About This Lesson
Use Understanding and Knowing to practice Korean conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
이제 이해했어요.
ee-JEH ee-hae-HAESS-uh-yoh I understand now.
B
이해하지 못해요.
ee-hae-ha-jee moh-TEH-yoh I do not understand.
A
몰라요.
mohl-LAH-yoh I do not know.
B
무슨 뜻이에요?
moo-suhn tteu-SHEH-yoh What do you mean?
A
저를 이해해요?
juh-reul ee-hae-HAE-yoh Do you understand me?
B
그 사람을 알아요?
guh sah-RAH-meul ah-RAH-yoh Do you know him?Word by Word
이제
이제 means “now” in 이제 이해했어요, showing that the speaker understands at this point. It commonly comes before the verb or expression it relates to, as in 이제 이해해요. Use it when something becomes true at the present time, such as when you have just understood an explanation.
이해했어요
이해했어요 means “understood” in 이제 이해했어요. Here it describes reaching understanding, and the polite ending makes it suitable for a respectful conversation. Use 이제 이해했어요 when someone has explained something and you can say that you understand now.
이해하지
이해하지 is the first part of the negative expression 이해하지 못해요, meaning “understand” within “do not understand.” It is followed by 못해요 in this dialogue, so the two parts work together as one expression. Use 이해하지 못해요 when an explanation, message, or idea is not clear to you.
못해요
못해요 contributes the meaning “cannot” or “do not manage to” in 이해하지 못해요. Its meaning here comes from the full expression 이해하지 못해요, not from 못해요 alone. Use this pattern after an action expression when you cannot carry out that action, such as 이해하지 못해요 for “I do not understand.”
몰라요
몰라요 means “I do not know” in the line I do not know. It is used when the speaker does not have the requested information or knowledge. Use 몰라요 as a polite reply when someone asks you about something you do not know.
무슨
무슨 means “what” or “which” in 무슨 뜻이에요?, where it asks what kind of meaning something has. It comes before the noun 뜻 in this question. Use 무슨 before a noun when asking for specific information, such as in the new example 무슨 말이에요? for “What does it mean?”
뜻이에요
뜻이에요 expresses “is the meaning” in 무슨 뜻이에요?; together with 무슨, the question asks “What do you mean?” The noun 뜻 refers to the meaning of the words or message being discussed, and 이에요 makes the question polite. Use 무슨 뜻이에요? when you need someone to explain the meaning of something they said.
저를
저를 means “me” as the object in 저를 이해해요?, so the question asks whether the other person understands me. It consists of 저, “I/me” in a polite form, followed by 를, the object marker. Use a person’s name or pronoun plus 를 before an action when that person receives the action, such as 저를 이해해요?.
이해해요
이해해요 means “understand” in 저를 이해해요? and asks whether the listener understands the speaker. It is used with the understood object 저를 in this dialogue. Use it to ask about understanding a person, explanation, or idea, such as in the new example 이 내용을 이해해요? for “Do you understand this content?”.
그
그 means “that” or “the” in 그 사람을 알아요?, identifying the person being discussed. It comes directly before 사람 in the expression 그 사람. Use 그 before a noun when referring to a particular person or thing already identified in the conversation.
사람을
사람을 means “the person” as the object in 그 사람을 알아요?. 사람 means “person,” and 을 marks it as the person known by the speaker. Use a person’s name or noun plus 을 before 알아요 when asking whether someone knows that person.
알아요
알아요 means “know” in 그 사람을 알아요?, asking whether the listener knows that person. It is used with the object 그 사람을 and makes the question polite. Use 사람을 or a person’s name before 알아요 when asking whether someone knows a person.
Grammar Points
-을/를 + 동사
저를 이해해요.
juh-reul ee-hae-HAE-yohI understand me.
을/를 marks the person or thing receiving the action. 저를 means “me” as the object of 이해해요.
무슨 + 명사
무슨 뜻?
moo-suhn tteutWhat does it mean?
무슨 comes before a noun to ask “what” or “what kind of.” 무슨 뜻 means “what meaning.”
Korean Vocabulary
그 사람을
phrase
guh sah-RAH-meul
him; that person
그 사람을 알아요?
뜻
noun
tteut
meaning
무슨 뜻이에요?
몰라요
verb
mohl-LAH-yoh
do not know
몰라요.
무슨
det
moo-suhn
what; what kind of
무슨 뜻이에요?
알아요
verb
ah-RAH-yoh
know
그 사람을 알아요?
이제
adv
ee-JEH
now
이제 이해했어요.
이해하지 못해요
phrase
ee-hae-ha-jee moh-TEH-yoh
do not understand
이해하지 못해요.
이해해요
verb
ee-hae-HAE-yoh
understand
저를 이해해요?
이해했어요
verb
ee-hae-HAESS-uh-yoh
understood
이제 이해했어요.
저를
pron
juh-reul
me
저를 이해해요?
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
I understand now.
Show Answer
이제 이해했어요.I do not understand.
Show Answer
이해하지 못해요.What do you mean?
Show Answer
무슨 뜻이에요?Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
understood
Show Answer
이해했어요understand
Show Answer
이해해요now
Show Answer
이제me