Practicing a Difficult Sentence Again | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 그거 다시 말해 줄 수 있어요?

   Can you say that again?

   그거

   that

   다시

   again

   말해

   say; tell

   줄 수 있어요?

   can you do it for me?

   More detail

   그거 means “that” here. It is the colloquial shortened form of 그것, a demonstrative pronoun. The sentence does not identify exactly what “that” refers to, so learn the reusable pattern 이거 “this,” 그거 “that,” and 저거 “that over there” without assigning a specific referent. 다시 is an adverb meaning “again” or “once more.” It modifies the saying action, so 다시 말하다 means “to say again.” 말해 is the 해 form of 말하다, “to say” or “to tell.” The base verb is 말하다; its -하다 ending changes to 해 in this form. In 말해 줄, 말해 connects the lexical verb to the following helping construction rather than meaning “say” as a complete request by itself. 줄 수 있어요? is the polite question pattern V-아/어 줄 수 있어요?, literally asking whether someone can do an action as a favor for the speaker or another relevant person. 줄 comes from 주다, “to give,” and 수 있어요 expresses possibility or ability. Here the action is 말해, so the pattern asks, “Can you say it for me?” This is different from simply asking about ability in the abstract: the -아/어 주다 part presents the action as a helpful favor. For example, 도와줄 수 있어요? means “Can you help me?” Together, 그거 다시 말해 줄 수 있어요? means “Can you say that again?” The structure is: that + again + say + can you do it as a favor? The polite ending -어요? makes the request suitable for ordinary polite conversation.

2. 한 번 더 말할게요.

   I will say it one more time.

   한 번 더

   one more time

   말할게요

   I’ll say / I’ll speak

   More detail

   한 번 더 means “one more time.” 번 is a counter for occurrences or times, and 한 is the form of 하나 used before this counter. 한 번 means “once,” while 더 adds “more” or “additionally.” A reusable example is 한 번 더 읽으세요, meaning “Please read it one more time.” 말할게요 comes from 말하다, “to say” or “to speak.” It combines the verb stem 말하- with -(으)ㄹ게요 in polite style. Here, -(으)ㄹ게요 presents the speaker’s willing commitment to perform the action: “I’ll say it.” The object is not stated in this word, but the fixed sentence and context identify it as the thing being repeated. Compare the polite present form 말해요, which can mean “I say/speak” or “I’m saying it” depending on context; 말할게요 specifically expresses the speaker’s commitment. Example: 제가 다시 설명할게요 means “I’ll explain again.” The utterance combines 한 번 더 (“one more time”) with 말할게요 (“I’ll say/speak”). Together, they mean “I will say it one more time.” The object of “say” is omitted in Korean here and is understood from the situation. The polite ending makes the commitment suitable for a respectful or neutral conversation.

3. 이제 이해했어요.

   Now I understand.

   이제

   now

   이해했어요

   understand

   More detail

   이제 means “now” here: it marks the present point or a change from the earlier situation. It is a time adverb and does not itself show who understands. A useful contrast is 지금, which also means “now” but often points more directly to the current moment; 이제 can more clearly suggest “from now” or “by now” depending on context. 이해했어요 is the polite past form of 이해하다, “to understand.” The ending -했어요 is the past polite form used with 하다-verbs: 이해하다 → 이해했어요. In this sentence, the past form presents understanding as something that has been achieved, so “I understand now” is a natural translation. The subject “I” is understood from the context; Korean commonly omits a subject when it is clear. Example: 이제 이해했어요. — “Now I understand.” Example: 아직 이해하지 못했어요. — “I still haven’t understood it.” This contrasts the completed understanding in 이해했어요 with the negative form 이해하지 못했어요. Together, 이제 + 이해했어요 means “Now I understand”: at this point, the speaker has reached understanding, following the earlier explanation.

4. 문장을 같이 연습해 봐요.

   Let's practice the sentence together.

   문장을

   the sentence

   같이

   together

   연습해 봐요

   let’s practice

   More detail

   문장을 means “the sentence” here. 문장 is the noun “sentence,” and -을 marks it as the object of the action. The noun itself does not change; the object marker is selected after a consonant-final noun. Compare 문장을 읽어요 (“I read the sentence”) with 문장을 써요 (“I write the sentence”). 같이 means “together.” It is an adverb, so it describes how the practice is done rather than changing form for a participant or noun. A reusable pattern is 같이 + action, as in 같이 가요 (“Let’s go together”). 연습해 봐요 comes from 연습하다 (“to practice”) plus the pattern -아/어 보다, literally involving trying an action. In a suggestion such as this one, 연습해 봐요 naturally means “let’s practice” or “let’s try practicing.” The polite ending -요 makes the suggestion polite. The form 해 is the form of 하다 used in this combination; it is not a separate verb meaning “do” in this sentence. Together, 문장을 identifies what will be practiced, 같이 says that the action is done together, and 연습해 봐요 presents the practice as a polite suggestion: “Let’s practice the sentence together.”

5. 첫 부분은 아직 어려워요.

   The first part is still hard for me.

   첫

   first

   부분

   part; section

   아직

   still

   어려워요

   is difficult; is hard

   More detail

   첫 means “first.” It is the form used before a noun: 첫 부분 = “the first part.” It is a useful ordering word; for example, 첫 문장 means “the first sentence.” 부분 means “part” or “section.” In this sentence it is the noun being described as first and difficult. The form 부분 can refer to a section of something without specifying exactly what that larger whole is. 첫 부분은 combines the noun phrase 첫 부분 with the topic marker 은. The topic marker presents “the first part” as what the sentence is about. 은 is used after a consonant-ending noun; after a vowel-ending noun, the corresponding topic marker is 는. 아직 means “still” here. It shows that the difficulty continues at the relevant time. For example, 아직 어려워요 can mean “It is still difficult.” This word is different from 이미, “already,” which presents a state as having begun or been reached earlier. 어려워요 is the polite present-style form of 어렵다, “to be difficult” or “to be hard.” 어렵다 is a descriptive verb in Korean: it describes a state rather than naming an action. The ending -어요 gives a polite conversational form. For example, 이 문제는 어려워요 means “This problem is difficult.” Together, 첫 부분은 identifies the topic, 아직 says that the condition continues, and 어려워요 describes that condition. The whole utterance therefore means “The first part is still hard for me.” The English phrase “for me” expresses the speaker’s experience; Korean does not show an overt “for me” phrase in the supplied sentence, but the fixed translation gives that intended perspective.

6. 그 부분을 천천히 연습할 수 있어요.

   We can practice that part slowly.

   그

   that

   부분

   part

   천천히

   slowly

   연습할

   practice

   수 있어요

   can

   More detail

   그 means “that” and is a demonstrative determiner placed before a noun. Its form does not change for number or gender. Here it modifies 부분, but the supplied sentence does not identify more specifically what “that” refers to. 부분 means “part” or “section.” It is a noun, and 그 부분 means “that part.” The following 을 marks this noun phrase as the object of the action: the part is what is practiced. 천천히 means “slowly.” It is an adverb describing how the practice is carried out. The related adjective 천천하다 means “slow” or “unhurried,” while 천천히 is the form used to modify an action. 연습할 comes from the verb 연습하다, “to practice.” The ending -ㄹ changes the verb into an attributive form before 수 in the pattern -ㄹ 수 있다; it is not a separate word meaning “practice.” For example, 읽을 수 있어요 means “I/we can read.” 수 있어요 completes the pattern -ㄹ 수 있어요, meaning “can” or “be able to.” Literally, 수 refers to a way or possibility, and 있어요 says that such a possibility exists. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, “to exist” or “to be.” The subject is omitted in Korean; the fixed translation identifies it here as “we.” Together, 그 부분을 means “that part” as the object, 천천히 says “slowly,” and 연습할 수 있어요 says “can practice.” The whole utterance therefore means, “We can practice that part slowly.”