gagyeokpyoga jal an boyeoseo jeomwonege dasi mureobwasseo.

Questions & Answers about gagyeokpyoga jal an boyeoseo jeomwonege dasi mureobwasseo.

Why is it 가격표가 and not 가격표를?

Because 가격표 is the thing that wasn’t visible, not the direct object of the main verb.

In 가격표가 잘 안 보여서:

  • 가격표가 = the price tag is the subject of 보이다 (to be visible / to be seen)
  • So the idea is not I didn’t see the price tag in a direct, active way.
  • It is more like the price tag wasn’t showing clearly or wasn’t visible well.

That is why sounds natural here.


What does 잘 안 보여서 mean exactly?

잘 안 보여서 literally means something like:

  • = well, clearly
  • = not
  • 보여서 = because it was visible / because it could be seen

Put together, it means:

  • because I couldn’t see it well
  • because it wasn’t clearly visible

In natural English, 잘 안 보이다 is often translated as:

  • to be hard to see
  • to not be visible clearly
  • to not show up well

So this part is expressing the reason for asking the clerk again.


Why does Korean use 보여서 instead of 봐서 here?

This is a very common learner question.

  • 보다 = to see / to look at
  • 보이다 = to be visible / to be seen

So:

  • 잘 안 봐서 would mean something more like because I didn’t look carefully / because I didn’t see it
  • 잘 안 보여서 means because it wasn’t visible clearly

Korean often prefers 보이다 in situations where English says I couldn’t see it well. The focus is on the object’s visibility, not just your action of seeing.

That makes 가격표가 잘 안 보여서 sound very natural.


What is the difference between 안 보여서 and 못 봐서?

Both can relate to not seeing something, but the nuance is different.

안 보여서

  • it wasn’t visible
  • I couldn’t see it because it was hard to see
  • focuses on visibility / condition

못 봐서

  • I didn’t manage to see it
  • I couldn’t see it
  • focuses more on the result from the speaker’s side

In this sentence, 가격표가 잘 안 보여서 sounds natural because a price tag is something that may be hard to read or see clearly.

So:

  • 가격표가 잘 안 보여서 = the price tag wasn’t clearly visible
  • 가격표를 못 봐서 = I couldn’t see the price tag

Both can work in some situations, but the given sentence sounds softer and more natural.


What does -아서 / -어서 do in this sentence?

Here, -어서 connects two actions and gives a reason:

  • 가격표가 잘 안 보여서
  • 점원에게 다시 물어봤어

So it means:

  • because the price tag wasn’t clearly visible, I asked the clerk again

This ending often means:

  • because
  • so
  • and so

It links the first clause to the second clause as the cause or background.


Why is it 점원에게?

에게 marks the person who receives the action, especially when the action is directed to someone.

Here, 묻다 / 물어보다 means to ask, so the person being asked is marked with:

  • 에게
  • or in casual speech, often 한테

So:

  • 점원에게 물어봤어 = I asked the clerk
  • 점원한테 물어봤어 = same meaning, more casual

에게 is slightly more neutral/written-sounding than 한테, but both are common.


What does 다시 mean here? Is it again or back?

Here, 다시 means again.

So 점원에게 다시 물어봤어 means:

  • I asked the clerk again
  • I asked the clerk one more time

It does not mean back here.

In Korean, 다시 often means:

  • again
  • once more

So the sentence suggests the speaker had already asked before, or needed to ask another time because the price tag still wasn’t clear.


What exactly is 물어봤어? Is it just asked?

Yes, in this sentence it means asked.

It comes from 물어보다, which is often used in everyday Korean for to ask / to inquire.

Form breakdown

  • 물어보다 = to ask
  • 물어봤어 = past casual form

More literally, -아/어 보다 can mean try doing something, but with 물어보다, it is very commonly just the normal way to say ask.

So here:

  • 점원에게 다시 물어봤어 = I asked the clerk again

It does not strongly mean I tried asking in this context; it just means asked naturally.


Why is the sentence ending in -어? Is it casual?

Yes, 물어봤어 is casual, informal speech.

This style is used with:

  • friends
  • younger people
  • family
  • people you are close to

A more polite version would be:

  • 가격표가 잘 안 보여서 점원에게 다시 물어봤어요.

So the original sentence is in a conversational, informal tone.


What does 가격표 mean exactly? Is it a price tag or a price list?

가격표 usually means a price tag, price label, or something showing the price.

Depending on context, it could refer to:

  • a tag attached to an item
  • a label showing the price
  • a sign with a listed price

In this sentence, it most naturally feels like:

  • the price tag
  • the price label

because the speaker says it was hard to see and so they asked the clerk again.


Why does Korean put the reason first?

Korean often gives background or reason before the main action.

So the structure is:

  • 가격표가 잘 안 보여서 = because the price tag wasn’t clearly visible
  • 점원에게 다시 물어봤어 = I asked the clerk again

This is very normal in Korean. The listener hears the situation first, then the result/action after it.

English can do both:

  • Because I couldn’t see the price tag well, I asked the clerk again.
  • I asked the clerk again because I couldn’t see the price tag well.

Korean strongly prefers this kind of reason first, action later pattern.


Could this sentence mean I asked the clerk to repeat what they said?

Not by itself.

다시 물어봤어 means asked again, not necessarily asked them to say it again.

It usually means:

  • I asked one more time
  • I asked again because I still needed the information

If you wanted to clearly say I asked the clerk to repeat it, Korean would usually say something more specific, such as asking them to say it again or explain again.

So in this sentence, the most natural interpretation is:

  • the price tag was hard to see
  • so I asked the clerk again about the price or item

Can 잘 안 보이다 be used for things other than eyesight problems?

Yes. 잘 안 보이다 is very common for anything that is hard to see clearly.

For example:

  • text is too small
  • something is too far away
  • lighting is bad
  • something is blocked
  • the print is blurry

So it does not automatically mean the speaker has bad eyesight. It just means the thing was not clearly visible in that situation.

In this sentence, it most likely means the price tag was hard to read or see clearly.

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