Questions & Answers about chimdaeeseo chaegeul ilgeo bon jeogi isseoyo.
-어/아 본 적이 있다 literally breaks down as:
• V-stem + 어/아 보다 (“to try doing V”) in its attributive form (어/아 본)
• 적 (“occasion” or “experience”)
• 이 있다/없다 (“there is/there is not”)
Put together, it means “to have the experience of trying to V.” In English we usually translate it “have you ever …?” or “I have tried …,” and with 없다 it becomes “have never ….”
본 is the adjective form of the verb 보다 when it’s used as an auxiliary meaning “to try.” You start with 읽어 보다 (“to try reading”), then turn 보다 into its modifier form 본 so you can attach 적:
읽다 (to read) → 읽어 보다 (try reading) → 읽어 본 적 (the occasion of having tried reading)
에서 marks the location where an action takes place. Since 읽다 (“to read”) is an action happening at the bed, you need 에서.
• 침대에서 책을 읽다 = “to read a book on/in bed”
By contrast, 에 would mark where something exists or the destination of movement.
Korean word order is flexible, so you could say:
• 책을 침대에서 읽어 본 적이 있어요.
• 침대에서 읽어 본 적이 있어요. (if context makes 책 clear)
However, dropping 에서 entirely would remove the “action location” meaning, so it’s usually not omitted.
Negate 있다 to 없다:
침대에서 책을 읽어 본 적이 없어요.
Simply raise your intonation and/or add a question mark:
침대에서 책을 읽어 본 적 있어요?
Or in more polite/formal speech:
침대에서 책을 읽어 본 적이 있으세요?