Starting with a short sentence | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 쉬운 단어가 저에게 더 쉬워요.

   Simple words are easier for me.

   쉬운

   simple; easy

   단어

   word

   저에게

   for me; to me

   더

   more

   쉬워요

   is easy

   More detail

   쉬운 describes 단어: it is the attributive form of 쉽다 (“to be easy”). The form 쉽다 → 쉬운 is used before a noun. Here it means “simple/easy” as a property of the words. For example, 쉬운 문장 means “an easy sentence.” 단어 means “word.” Korean does not require a noun to show singular or plural, so 단어 can mean “word” or “words”; the fixed translation supports the plural reading here. 저에게 marks the person for whom something is easy. 저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I/me,” and 에게 marks the recipient or person affected by the situation. Thus, 저에게 means “for me” in this sentence. For example, 저에게 어려워요 means “It is difficult for me.” 더 means “more” and makes the comparison explicit. It shows that the words are easier for the speaker than some comparison point supplied by context, even though that point is not stated in this sentence. 쉬워요 is the polite present form of 쉽다, meaning “is easy.” The change 쉽다 → 쉬워요 is the sentence-ending form used here. The same adjective appears as 쉬운 before a noun and as 쉬워요 at the end of a polite statement; these are different forms of the same adjective. Together, 쉬운 단어 means “simple words,” 저에게 identifies the person for whom they are easy, and 더 쉬워요 says that they are easier. The whole utterance therefore means “Simple words are easier for me.”

2. 짧은 문장으로 시작할 수 있어요.

   We can start with a short sentence.

   짧은

   short

   문장

   sentence

   시작할 수 있어요

   can start

   More detail

   짧은 Here, 짧은 means “short” and describes 문장. It is the noun-modifying form of the descriptive verb 짧다 (“to be short”): 짧다 → 짧은 before a noun. For example, 짧은 글 means “a short text.” 문장 문장 means “sentence.” It is a noun and can be used with modifiers before it, as in 짧은 문장 (“a short sentence”). 시작할 수 있어요 This means “can start.” The lexical verb is 시작하다 (“to start”); its form here is 시작할. Korean -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility: 시작하다 + -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 → 시작할 수 있다. 있어요 is the polite present-style form of 있다 in this construction. For example, 오늘 시작할 수 있어요 means “We can start today.” Together, 짧은 문장으로 시작할 수 있어요 means “We can start with a short sentence.” The particle -으로 marks 짧은 문장 as the means or starting point, so the structure can be reused as N으로 시작할 수 있어요 (“We can start with N”).

3. 그러면 이해하는 데 도움이 돼요.

   That helps me understand.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   이해하는 데

   for understanding

   도움이 돼요

   is helpful; helps

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links the sentence to a condition or situation just mentioned. In this exchange, it points back to beginning with a short sentence; it can be reused when drawing a consequence: 그러면 시작해요. — “Then let’s start.” 이해하는 데 contains 이해하다, “to understand,” in the form 이해하는, plus 데. The ending -는 makes the verb descriptive of 데, and -는 데 means “in doing” or “for doing” something. Here, 이해하는 데 means “for understanding.” Compare 이해해요 — “understand” — with 이해하는 데 — “for understanding.” 도움이 돼요 is the polite present form of 도움이 되다, “to be helpful” or “to help.” 도움 means “help,” and 되다 is the verb whose form appears here as 돼요; 도움이 marks help as what is helpful. A reusable example is 이 설명은 공부하는 데 도움이 돼요. — “This explanation helps with studying.” The Korean sentence does not state a separate word for “me”; the fixed translation presents the understood effect as helping the speaker understand. Together, 그러면 sets up the consequence, 이해하는 데 identifies understanding as the relevant activity, and 도움이 돼요 says that it is helpful. The whole utterance therefore means “That helps me understand.”

4. 제 말을 따라 이 문장을 읽어 보세요.

   Read this line after me.

   제 말을

   my words

   따라

   after; following

   이

   this

   문장을

   sentence

   읽어

   read

   보세요

   please try

   More detail

   제 말을 means “my words” here. 제 is the humble first-person possessive form, used before a noun; it corresponds to “my” in a polite context. 말 can mean “word,” “speech,” or “what someone says,” and 말을 has the object marker 을, showing that these are what is followed. 따라 comes from 따르다, “to follow.” In this sentence, 제 말을 따라 means “following my words” or, naturally, “after me.” The pattern A를/을 따라 can be reused for following a person’s words, method, or movement. 이 is the proximal demonstrative “this.” It comes before the noun it describes. Here it identifies the sentence as the one being read, without changing for number or grammatical gender. 문장을 means “the sentence” as the object of the reading action. 문장 is “sentence,” and 을 marks it as the object. The target text specifically says “sentence”; the fixed translation uses “line” as its natural equivalent. 읽어 is the -어 connective form of 읽다, “to read.” It links the reading action to the following expression. For example, 책을 읽어요 means “I read a book” or “I am reading a book,” while 읽어 보세요 adds the idea of trying it. 보세요 is the polite request form of 보다, “to see” or “to try.” In -어/아 보다, 보다 functions as an auxiliary meaning “try doing something”; therefore 읽어 보세요 means “please try reading” rather than “please see.” -세요 makes the request polite and listener-directed. Together, 이 문장을 읽어 보세요 means “Please try reading this sentence.” Adding 제 말을 따라 specifies that the learner should do it after following the speaker’s words. The complete utterance therefore means: “Read this sentence after me.”

5. 저는 해 볼 준비가 됐어요.

   I am ready to try.

   저는

   as for me

   해 볼

   try

   준비

   readiness

   됐어요

   is ready

   More detail

   저는 marks the speaker as the topic: “as for me” or simply “I” in this sentence. 저 is the humble first-person pronoun, and 는 is the topic marker. The topic marker can contrast the speaker with another topic or simply set the topic without adding a strong contrast. 해 볼 comes from 하다 “to do” plus 보다 “to see” in the auxiliary pattern -아/어 보다, which means “to try doing something.” Here 하다 becomes 해 before 보다, and 보다 appears as 볼 because the construction continues into the noun 준비 through the modifier form. This is not the ordinary meaning “see” here. Example: 이 음식을 먹어 보세요. — “Please try eating this food.” 준비 means “readiness” or “preparation.” In 준비가 되다, it forms the useful expression “to be ready,” literally describing readiness as becoming established. The following 가 marks 준비 as the grammatical subject of 되다; it is not the topic marker 는. 됐어요 is the polite present-style ending of 되다 in the form 되었어요, commonly contracted to 됐어요. In this sentence, 되다 means “to become/be in a state,” and with 준비가 it expresses being ready. The ending -어요 makes the statement polite. The form does not itself identify a separate gender or number of the speaker. Together, 저는 sets the speaker as the topic, 해 볼 expresses trying, and 준비가 됐어요 says that the readiness needed for that action is in place. The whole utterance means “I am ready to try.”

6. 서두르지 말고 또박또박 말해 보세요.

   Take your time and say it clearly.

   서두르지 말고

   without hurrying; don’t hurry and…

   또박또박

   clearly and distinctly

   말해 보세요

   please try saying it

   More detail

   서두르지 말고 comes from 서두르다 “to hurry.” The form 서두르지 말다 means “not hurry” in an instruction, and -고 links that instruction to the next action. Here it naturally means “without hurrying” or “take your time,” rather than adding a separate action. For example, 걱정하지 말고 시작하세요. means “Don’t worry; start.” 또박또박 is an adverb meaning that speech is produced clearly and distinctly, with each part easy to hear. It describes how the speaking is done; it is not the verb “speak” itself. For example, 이름을 또박또박 말하세요. means “Say your name clearly.” 말해 보세요 is based on 말하다, “to say” or “to speak.” 말해 is the connective form of 말하다, and 보다 after another verb adds the meaning “try doing it”; in 말해 보세요, 보세요 is the polite request form of that auxiliary construction, not a request to look. Thus 말해 보세요 politely asks someone to try saying it. A similar example is 읽어 보세요. — “Please try reading it.” Together, 서두르지 말고 sets the manner of the action, 또박또박 specifies that the speech should be clear and distinct, and 말해 보세요 gives the polite request: “Take your time and say it clearly.”