아/어 보다

Description

Verb + 아/어/여 보다 : This pattern is used to:

Tell someone to try or attempt something and to see the result of doing so.
As a question this can be used to ask if someone has ever done or tried something, for example "미국에 가 봤어요?" could be translated to "Have you ever been to America?"
It can also be used to make a command sound less strong and demanding.

This pattern sometimes really doesn't have a specific meaning, it just makes the sentence sound more natural, for example "기다려 봐" isn't exactly telling someone to try waiting, it's just telling them to wait.

For Conjugation rules, see the basic conjugation for 아/어/여. Some basic examples:

Korean	English	Notes
이거 먹어 봐.	Try this (food).	low form
미국에 한번 가 봤어요.	I've been to America once.	polite informal form
한번 마셔 보세요.	Please try this one time (drink).	polite informal form
입어 보세요.	Please try this on.	polite informal form
그 책 읽어 봤어?	Have you (ever) read that book?	low form
잘 생각해 보세요.	Please try to think about it.	polite informal form
그 사람 만나 봤어?	Have you ever met that person?	low form
말 타 봤어요?	Have you ever rode a horse?	polite informal form
생각해 볼게.	I'll think about it.	low form
고생을 많이 해 봤어요.	I've suffered a lot.	polite informal form