Asking about homework | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 숙제로 뭐 해야 해요?

   What should I do for homework?

   숙제로

   for homework

   뭐

   what

   해야 해요?

   should [someone] do?

   More detail

   숙제로 combines 숙제 (“homework”) with -로. Here -로 marks what something is done as or for, so the phrase means “for homework.” The noun 숙제 is unchanged; -로 is the attached particle. For example, 이것을 숙제로 해요 means “I do this as homework.” 뭐 means “what” and is the common conversational form used to ask about an unspecified thing or action. It comes from 무엇, but 뭐 is the natural form in this question. For example, 뭐 먹어요? means “What do you eat?” or, depending on context, “What are you eating?” 해야 해요? expresses that an action is required or expected and asks about it politely. The verb 하다 means “to do.” In the pattern -아/어야 하다, the -아/어야 form is followed by 하다 to express necessity; here 하다 appears in the polite present form 해요, giving 해야 해요. The subject is omitted, as is common in Korean, and the fixed translation identifies the intended subject as “I”: “should I do?” This form asks what the speaker is expected to do; it does not itself specify the particular task. Together, 숙제로 sets the purpose or context (“for homework”), 뭐 asks which thing or action, and 해야 해요? asks what is required of the speaker. The whole utterance therefore means: “What should I do for homework?”

2. 먼저 이 연습 문제를 하세요.

   Start by completing this exercise.

   먼저

   first; to begin with

   이

   this

   연습

   practice

   문제

   problem; exercise

   하세요

   please do; complete

   More detail

   먼저 means “first” or “to begin with.” It sets the order of the action: the exercise should be done before other implied tasks. A reusable pattern is 먼저 + action, as in 먼저 읽으세요. — “Read first.” 이 is the demonstrative determiner meaning “this.” It appears directly before the noun it identifies: 이 책 means “this book.” Here it identifies the exercise as the one being referred to. 연습 means “practice.” It is also used in compounds such as 연습 문제, where it helps specify that the problem is for practice. This is a noun, not a verb form. 문제 means “problem” or, in an exercise context, “exercise.” In 연습 문제, the two nouns combine as “practice exercise.” For example, 문제를 푸세요. means “Solve the problem/exercise.” 하세요 is the polite deferential form used here to request or instruct someone to do something. It comes from 하다, “to do”; 하세요 is not a form of 문제. In this sentence, the action is understood from the nearby noun phrase: 연습 문제를 하세요 means “do/complete the exercise.” The same form can be used with other nouns or actions, such as 숙제를 하세요. — “Do your homework.” The particle 를 marks 연습 문제 as the object of 하세요. Together, 이 연습 문제를 하세요 means “Do/complete this exercise.” Adding 먼저 at the beginning gives the complete meaning: “Start by completing this exercise.”

3. 어느 페이지를 사용해야 해요?

   Which page should I use?

   어느

   which

   페이지

   page

   사용해야 해요

   should use

   More detail

   어느 means “which” when choosing one item from an understood set. It normally comes before the noun it specifies: 어느 페이지 = “which page.” This is different from 무슨, which more often asks what kind or what matter something is. 페이지 is the noun “page.” It is a Korean loanword and can be used with a number: 한 페이지 means “one page,” while 두 페이지 means “two pages.” In this sentence, however, 어느 asks the listener to identify the page rather than stating a number. 사용해야 해요 comes from 사용하다, “to use,” combined with -아야/어야 하다, a pattern expressing necessity or what one should do. The 하 of 사용하다 combines with -어야 as 해야, producing 사용해야 하다; the polite present form is 사용해야 해요. The form 사용하다 is the dictionary form, while 사용해요 simply means “use/uses” or “am using” in a polite context and does not by itself express “should.” Example: 이 방법을 사용해야 해요. — “You should use this method.” Here 이 방법을 is the object and 사용해야 해요 expresses the required action. The object marker 를 in 페이지를 marks 페이지 as what is used. Together, 어느 페이지를 asks which page is the object of the action, and 사용해야 해요? asks which page the speaker should use. The whole utterance therefore means “Which page should I use?”

4. 짧은 질문이 있는 페이지를 사용하세요.

   Use the page with the short questions.

   짧은

   short

   질문

   question

   있는

   having; with

   페이지

   page

   사용하세요

   please use

   More detail

   짧은 means “short” here and describes 질문, so it appears before the noun. It is the attributive form of 짧다 (“to be short”); 짧다 changes to 짧은 when it directly modifies a noun. 질문 means “question.” It is a noun and can be used directly before a modifier such as 있는: 질문이 있는 ... means “... that has questions” or “... with questions.” Korean does not need a plural marker here, so the fixed translation’s “questions” is compatible with this form. 있는 means “having” or “with” in this sentence. It is the noun-modifying form of 있다 (“to exist; to be present; to have”). In 질문이 있는 페이지, 질문이 is what exists or is present, and 페이지 is the noun being described. The particle 이 marks 질문 as the subject of 있는. 페이지 means “page.” The full noun phrase before the verb is 짧은 질문이 있는 페이지, literally “a page that has short questions.” 사용하세요 means “please use.” It comes from 사용하다 (“to use”) with -(으)세요, a polite request or instruction ending. The ending makes this a polite directive; it does not itself state a numeric quantity or a particular page number. Together, 짧은 질문이 있는 페이지 identifies the page by the questions it contains: “the page with the short questions.” Adding 사용하세요 gives the polite instruction 짧은 질문이 있는 페이지를 사용하세요: “Use the page with the short questions.” The particle 를 marks that page as the object of 사용하다.

5. 이걸 언제 끝내야 해요?

   When should I finish it?

   이걸

   this (object)

   언제

   when

   끝내야 해요

   should finish

   More detail

   이걸 means “this” as the object of the sentence. It is a shortened spoken form of 이것을: 이것 means “this thing,” and 을 marks the object. The form 이걸 does not itself identify what “this” refers to; here, the fixed translation identifies it as “it.” Example: 이걸 읽어요. — “I read this.” 언제 asks “when,” usually about a time or deadline. It can appear before the predicate in a question: 언제 와요? — “When are you coming?” 끝내야 해요 expresses that the speaker needs to or should finish something. The lexical verb is 끝내다, “to finish.” Its form uses -아/어야 하다, a pattern expressing necessity or a requirement: 끝내야 하다 means “to have to finish” or “to need to finish.” 해요 is the polite-present form of 하다 in this pattern. Example: 오늘 끝내야 해요. — “I need to finish it today.” Together, 이걸 identifies the object, 언제 asks for the time, and 끝내야 해요 asks when the speaker is required to finish it. With the fixed translation’s first-person subject, the whole utterance means, “When should I finish it?”

6. 수업 전에 끝내세요.

   Finish it before class.

   수업

   class

   전에

   before

   끝내세요

   finish

   More detail

   수업 means “class” here. It is a noun and can combine with time expressions: 수업 전 means “before class,” while 수업 후 means “after class.” In this sentence, 수업 names the time point used as the reference. 전에 expresses “before.” The form 전 is a noun meaning “the time before,” and -에 marks the relevant time point; after another noun, N 전에 is the reusable pattern “before N.” Example: 회의 전에 준비하세요. — “Prepare before the meeting.” 끝내세요 comes from the verb 끝내다, “to finish” or “to complete.” The ending -세요 makes this a polite directive, so 끝내세요 means “please finish” or, as here, “finish.” It is different from 끝나다, “to end,” which describes something coming to an end rather than someone finishing it. Example: 오늘 일을 끝내세요. — “Finish today’s work.” Together, 수업 전에 sets the deadline as “before class,” and 끝내세요 gives the polite instruction “finish it.” The omitted object is understood from the fixed translation and the preceding context as the thing being discussed, so the whole utterance means “Finish it before class.”

7. 나중에 제 답을 봐 주실 수 있어요?

   Can you look at my answers later?

   나중에

   later

   제

   my

   답

   answer(s)

   봐

   look at; check

   주실 수 있어요?

   could you?

   More detail

   나중에 means “later” in this sentence. It is a time adverb and can be reused before the main action: 나중에 만나요 means “See you later.” 제 means “my.” It is the contracted form of 저의, the humble first-person possessive: 저 + 의 → 제. The form 제 belongs to the speaker; it does not change according to the noun that follows. Here it modifies 답. 답 means “answer” here, and the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning as the speaker’s answer(s). Korean does not mark singular versus plural on this form, so the surrounding meaning determines whether English uses “answer” or “answers.” A useful related expression is 정답, “correct answer.” 봐 is the contracted -아/어 form of 보다, “to see” or “to look at.” In this sentence, with the explicit object 답을, it means “look at” or “check.” The base form is 보다; 봐요 is a polite present-style form, while 봐 is the connected form used before another expression. For example, 이 책을 봐요 means “I look at this book” or “I’m looking at this book,” depending on context. 주실 수 있어요? contributes the possibility question in the request pattern -아/어 주실 수 있어요?, used when asking whether someone can perform an action as a favor for the speaker. In this sentence, 주실 follows 봐, so the action being done as a favor is looking at or checking the answers. 주실 contains 주다, “to give,” used here as a helping verb, and the -시- element expresses respect toward the person being asked. 수 있어요? asks about possibility or ability. For example, 도와주실 수 있어요? means “Could you help me?” The sentence assembles as 나중에 (“later”) + 제 답을 (“my answer(s),” with 을 marking it as the object) + 봐 주실 수 있어요? (“could you look at/check them for me?”). Thus the whole utterance means, “Can you look at my answers later?” It is a polite request, with respect expressed toward the person being asked.

8. 다 끝내고 답을 가져오세요.

   Bring them to me after you finish.

   다

   completely; all

   끝내고

   finish and; after finishing

   답

   answer

   가져오세요

   please bring

   More detail

   다 means “all” or “completely” here. With 끝내다, it emphasizes completing the relevant task: 다 끝내다 = “finish everything” or “finish it completely.” It is not itself a marker of a specific numeric quantity. 끝내고 is the verb 끝내다 (“to finish”) followed by connective -고. In this sentence, -고 links the completed action to the next one and is naturally understood as “after finishing.” The subject is omitted; the request addresses the listener, while the object of “finish” is understood from context. 답 means “answer.” The form 답을 adds the object marker -을, showing that it is what is brought. Korean nouns do not normally mark singular versus plural in this form, so 답 can refer to an answer or answers depending on context. In the supplied translation, it is understood as the answers being brought. 가져오세요 comes from 가져오다, “to bring,” with the polite request ending -세요. 가져오다 presents movement toward the relevant speaker or place; here, the fixed translation identifies the destination as the speaker (“to me”). -세요 makes this a polite request or imperative, not a statement about what the listener will do. Together, 다 끝내고 sets the condition or sequence “after you finish,” 답을 marks the answers as the object, and 가져오세요 requests bringing them to the speaker. The whole utterance means: “Bring them to me after you finish.”