Understanding a Lesson Question | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 이 수업의 이 부분을 이해하지 못하겠어요.

   I don't understand this part of the lesson.

   이

   this

   수업

   lesson

   이

   this

   부분

   part

   이해하지 못하겠어요

   cannot understand

   More detail

   이 before 수업 is a demonstrative meaning “this,” used to identify a nearby or contextually relevant lesson. Demonstratives such as 이 (“this”), 그 (“that/the one already mentioned”), and 저 (“that over there”) are chosen according to distance or discourse context; here, the fixed translation supports “this lesson.” 수업 means “lesson” or “class.” The form 수업의 uses 의 to link a possessor or related noun to the following noun: 수업의 부분 means “part of the lesson.” In speech, 의 may be pronounced less distinctly, but it is the written marker here. The second 이 again means “this,” now modifying 부분, so 이 부분 is “this part.” 부분 means “part” or “section.” A useful pattern is 이 + noun, as in 이 책 (“this book”) or 이 문제 (“this question”). These are examples of the pattern, not additional facts about the supplied conversation. 이해하지 못하겠어요 expresses that the speaker cannot understand the relevant material. 이해하다 is the base verb “to understand.” In 이해하지 못하다, -지 못하다 marks inability or failure to carry out the action: literally, “not be able to understand.” The ending -겠어요 makes the expression polite and, in this combination, presents the speaker’s current difficulty as 못하겠어요 (“I can’t manage to do it”). The ending -어요 is a common polite sentence ending; the exact politeness level is carried by the full ending, not by 이해 alone. Putting the parts together, 이 수업의 means “of this lesson,” 이 부분을 means “this part” as the object of the verb, and 이해하지 못하겠어요 means “I can’t understand.” The whole utterance therefore means: “I don’t understand this part of the lesson.” The object marker 을 shows what is not understood.

2. 어느 문제가 어려워요?

   Which question is giving you trouble?

   어느

   which

   문제

   question

   어려워요

   is difficult

   More detail

   어느 means “which” when selecting one item from a known or limited set. It comes before the noun it determines: 어느 문제 = “which question.” It is different from 무슨, which more generally asks what kind or what matter: 무슨 문제예요? = “What kind of problem is it?” 문제 is a noun meaning “question” in a study or test. In other contexts, it can also mean “problem,” but the fixed translation identifies the study-related sense here, so 어느 문제 means “which question.” 어려워요 is the polite present form of the descriptive verb 어렵다, “to be difficult.” This form shows the ㅂ irregular change: the stem 어렵- becomes 어려워- before the polite -요 ending. A useful contrast is 쉬워요, “is easy,” from 쉽다. For example, 이 문제는 어려워요. means “This question is difficult.” Together, 어느 문제 asks the listener to identify a question, and 어려워요 describes that question as difficult. The full utterance means “Which question is giving you trouble?” or more literally, “Which question is difficult?” It is a polite question asking the listener to specify the difficult question.

3. 여기 답이 이해가 안 돼요.

   The answer here doesn't make sense to me.

   여기

   here

   답

   answer

   이해가 안 돼요

   doesn't make sense to me

   More detail

   여기 means “here” and points to a place or context near the speaker. In this sentence, it identifies where the answer is located or which answer is being referred to; it does not by itself identify a specific physical location beyond that context. A useful contrast is 거기, “there,” referring to a place associated with the listener or away from the speaker. 답 is the noun “answer.” It can refer to an answer to a question or problem. For example, 답을 알아요 means “I know the answer,” where 을 marks 답 as the object of 알아요. 이해가 안 돼요 is a polite present-style expression meaning “doesn’t make sense to me” or “I can’t understand it.” It is built from 이해, “understanding,” plus the subject marker 가, the negative 안, and 돼요, the polite form of 되다, “become/work out/be possible.” In the pattern 이해가 되다, something is understandable; 이해가 안 되다 says that it is not understandable. This differs from 이해하지 못해요, “I cannot understand,” which more directly presents the speaker as unable to understand. The polite ending -요 makes the statement suitable for ordinary respectful conversation. Together, 여기 답 means “the answer here,” and 이해가 안 돼요 says that this answer is not understandable to the speaker. The complete utterance therefore means “The answer here doesn’t make sense to me.”

4. 먼저 문장을 읽어 봐요.

   Let's read the sentence first.

   먼저

   first

   문장

   sentence

   읽어 봐요

   let’s read

   More detail

   먼저 means “first” or “before anything else.” It marks the order of the action here. A useful contrast is 먼저 “first” and 나중에 “later.” Example: 먼저 읽어요. — “Read it first.” 문장 means “sentence.” Its plural is not required here; Korean commonly leaves number unmarked when the context does not require it. In the utterance, 문장을 is the object phrase: 문장 “sentence” plus the object particle 을. The particle is attached to the noun, while the noun itself is 문장. 읽어 봐요 comes from 읽다 “to read” plus 보다 “to try” in the auxiliary pattern -아/어 보다. Literally, it presents trying an action; here, with the polite ending -요 and the fixed translation, it is a gentle suggestion: “let’s read” or “try reading.” The form 읽어 is the -어 form of 읽다, and 봐요 is the polite form of 보다 in this pattern. Example: 이 책을 읽어 봐요. — “Try reading this book.” Together, 먼저 + 문장을 + 읽어 봐요 means “Let’s read the sentence first.” The order is stated by 먼저, 문장을 identifies the thing being read, and 읽어 봐요 makes the reading a polite suggestion. The following context’s 그다음 (“then/next”) confirms that this action is intended to come before checking the answer.

5. 그다음 답을 확인해 봐요.

   Then check the answer.

   그다음

   then; next

   답

   answer

   확인해 봐요

   try checking

   More detail

   그다음 means “then” or “next.” It marks the next step in an ordered sequence. Here it follows the earlier step of reading and introduces what to do afterward. A reusable pattern is 그다음 + action: 그다음 쉬어요. — “Then rest.” 답 means “answer.” It is a noun, so 답을 marks the answer as the object of the action; -을 is the object marker here. The form 답 does not itself express a number or definiteness in the same way an English article does. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as “the answer.” 확인해 봐요 combines 확인하다, “to check or confirm,” with -아/어 보다, a construction meaning “try doing” something. 확인하다 becomes 확인해 in this combination, and 봐요 is the polite present-style form of 보다. Here 봐요 is part of the -아/어 보다 construction, not a separate instruction to look or see. The expression presents checking as a polite request or instruction. Compare 읽어 봐요, “try reading it,” from 읽다 + -어 보다. Together, 그다음 (“then/next”) + 답을 (the answer as object) + 확인해 봐요 (“try checking”) gives: “Then check the answer.” The sentence presents checking the answer as the next step and uses a polite form rather than a blunt command.

6. 문장을 소리 내어 읽어 줄 수 있어요?

   Can you read the sentence aloud?

   문장을

   the sentence

   소리 내어

   aloud

   읽어

   read

   줄 수 있어요?

   can you do it for someone?

   More detail

   문장을 means “the sentence” as the object being read. 문장 is the noun “sentence,” and -을 marks an object after a consonant-final noun. Compare 문장을 읽어요 (“I read the sentence”) with 문장이 길어요 (“The sentence is long”), where -이 marks the subject. 소리 내어 means “aloud.” It is the adverbial form of 소리 내다, literally “to make sound,” and describes how the reading is done. The related expression 마음속으로 읽다 means “read silently/in one’s head,” giving a useful contrast in manner. 읽어 comes from the verb 읽다, “to read.” Here 읽어 is the -어 connective form, linking 읽다 to the following helping construction; it is not an imperative by itself. For example, 책을 읽어요 means “I read a book” or “Please read a book,” depending on context, while 책을 읽어 봐요 means “Try reading a book.” 줄 수 있어요? is the polite question pattern -아/어 줄 수 있어요?, used to ask whether someone can do something as a favor or for someone. 주다 means “to give,” but after another verb, as in 읽어 주다, it marks an action done for another person. 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility; in this form, 줄 수 있어요? asks “can you do it?” The phrase does not itself specify a numeric quantity: 수 is part of the ability pattern here. Together, 문장을 identifies what will be read, 소리 내어 gives the manner, and 읽어 줄 수 있어요? asks politely whether the listener can read it as a favor. The whole utterance is therefore “Can you read the sentence aloud?” The polite ending -어요? makes it suitable for a courteous request.

7. 제가 천천히 읽을게요.

   I'll read it slowly.

   제가

   I

   천천히

   slowly

   읽을게요

   I’ll read it

   More detail

   제가 means “I” as the subject here. It combines 저 (“I,” the speaker’s humble/polite first-person pronoun) with the subject marker 가. The form 저 is used instead of the less deferential 나 in polite situations; 가 marks the subject, rather than adding a separate meaning such as “by myself.” 천천히 means “slowly” and describes how the reading will be done. It is an adverb, so it modifies the action 읽을게요. A reusable pattern is 천천히 + verb, as in 천천히 말해 주세요. — “Please speak slowly.” 읽을게요 is the polite form of 읽다 (“to read”) with -(으)ㄹ게요. The verb stem 읽- takes -을게요 here because it ends in a consonant: 읽다 → 읽을게요. This ending presents the speaker’s intention or commitment to do the action, often with the listener in mind; it is not simply a neutral statement of a scheduled future event. For example, 제가 확인할게요. means “I’ll check it.” The object of 읽다 is omitted in the Korean sentence. In this exchange, the preceding request identifies the relevant material as the sentence, while the fixed translation conveys it as “it.” Korean can leave a recoverable object unspoken. Together, 제가 (I, as subject), 천천히 (slowly), and 읽을게요 (will read / I’ll read it) produce: “I’ll read it slowly.”

8. 제 공책에 중요한 단어를 쓸게요.

   I'll write the key words in my notebook.

   제

   my

   공책

   notebook

   중요한

   important; key

   단어

   word(s)

   쓸게요

   I’ll write

   More detail

   제 means “my” here. It is the commonly shortened possessive form of 저의, from the humble/polite first-person pronoun 저 (“I”) plus 의. It comes before the noun it belongs to: 제 공책 means “my notebook.” 공책 means “notebook,” a noun for a book used for writing. In 제 공책, the possessor comes before the noun. 중요한 means “important” here and can also be translated as “key.” It is the form of the adjective 중요하다 used before a noun: 중요하다 → 중요한. Here it describes 단어, not 공책. 단어 means “word” or “words.” Korean does not normally require a plural ending on this noun, so the same form can refer to one or more words; the fixed translation identifies the intended plural reading here. 중요한 단어 means “important words” or “key words.” 쓸게요 means “I’ll write” here. It comes from 쓰다 (“to write”) with the ending -ㄹ게요: 쓰다 → 쓸게요. This ending presents the speaker’s intention or commitment to do something, often with the listener in mind. For comparison, 읽을게요 means “I’ll read” and comes from 읽다; the ending is attached according to the verb stem. The particle 에 in 공책에 marks the place where the writing is done, while 를 in 단어를 marks what is written. Thus 제 공책에 means “in my notebook,” 중요한 단어를 means “the key words” in the fixed translation, and 쓸게요 means “I’ll write.” Together, the utterance means: “I’ll write the key words in my notebook.” This is a polite statement of the speaker’s intention.

9. 그럼 답을 다시 해 봐요.

   Then let's try the answer again.

   그럼

   Then / in that case

   답

   answer

   다시

   again

   해 봐요

   try doing it

   More detail

   그럼 is a conversational shortened form of 그러면, meaning “then” or “in that case.” It links the utterance to a situation already understood. 그러면 is the fuller form; 그럼 is common in speech and casual conversation. 답 means “answer.” It is a noun, so it can combine with particles or other words. In the full sentence, 답을 marks “answer” as the object; 을 is used because 답 ends in a consonant. 다시 means “again” or “once more.” It indicates that the action is repeated. For example, 다시 읽어요 can mean “I read it again,” “Please read it again,” or, in a suitable context, “Let’s read it again.” 해 봐요 comes from the pattern 해 보다: 하다 (“to do”) plus 보다 (“to try” as an auxiliary). Here 해 is the 아/어 connective form of 하다, and 봐요 is 보다 in the polite -요 style. After another verb, 보다 presents that action as something one tries, so 해 봐요 means “try doing it.” The -요 style is polite, while the exact conversational force depends on context; here, with the fixed translation, it functions as a suggestion: “let’s try.” This differs from 해요, which simply means “do” or “does” in an appropriate context. Together, 답을 다시 해 봐요 means “try the answer again,” with 답을 as the object, 다시 marking repetition, and 해 봐요 expressing an attempt. With the opening 그럼, the complete utterance means “Then let’s try the answer again.”