Question 1

What does 도서관에서 mean here? Could I use 도서관에 instead?

Accepted Answer

도서관에서 uses the particle -에서 to mark the place where the action happens (“at the library”). If you said 도서관에, that would mark a destination or static location (“to the library” or “in the library” with verbs like 있다/가다), but not the site of the action. So for “I did something at the library,” you need 도서관에서.

Question 2

Why is it 컴퓨터를 이용해 봤어요 instead of 컴퓨터를 이용했어요?

Accepted Answer

The ending -아/어 보다 after a verb means “to try doing” that action.  
– 이용해 봤어요 = “I tried using/utilizing (the computer).”  
– 이용했어요 = “I used/utilized (the computer)” with no nuance of “trying it out.”

Question 3

How is 이용하다 different from 사용하다 or 쓰다?

Accepted Answer

– 이용하다 (利用–) is like “to make use of,” often for services, facilities, systems, tools in a somewhat formal register.  
– 사용하다 (使用–) simply means “to use” in a general sense.  
– 쓰다 can mean “to use,” “to write,” or “to wear,” depending on context, and is more colloquial.  
So at a library, 컴퓨터를 이용하다 sounds natural if you treat the computer as a facility.

Question 4

Why is the computer marked with -를 (object particle) and not -로 (instrumental)?

Accepted Answer

When you say 컴퓨터를 이용하다, 컴퓨터 is the direct object of 이용하다 (“to utilize X”). If you wanted to say “searched using the computer,” you might say 컴퓨터로 검색했어요, where -로 marks the means/instrument because 검색하다 is the main verb and the computer is the tool.

Question 5

What exactly does -아/어 보다 do grammatically, and why is 봤어요 used here?

Accepted Answer

-아/어 보다 attaches to a verb stem to give the sense “try doing [verb].” The verb 보다 itself is then conjugated to the desired tense/politeness. Here, 이용해 + 보다 → 이용해 보다, and in past polite form it becomes 이용해 봤어요.

Question 6

What level of politeness is 봤어요, and how could I change it?

Accepted Answer

-았/었어요 is polite informal speech (the “yo” ending polite form).  
– More formal: 이용해 보았습니다  
– Casual/friendly: 이용해 봤어 / 이용해 봤다 (plain style)

Question 7

What nuance difference is there between 컴퓨터를 이용해 봤어요 and 컴퓨터를 써 봤어요?

Accepted Answer

– 컴퓨터를 써 봤어요 is casual and everyday (“I tried using the computer”).  
– 컴퓨터를 이용해 봤어요 sounds slightly more formal or official, emphasizing “utilizing the facility/service.” Both mean you tried using a computer, but 이용하다 carries a nuance of “making use of (a resource).”

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