; nearly happened; came close to doing
Conjugation & Pattern
- Verb stem without batchim or ending in ㄹ: + -ㄹ 뻔했다 (나다 -> 날 뻔했다, 울다 -> 울 뻔했다)
- Verb stem with batchim (except ㄹ): + -을 뻔했다 (죽다 -> 죽을 뻔했다, 늦다 -> 늦을 뻔했다)
Detailed Usage
Always conjugated in the past tense ('-(으)ㄹ 뻔했다') to indicate that an event (usually an accident, mistake, or undesirable situation) came very close to happening in the past, but fortunately did not occur.
Example Sentences
- 1
앞차가 갑자기 멈춰서 하마터면 큰 사고가 날 뻔했어요.
Apchaga gapjagi meomchwoseo hamateomyeon keun sagoga nal ppeonhaesseoyo.
The car in front stopped suddenly, so a major accident almost happened.
- 2
아침에 급하게 서두르다가 지갑을 집에 두고 올 뻔했습니다.
Achime geuphage seodureudaga jigabeul jibe dugo ol ppeonhaetseumnida.
Because I was in such a hurry this morning, I almost left my wallet at home.
- 3
영화가 너무 슬퍼서 여자친구 앞에서 눈물을 흘릴 뻔했어요.
Yeonghwaga neomu seulpeoseo yeojachingu apeseo nunmureul heullil ppeonhaesseoyo.
The movie was so sad that I nearly shed tears in front of my girlfriend.
Important Notes
Frequently paired with the adverb '하마터면' ('by a narrow margin / nearly'). Also used in hyperbolic expressions like '배가 고파서 죽을 뻔했다' ('I almost died of hunger').
