Checking the Platform Before Boarding | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 어느 승강장으로 가야 해요?

   Which platform should we go to?

   어느

   which

   승강장

   platform

   가야 해요

   should go

   More detail

   어느 asks “which” before a noun when the choice is understood as being among identifiable options. It is a determiner, so it directly modifies the following noun: 어느 승강장 means “which platform.” Example: 어느 출구로 가요? — “Which exit do we go to?” 승강장 means “platform,” especially a boarding platform at a station. It is a noun and can be modified by a number or another description, as in 2번 승강장 — “platform two.” In the supplied context, the sign identifies 2번 승강장, but the question itself asks which platform to choose. 가야 해요 expresses that going is required or considered the necessary choice. Its base verb is 가다 (“to go”): 가다 → 가야 in the pattern -아/어야 하다, literally marking something that must be done. 해요 is the polite form of 하다 in this construction. Example: 지금 가야 해요. — “We have to go now.” The ending -요 makes the expression polite. In this sentence, the question intonation turns 가야 해요? into a request for guidance about what is necessary or advisable, matching “should we go.” The Korean sentence does not state an overt subject; the fixed translation supplies the intended group as “we.” The particle -으로 in 승강장으로 marks the destination or direction: 어느 승강장으로 means “to which platform.” Together, 어느 승강장으로 (“to which platform”) and 가야 해요? (“should we go?” / “do we have to go?”) form the complete meaning: “Which platform should we go to?”

2. 표지판이 2번 승강장을 가리켜요.

   The sign points to platform two.

   표지판

   sign

   2번

   number two

   승강장

   platform

   가리켜요

   points to

   More detail

   표지판 means “sign” here. It is a noun for a sign or notice that conveys information. Example: 표지판을 봐요. — “I look at the sign.” Here 표지판이 marks 표지판 as the subject; 이 is used after a noun ending in a consonant. 2번 identifies number two. In Korean, 번 is used with a number to label an item, place, or turn: 1번, 2번, 3번. In this sentence, it labels the platform that follows, rather than asserting a quantity of platforms. 승강장 means “platform,” especially a train or subway platform. 2번 승강장 is a reusable noun phrase meaning “platform 2.” Example: 3번 승강장으로 가세요. — “Go to platform 3.” The particle 으로 marks the destination or direction here. 가리켜요 comes from the base form 가리키다, “to point to” or “to indicate.” The ending -어요 gives a polite present-style form: 가리키다 → 가리켜요. In this sentence, the sign is the thing doing the indicating, so 가리켜요 means “points to” rather than a person physically pointing. Example: 화살표가 출구를 가리켜요. — “The arrow points to the exit.” Together, 표지판이 makes “the sign” the subject, 2번 승강장을 marks “platform 2” as what is indicated, and 가리켜요 supplies the action. The whole utterance means: “The sign points to platform two.”

3. 여기서는 작은 글씨를 읽을 수 없어요.

   I can't read the small letters from here.

   여기서는

   from here

   작은

   small

   글씨

   letters; print

   읽을

   read

   수 없어요

   cannot

   More detail

   여기서는 combines 여기서 (“here,” or “from here” in this sentence) with topic marker 는. The marker frames this location as the relevant setting; here, the meaning is “from here,” not simply a bare mention of “here.” Example: 여기서 보여요. — “It is visible from here.” 작은 is the form of the adjective 작다 (“to be small”) used before a noun. Korean descriptive adjectives take this attributive form when they modify a following noun: 작다 → 작은 + noun. Example: 작은 가방 — “a small bag.” 글씨 means writing, handwriting, or printed lettering. In this sentence, the fixed translation specifies the relevant sense as “letters” or “print.” It is the noun modified by 작은, giving 작은 글씨 (“small letters” / “small print”). 읽을 comes from the verb 읽다 (“to read”). In the pattern V-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다, this form precedes 수 to express whether an action is possible: 읽다 → 읽을 수. The verb itself is not past here; the construction concerns ability or possibility. 수 없어요 completes the negative possibility pattern. 수 is a noun meaning a way or possibility, and 없어요 is the polite present form of 없다 (“not exist” / “be absent”). Together with 읽을, 읽을 수 없어요 means “cannot read” or “it is not possible to read.” Example: 이 글씨는 읽을 수 없어요. — “I can’t read this writing.” Putting the parts together, 여기서는 sets the location or viewpoint (“from here”), 작은 글씨 identifies the object (“the small letters”), and 읽을 수 없어요 states the inability (“cannot read”). The whole utterance means: “I can’t read the small letters from here.”

4. 기차가 10분 후에 출발한다고 쓰여 있어요.

   It says the train leaves in ten minutes.

   기차

   train

   10분

   ten minutes

   후에

   after; later

   출발한다고

   that it departs

   쓰여 있어요

   is written; says

   More detail

   기차 means “train,” the noun identified here as the departing vehicle. It can take a subject marker, as in 기차가; with an object marker, it becomes 기차를. Example: 기차가 와요. — “The train is coming.” 10분 means “ten minutes.” 분 is the counter for minutes, so number + 분 is a reusable pattern: 5분 means “five minutes,” and 20분 means “twenty minutes.” Here the amount measures the time until departure, not the duration of departure. 후에 expresses a later time, and after a time amount it means “in [that amount of time].” Thus 10분 후에 means “in ten minutes.” 후 is the time noun “after/later,” and -에 marks the time when the event occurs. Example: 10분 후에 만나요. — “See you in ten minutes.” 출발한다고 contains 출발하다, “to depart,” with the present declarative quotation form -ㄴ/는다고. With 하다, this appears as 한다고: 출발하- + -ㄴ다고. It introduces the content being reported or written. Example: 버스가 3시에 출발한다고 들었어요. — “I heard that the bus departs at three.” 쓰여 있어요 presents something as being written and currently displayed. 쓰여 comes from 쓰이다, “be written,” and 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, “to exist/be.” Together with quoted content, 출발한다고 쓰여 있어요 naturally means “it says that [it] departs” or “it is written that [it] departs.” Together, 기차가 makes “the train” the subject, 10분 후에 sets the departure time for ten minutes from now, and 출발한다고 쓰여 있어요 reports the written information. The whole utterance means: “It says the train leaves in ten minutes.”

5. 기차를 타기 전에 화장실에 갈게요.

   I'm going to use the restroom before we board.

   기차

   train

   타기 전에

   before boarding

   화장실

   restroom

   갈게요

   I’ll go

   More detail

   기차 means “train.” It is a noun and can be used in patterns such as 기차를 타다, “to board/take a train.” Here, 를 marks 기차 as the object of 타다. 타기 전에 means “before boarding.” The verb 타다 means “to ride” or, with a train or similar vehicle, “to board.” Its form 타기 uses -기 to turn the verb into a noun-like expression: 타기 전에 = “before boarding.” 전에 means “before” and follows the event that must happen later. Example: 자기 전에 이를 닦아요. — “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” 화장실 means “restroom” or “bathroom.” In this sentence it is the destination associated with 가다, “to go.” Example: 화장실에 가요. — “I go to the restroom.” 갈게요 is 가다 (“to go”) with -(으)ㄹ게요, a form used when the speaker presents an intention or commitment, often in response to the situation or to be helpful. 가다 changes to 갈 before 게요; the final 요 makes the expression polite. In this sentence, 갈게요 means “I’ll go,” with the context specifying that the destination is the restroom. It is not just a neutral dictionary-style future form. Example: 제가 문을 닫을게요. — “I’ll close the door.” Together, 기차를 타기 전에 sets the time: “before boarding the train.” 화장실에 marks the destination “to the restroom,” and 갈게요 expresses the speaker’s intention to go. The complete utterance therefore means, “I’m going to use the restroom before we board.” Korean leaves the subject unstated here; the fixed translation identifies the speaker as the person going and the relevant boarding event as the group’s boarding.

6. 가방은 제가 가지고 있을게요.

   I'll keep the bags with me.

   가방

   bag(s)

   제가

   I (subject)

   가지고 있을게요

   I’ll keep it with me

   More detail

   가방 means “bag” here, and the form itself does not mark singular versus plural. The fixed translation makes the intended meaning plural (“bags”), but Korean commonly leaves that number unspecified unless context or a number word makes it explicit. 가방은 uses 은 to set the bags as the topic. 제가 is the subject form of the first-person pronoun 저 (“I” in humble/polite usage) plus the subject particle 가. The contracted form is 저 + 가 → 제가; it is not the object form 저를. For example, 제가 할게요 means “I’ll do it,” with the speaker presenting themself as the person who will act. 가지고 있을게요 combines 가지고 있다 (“to have/keep something with oneself”) with -ㄹ게요. The base verb is 가지다 (“to have, possess”); 가지고 있다 describes having or keeping something, and -ㄹ게요 marks the speaker’s intention or commitment, often understood as “I’ll …” or “Let me …” when the action is under the speaker’s control. This is different from a neutral prediction about the future. The polite ending 요 makes the utterance polite. Together, 가방은 establishes the bags as the topic, 제가 identifies the speaker as the person responsible, and 가지고 있을게요 commits the speaker to keeping them with them. The whole utterance therefore means: “I’ll keep the bags with me.”

7. 이 표지판 근처에 있어 주세요.

   Please stay near this sign.

   이

   this

   표지판

   sign

   근처에

   near

   있어 주세요

   please stay

   More detail

   이 means “this” and is a demonstrative determiner: it identifies a nearby or contextually indicated noun that follows it. Here it modifies 표지판, so the intended meaning is “this sign.” A demonstrative used with a different noun would change accordingly; the form itself is not a noun. 표지판 is the noun “sign.” The compound refers to a sign or posted signboard. In a reusable pattern, 이/그/저 + noun means “this/that/that over there + noun,” with the choice depending on the speaker’s intended distance or context. 근처에 means “near” or “in the vicinity of.” It consists of 근처 (“vicinity, nearby area”) plus the location particle 에. This particle marks the place where someone or something is located. For example, 학교 근처에 있어요 means “I am near the school.” 있어 주세요 is a polite request to remain or be located somewhere. 있어 is the informal connective form of 있다, whose basic meanings include “exist,” “be,” and, as here, “stay/be present.” 주세요 makes the request polite in the pattern -아/어 주세요, meaning “please do ...”; it is not a statement that the speaker is giving something. In this sentence, the location phrase supplies where the person is requested to stay. Putting the parts together, 이 표지판 is “this sign,” 근처에 specifies the location “near [it],” and 있어 주세요 requests continued presence there. The whole utterance therefore means “Please stay near this sign.”

8. 승강장이 바뀔 수도 있으니 전광판을 볼게요.

   I'll watch the board in case the platform changes.

   승강장

   platform

   바뀔

   change

   수도 있으니

   may, so / in case

   전광판

   display board

   볼게요

   I’ll watch

   More detail

   승강장 means “platform,” the place where passengers wait for or board a train. It is a noun and can be reused with location particles: 승강장에 있어요 means “I am on/at the platform.” 바뀔 comes from 바뀌다, “to change” or “to be changed.” Here 바뀔 is the form used before 수, as in 바뀔 수 있다 (“can/may change”); it does not itself mean that the change has happened. The subject of the change is 승강장, so the sentence presents the platform as possibly changing. 수도 있으니 is the possibility pattern -을/ㄹ 수도 있다 plus -으니. -을/ㄹ 수도 있다 means “may/can also be” in the sense of “it is possible that,” and -으니 connects that possibility to a reason or precaution. Thus 바뀔 수도 있으니 means “since it may change” or, naturally here, “in case it changes.” The 도 adds the sense that this is one possible situation; it does not assert that the platform will change. 전광판 means “electronic display board,” such as a station board showing travel information. It is a noun; for example, 전광판을 확인해요 means “I check the display board.” 볼게요 comes from 보다, “to see” or “to look at/watch,” with -ㄹ게요. In this sentence, -ㄹ게요 presents the speaker’s willing intention: “I’ll watch/check it.” The object marker 을 marks 전광판 as what the speaker will look at. -ㄹ게요 is different from a simple prediction: it commonly indicates what the speaker undertakes to do in response to the situation. Putting the parts together, 승강장이 바뀔 수도 있으니 gives the reason or precaution—“in case the platform changes”—and 전광판을 볼게요 gives the speaker’s action—“I’ll watch/check the display board.” The whole utterance means: “I’ll watch the board in case the platform changes.”