gabangeul yeoreo bonikka yeogwoni eobseoyo.

When I opened the bag to check, the 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? Is it the same as 열어보다?

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

It comes from:

• 열다 = to open
• -아/어 보다 = to try doing something, or to do something and see
• -니까 = when / since / after doing

So:

• 열어 보다 = to open it and see / to try opening it
• 열어 보니까 = when I opened it and looked, ...

In this sentence, 보다 does not literally mean just to see with the eyes. It helps give the sense of checking or finding out by doing.

So 가방을 열어 보니까 여권이 없어요 feels like:

• I opened the bag and checked, and the passport wasn’t there.

Why is there a space in 열어 보니까? I thought 열어보다 was one expression.

Good question. You will often see both 열어보다 and 열어 보다.

In modern Korean spacing, auxiliary verbs like 보다 are often written separately:

• 열어 보다
• 먹어 보다
• 가 보다

So 열어 보니까 is a very normal spaced form.

That said, learners will also encounter attached forms in dictionaries or informal writing, such as:

• 열어보다
• 먹어보다

Both are commonly understood, but writing them separately is very standard in actual Korean text.