Signification
Expressing that something is more difficult than initially expected.
Contexte culturel
In Korean workplaces, saying '생각보다 어려워요' is a common way to manage a boss's expectations without being confrontational. Korean students often use this phrase to bond over the difficulty of exams, creating a sense of shared struggle. On platforms like Instagram, the hashtag #생각보다어려움 is used for 'Reality vs Expectation' posts. In 'One-day classes' (popular in Korea), instructors often hear this from beginners who underestimate crafts like pottery or baking.
Add '훨씬' for emphasis
If something is much harder than you thought, say '생각보다 훨씬 어려워요'.
Watch the 'ㅂ' irregular
Don't say '어렵아요'. It's always '어려워요' in the polite present tense.
Signification
Expressing that something is more difficult than initially expected.
Add '훨씬' for emphasis
If something is much harder than you thought, say '생각보다 훨씬 어려워요'.
Watch the 'ㅂ' irregular
Don't say '어렵아요'. It's always '어려워요' in the polite present tense.
Use it to be humble
When someone praises your skill, saying '아니에요, 생각보다 어려워요' is a very natural, humble response.
Teste-toi
Fill in the blank with the correct particle.
한국어 공부가 생각____ 어려워요.
'보다' is the particle used for comparisons, meaning 'than'.
Choose the correctly conjugated form of '어렵다'.
이 문제는 생각보다 ________.
'어렵다' is a 'ㅂ' irregular verb, so it becomes '어려워요'.
Complete the dialogue naturally.
가: 요리하는 거 어때요? 나: ________________.
The question asks 'How is cooking?', and 'It's harder than I thought' is a logical response about the process.
Match the phrase to the most appropriate situation.
Situation: You are trying to assemble a complex LEGO set.
Assembling a complex set usually involves unexpected difficulty.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Expectation vs. Reality
Banque d exercices
4 exercices한국어 공부가 생각____ 어려워요.
'보다' is the particle used for comparisons, meaning 'than'.
이 문제는 생각보다 ________.
'어렵다' is a 'ㅂ' irregular verb, so it becomes '어려워요'.
가: 요리하는 거 어때요? 나: ________________.
The question asks 'How is cooking?', and 'It's harder than I thought' is a logical response about the process.
Situation: You are trying to assemble a complex LEGO set.
Assembling a complex set usually involves unexpected difficulty.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsNot really. You wouldn't say a person is 'harder than I thought' using this phrase. You would use '까다롭다' (picky/difficult personality) instead.
No, you can use it with any adjective! '생각보다 비싸요' (More expensive than I thought), '생각보다 맛있어요' (Tastier than I thought).
'생각' is more common in daily conversation, while '예상' is more formal and used in professional settings.
Use the past tense: '생각보다 어려웠어요'.
Yes, adding '더' (more) is common and adds a bit of emphasis, though it's not strictly necessary.
No, it's perfectly polite as long as you use the '-요' ending. It shows you are engaging with the material.
You can say '생각보다 안 어려워요' or '생각보다 쉬워요'.
This is due to the 'ㅂ' irregular rule in Korean grammar where 'ㅂ' changes to '우' before a vowel.
Yes! It's very common. You can even write it as '생각보다 어렵네' for a more casual 'thinking out loud' vibe.
In this context, yes. It is a comparative particle. In other contexts, it can be the verb 'to see'.
Expressions liées
생각보다 쉬워요
contrastEasier than I thought.
예상보다 어려워요
specialized formHarder than expected.
보기보다 어려워요
similarHarder than it looks.
생각만큼 안 돼요
similarIt's not going as well as I thought.
