-(으)ㄹ까 봐 in Korean: “in case, worried that”
-(으)ㄹ까 봐
-(eu)lkka bwa
in case, worried that
Intermediate · Saying what you think and feel
-(으)ㄹ까 봐 (-(eu)lkka bwa) means "in case" or "because I was worried that." It explains why you did something to avoid a possible bad outcome, or says what you are afraid of.
How to form it
| When | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stem ending in a vowel | + ㄹ까 봐 | 오다 → 올까 봐 |
| Stem ending in a consonant | + 을까 봐 | 늦다 → 늦을까 봐 |
| Stem ending in ㄹ | keep ㄹ + 까 봐 | 울다 → 울까 봐 |
| ㅂ-irregular adjective | ㅂ becomes 우 + ㄹ까 봐 | 춥다 → 추울까 봐 |
| Worried something already happened | past + 을까 봐 | 잊다 → 잊었을까 봐 |
How to use it
Use it when you are afraid something might happen. Usually the next part of the sentence says what you did because of that worry: 늦을까 봐 택시를 탔어요 ("I took a taxi in case I was late"). You may also see -(으)ㄹ까 봐서 with the same meaning.
It can end a sentence too: 늦을까 봐요 or 늦을까 봐 걱정이에요 means "I'm worried I'll be late."
The second part of the sentence cannot be a command or a suggestion. For "Leave early in case you're late," use a different pattern, such as 늦을 수도 있으니까 일찍 출발하세요.
Examples
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Explaining why you took a taxi
Packing for a trip
Keeping a secret from family
Before exam results
Don’t mix it up with
-(으)ㄹ까 하다: -(으)ㄹ까 하다 means "I'm thinking of doing." It looks similar but is about plans, not worries.
-(으)ㄹ 것 같다: -(으)ㄹ 것 같다 is a neutral guess ("it looks like it will"). -(으)ㄹ까 봐 adds fear or worry, and usually leads to an action you took.
Common mistakes
Following it with a command, like 늦을까 봐 빨리 가세요. This pattern explains your own worry, so the second part should describe what someone did or does, not an order.
Questions learners ask
What does 할까 봐 mean?
It means "worried that I might" or "in case." For example, 실수할까 봐 긴장했어요 means "I was nervous I might make a mistake."
Does 봐 here mean "see"?
It comes from 보다, but here it doesn't mean "see." The whole -(으)ㄹ까 봐 is one pattern meaning "afraid that."