gabangeul yeoreo bonikka yeogwoni eobseoyo.

When I opened the bag, my passport wasn’t there.

Breakdown of gabangeul yeoreo bonikka yeogwoni eobseoyo.

• ~이: subject particle
• ~을: object particle
• 가방: bag
• 여권: passport

Questions & Answers about gabangeul yeoreo bonikka yeogwoni eobseoyo.

What does 열어 보니까 mean here?

Here, 열어 보니까 means something like when I opened it and checked or when I opened it, I found that...

It comes from:

• 열다 = to open
• -어 보다 = to try doing / to do and see
• -니까 = when / since / because

In this sentence, it does not sound like a deliberate I tried opening it. Instead, it gives the sense of:

• I opened the bag
• then I discovered the result

So the whole middle part feels like I opened the bag and saw that...

Why is 보다 used after 열어?

In Korean, -아/어 보다 often means to try doing something or to do something and see what happens.

So:

• 열다 = to open
• 열어 보다 = to open and check / open to see

In this sentence, 보다 adds the idea of checking the inside or finding out by opening. It is more natural here than just 가방을 열니까 if the speaker wants to emphasize discovery.

So 열어 보니까 suggests:

• I opened the bag to check
• and then I realized the passport was missing

What does -니까 do in this sentence?