Practicing clear pronunciation | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 오디오를 들어도 돼요?

   Can I listen to the audio?

   오디오

   audio

   들어

   listen

   돼요?

   is it okay?

   More detail

   오디오 means “audio” here. It is a noun, so it can be followed by a particle such as 를 to mark it as the thing being listened to. Example: 음악을 들어요. — “I listen to music.” 들어 is the form of 듣다 (“to listen/hear”) used before the next part of this construction. 듣다 has a ㄷ change before a vowel: 듣다 → 들어요, and in 들어도, the form is 들어 + 도. This is the verb form needed in the permission pattern -아/어도 돼요?. 돼요? comes from 되다 (“to become; to be okay/work”). Together with -아/어도, it asks whether an action is permitted: -아/어도 돼요? means “Is it okay to …?” or “May I …?” Example: 여기 앉아도 돼요? — “May I sit here?” The whole utterance is 오디오를 들어도 돼요?: 오디오를 marks the audio as what the speaker will listen to, and 들어도 돼요? asks for permission to do that. Thus it means “Can I listen to the audio?”

2. 같이 들어 봐요.

   Let's listen together.

   같이

   together

   들어 봐요

   let’s listen

   More detail

   같이 means “together” here. It is an adverb showing that the action is shared by the speaker and listener(s). For example, 같이 가요 means “Let’s go together.” 들어 봐요 is a polite suggestion to listen. The lexical verb is 듣다 (“to listen/hear”); its form before -어요 is irregular: 듣다 becomes 들어요, and in this expression 들어 is followed by 봐요. Here 보다 is used in the auxiliary pattern -아/어 보다, which can express trying an action. In this fixed sentence, the translation establishes the natural intended reading “let’s listen,” rather than emphasizing an experiment. 봐요 ends in the polite -요 style. Together, 같이 + 들어 봐요 means “Let’s listen together.” The sentence is a polite, inclusive suggestion: the speaker proposes that the participants listen together.

3. 저한테는 너무 빨라요.

   It's too fast for me.

   저한테는

   for me

   너무

   too; excessively

   빨라요

   is fast

   More detail

   저한테는 means “for me” in this sentence. 저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I/me.” 한테 marks a person as the recipient or person affected, and 는 makes the phrase the topic, giving “as for me” or “for me.” The form 저에게는 is a more formal alternative with the same basic function. Example: 저한테 말해 주세요. — “Please tell me.” 너무 means “too” or “excessively.” It modifies the following description, so it shows that the degree is beyond what is manageable or suitable for the speaker here. Example: 너무 어려워요. — “It’s too difficult.” 빨라요 means “is fast” here. Its base form is the descriptive verb 빠르다 (“to be fast”). In the polite present form, 빠르다 changes to 빨라요; this is a 르-irregular change, so the observed form is not formed by simply attaching 어요 to 빠르다. The related opposite is 느리다 (“to be slow”), as in 느려요 — “It’s slow.” Together, 너무 + 빨라요 says “is too fast,” while 저한테는 identifies the standard from the speaker’s perspective: “for me.” The whole utterance is therefore “It’s too fast for me.”

4. 제가 느리게 해 드릴게요.

   I'll slow it down.

   제가

   I (subject)

   느리게

   slowly

   해 드릴게요.

   I’ll do it for you

   More detail

   제가 identifies the speaker as the subject. 저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I,” and -가 marks the subject; 제가 is commonly contrasted with 나는, where -는 marks the topic. Here the fixed translation confirms that the speaker is the one who will act. 느리게 means “slowly” here and describes how the following action is carried out. It comes from the adjective 느리다 (“to be slow”): 느리다 → 느리게, an adverbial form. For example, 천천히 말해요 means “Speak slowly”; 천천히 is another common adverb for slow, careful movement or speech, while 느리게 directly presents something as being done at a slow speed. 해 드릴게요. contains 해, the connective form of 하다 (“do,” “make,” or “cause”), followed by 드리다 and -ㄹ게요. In this construction, 드리다 adds the meaning that the speaker will do the action as a service for the listener; it is not simply the ordinary verb “give.” 드리다 becomes 드릴게요 with -ㄹ게요, which expresses the speaker’s willingness or intention to do something, often understood as a promise to the listener. The -ㄹ form is attached because 드리다 ends in a vowel. The observed 해 belongs to 하다, whereas 드릴게요 is built from 드리다; neither verb is the base form of the other. Together, 느리게 하다 means “make/do [something] slowly,” and 느리게 해 드릴게요 means “I’ll slow it down for you.” The object of 하다 is omitted in the Korean sentence but is supplied by the fixed translation as “it.” Thus 제가 느리게 해 드릴게요. assembles as “I + slowly + will do/make it for you,” naturally translated as “I’ll slow it down.”

5. 이 문장은 어떻게 발음해요?

   How do I pronounce this sentence?

   이

   this

   문장

   sentence

   어떻게

   how

   발음해요

   pronounce

   More detail

   이 means “this” when it comes directly before a noun. It is a demonstrative determiner, so it identifies the following noun as something near the speaker or otherwise presented as “this.” It does not by itself specify who or what the referent is beyond that deictic meaning. Example: 이 책 means “this book.” 문장 means “sentence.” In 이 문장, it is the noun modified by 이, producing “this sentence.” The phrase is a reusable noun phrase pattern: 이 + noun = “this noun.” 어떻게 asks “how” or “in what way.” It introduces the method being asked about here. Example: 어떻게 가요? means “How do I get there?” 발음해요 is the polite 해요-style form of 발음하다, “to pronounce.” The useful form chain is 발음하다 → 발음해요; -해요 marks a polite present-style statement or question, and the question interpretation here comes from the interrogative word 어떻게 together with the sentence’s question intonation. The subject is omitted because Korean commonly leaves it unspoken when it is understood from context; the translation supplies “I” as the person asking how to do the action. Example: 이 단어를 발음해요. means “I pronounce this word.” Together, 이 문장 identifies the object, 어떻게 asks for the method, and 발음해요? asks about performing the action politely. The whole utterance means “How do I pronounce this sentence?”

6. 한 번 듣고 제 뒤에 따라 하세요.

   Listen once, then repeat after me.

   한 번

   once

   듣고

   listen, then

   제 뒤에

   after me

   따라 하세요

   repeat after me

   More detail

   한 번 means “once” here. 한 is the form of 하나 used before a counter, and 번 counts occurrences or times. Together, the phrase sets the number of times for the listening action: “listen once.” This is not the same as 한번 in every use; spacing and meaning can vary by construction. 듣고 comes from 듣다, “to listen/hear.” The ending -고 links this action to the next one, giving the sequence “listen, then …” in this sentence. The listener is the understood subject of both linked actions. For example, 읽고 대답하세요 means “Read it and answer.” 제 뒤에 literally means “behind me.” 제 is the polite possessive form of 저 (“I/me” in humble speech) plus 의 (“of”), with the common contraction 저의 → 제. 뒤 means “back” or “behind,” and -에 marks the relevant place or position. In this instructional context, being behind the speaker is understood as repeating after the speaker. 제 does not itself mean “behind”; that meaning comes from 뒤에. 따라 하세요 is a polite request meaning “repeat after me” in this context. 따라 하다 combines 따라 (“following”) with 하다 (“do”), so it can mean doing or saying something along with a model. 하세요 is the polite request form of 하다; it is not a past-tense form. For example, 따라 하세요: 안녕하세요 means “Repeat after me: hello.” Together, 한 번 듣고 gives “listen once, then,” 제 뒤에 supplies the relationship “after me,” and 따라 하세요 requests repetition. The complete utterance therefore means: “Listen once, then repeat after me.”

7. 다시 해 볼게요.

   Let me try again.

   다시

   again

   해 볼게요

   I’ll try

   More detail

   다시 means “again” here: it signals that the action is repeated. It can be placed before the action it modifies, as in the fixed sentence. Example: 다시 읽어요. — “I read it again.” 해 볼게요 is a useful Korean pattern meaning “I’ll try doing it” or “Let me try.” The lexical verb is 하다 (“to do”); its form 해 is the contracted form used before the next part of this construction. 해 보다 combines 하다 with 보다 (“to see”); together, -아/어 보다 expresses trying an action, not simply seeing it. The ending -ㄹ게요 in 볼게요 presents the speaker’s intention or willingness, often directed toward the listener. It is not just a neutral statement that an event will occur. The chunks combine in source order as 다시 + 해 볼게요: “again” + “I’ll try doing it.” Thus the whole utterance means “Let me try again,” with the speaker expressing an intention to make another attempt. The polite ending -요 makes the utterance suitable for ordinary polite conversation.

8. 이제 더 또렷하게 들려요.

   That sounds clearer now.

   이제

   now

   더

   more

   또렷하게

   clearly

   들려요

   sounds / is heard

   More detail

   이제 means “now,” marking the current time or a change from an earlier situation. Example: 이제 시작해요. — “We start now.” 더 means “more” and increases the degree of the following description. Here it shows that the sound is clearer than before. Example: 더 크게 말해요. — “Speak louder.” 또렷하게 is the adverbial form of 또렷하다, “to be clear/distinct.” The adjective describes something as clear; 또렷하게 describes how an action or perception occurs. Example: 또렷하게 써요. — “Write clearly.” 들려요 comes from 들리다, “to be heard” or “to sound.” In this sentence it describes how the sound is perceived, rather than saying that someone intentionally listens. 들려요 is the polite present-style form used in the 해요체. Example: 목소리가 잘 들려요. — “The voice is easy to hear.” Together, 더 또렷하게 means “more clearly,” and 들려요 says that the sound is perceived that way. With 이제, the utterance means: “That sounds clearer now.”