Basic Messages and Asking for Help | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 다시 말해 주세요.

   Please say it again.

   다시

   again

   말해 주세요

   please say

   More detail

   다시 means “again” here: it asks for a repeated action. It can have other context-dependent uses, but in this sentence it modifies the request that follows. 말해 주세요 is a polite request meaning “please say.” The useful base form is 말하다 (“to say” or “to speak”); 말해 is its form used before 주세요. In this pattern, -아/어 주세요 politely asks someone to do the action expressed by the preceding verb. For example, 읽어 주세요 means “Please read.” Together, 다시 (“again”) and 말해 주세요 (“please say”) produce “Please say it again.” The sentence requests a repeated act of speaking, while the specific thing to be repeated is left understood from the situation.

2. 적어 주세요.

   Please write it down.

   적어

   write down

   주세요

   please

   More detail

   적어 is the form of 적다, “to write down.” Here it is the verb stem with the 아/어 ending, which connects it to 주세요; it is not the dictionary form. For example, 이름을 적어 means “write down the name” in a plain, informal style. 주세요 combines 주다 (“to give”) with polite request wording. After another verb’s 아/어 form, -아/어 주세요 is a reusable way to ask someone politely to do that action: “please do …”. The 주세요 form itself does not identify who the requested action concerns. Together, 적어 주세요 means “Please write it down.” The object is omitted in the Korean sentence, while the fixed translation supplies the intended meaning of “it.” The same request pattern appears in the supplied context: 다시 말해 주세요 means “Please say it again,” and 보여 주세요 means “Please show me.”

3. 보여 주세요.

   Please show me.

   보여 주세요

   Please show me.

   More detail

   보여 주세요 is a polite request meaning “Please show me.” It is built from 보여, the connective form of 보이다 (“to show; make visible”), and 주세요, the polite request form of 주다 (“to give”). In this expression, -아/어 주세요 is a reusable pattern for asking someone to do something politely. 보이다 is the verb carrying the meaning “show” here. Do not treat it as the unrelated verb 보다 (“see; look at”). Example: 사진을 보여 주세요. — “Please show me the photo.” The object can be left unspoken when it is clear from the situation, as in the fixed utterance. 주세요 comes from 주다 and literally involves giving, but after another verb it commonly makes a polite request: 적어 주세요 means “Please write it down,” and 도와주세요 means “Please help me.” The polite request pattern is verb stem + 아/어 주세요; the exact connecting vowel depends on the verb. Together, 보여 (“show”) and 주세요 (“please do it for me”) form a polite request to show something to the speaker. The fixed translation identifies the intended recipient as “me,” while the thing to be shown is not stated in the Korean sentence.

4. 도와주세요.

   Please help me.

   도와주세요

   Please help me.

   More detail

   도와주세요 is the polite request form of 도와주다, “to help.” The base form is 도와주다; in this sentence, its stem combines with the polite request ending -세요. The ending makes the utterance a courteous request rather than a plain statement. A reusable pattern is V-아/어 주세요, meaning “Please V.” For example, 기다려 주세요. means “Please wait.” The verb in the supplied sentence is 도와주다, not the nearby pattern’s separate verb 주다 in the sense “to give”; here the whole form expresses asking for help. The object is omitted in Korean, while the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning as asking the listener to help the speaker. Together, 도와주세요 means “Please help me.”

5. 어떻게 도와드릴까요?

   How can I help?

   어떻게

   how

   도와드릴까요?

   can I help?

   More detail

   어떻게 means “how” and asks about the manner or way of doing something. It can be reused with another action: 어떻게 가요? means “How do you go?” 도와드릴까요? is a polite question meaning “can I help?” or, more literally, “shall I help you?” The verb is built from 돕다 (“to help”) and the deferential form 도와드리다; 드리다 presents the help respectfully toward the person receiving it. The form -ㄹ까요? makes a polite suggestion or offer, often corresponding to “shall I…?” or “may I…?” Here the subject “I” is understood from the fixed translation rather than stated as a separate Korean word. Compare the request 도와주세요 (“Please help me”), where -아/어 주세요 asks the listener to do something. Together, 어떻게 + 도와드릴까요? asks what way the speaker can help: “How can I help?” The wording is polite and suitable when offering assistance.

6. 나중에 전화해 주세요.

   Please call me later.

   나중에

   later

   전화해

   call

   주세요

   please

   More detail

   나중에 means “later” and sets the time for the request. It commonly appears before the action: 나중에 만나요 means “See you later.” 전화해 is the 해 form of 전화하다, “to call” or “to telephone.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the intended object as the speaker: “call me.” The form 전화해 is not the dictionary form; it is the action form used before 주세요 in this request pattern. The verb 전화하다 can also be used in a complete statement, as in 제가 전화해요 (“I call / I will call”), with the ending chosen for the sentence’s politeness and tense context. 주세요 contributes a polite “please” in this construction. The reusable pattern 동사-아/어 주세요 asks someone politely to do the verb’s action. Here, 전화해 주세요 combines 전화해 with 주세요 to mean “Please call me.” Together, 나중에 + 전화해 주세요 means “Please call me later.” The time expression comes first, followed by the polite request. The period closes the polite request.