-(으)ㄹ까 봐
in case, for fear that
Names a worry that made you act. Nearly identical in shape to -(으)ㄹ까 하다, but the two mean completely different things.
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When to use it
Attachment matches -(으)ㄹ까요? exactly, with the ㄹ short form: 만들다 gives 만들까 봐. The fuller -(으)ㄹ까 봐서 is equally correct.
The first clause is what you feared; the second is the precaution you took: 늦을까 봐 택시를 탔어요. That structure is fixed — worry, then action.
The feared thing is almost always unwelcome, and it has not happened. For a fear about something already done, the past goes inside: 잘못했을까 봐 걱정이에요.
The contrast with -(으)ㄹ까 하다 is worth fixing early. 갈까 해요 means you are thinking of going; 갈까 봐 means you are afraid someone will go.
How to attach it
| Stem type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ends in a vowel | -ㄹ까 봐 | 오다 → 올까 봐 |
| Ends in a consonant | -을까 봐 | 늦다 → 늦을까 봐 |
| Ends in ㄹ | -까 봐 | 만들다 → 만들까 봐 |
| Fuller form | -(으)ㄹ까 봐서 | 늦을까 봐서 |
| Fear about the past | -았/었을까 봐 | 잘못했을까 봐 |
| Different meaning | -(으)ㄹ까 하다 | 갈까 해요 = I’m thinking of going |
In use
늦을까 봐 택시를 탔어요.
I took a taxi in case I’d be late.
비가 올까 봐 우산을 가져왔어요.
I brought an umbrella in case it rained.
아이가 깰까 봐 조용히 들어왔어요.
I came in quietly so as not to wake the baby.
잊어버릴까 봐 메모해 뒀어요.
I wrote it down in case I forgot.
모자랄까 봐 좀 더 만들었어요.
I made a bit more in case there wasn’t enough.
제가 실수했을까 봐 계속 걱정돼요.
I keep worrying that I might have made a mistake.
Compared with
-(으)ㄹ까 하다
One syllable apart, unrelated meanings. 하다 reports your own tentative plan; 봐 reports a fear about what might happen.
갈까 해요. (I’m thinking of going) / 갈까 봐 걱정이에요. (I’m worried he’ll go)
-(으)ㄹ 것 같아서
것 같아서 gives a plain expectation as your reason; -(으)ㄹ까 봐 adds that you did not want it to happen.
비가 올 것 같아서 우산을 챙겼어요. (I expected rain) / 비가 올까 봐 챙겼어요. (I was afraid of rain)
-지 않을까 봐
Negating the feared event gives the opposite worry, and the double negative catches learners out.
늦을까 봐 (afraid of being late) / 안 올까 봐 (afraid he won’t come)
Watch out
주말에 여행을 갈까 봐요.
주말에 여행을 갈까 해요.
For a plan you are considering, the verb is 하다. 봐 turns it into a fear about someone going.
모자랄까 봐 좀 더 만들을까 봐요.
모자랄까 봐 좀 더 만들었어요.
The second clause states the precaution you actually took. It is a normal predicate, not another -(으)ㄹ까 봐.
제가 실수할까 봐 계속 걱정돼요. — about something already done
제가 실수했을까 봐 계속 걱정돼요.
For a fear about something already finished, the past goes inside the ending.
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