Changing the Meeting Place | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 계획을 바꿔야 해요.

   I need to change the plan.

   계획

   plan

   바꿔야 해요

   need to change

   More detail

   계획 means “plan.” It is a noun and can refer to an intended course of action or arrangement. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as the plan that needs changing. Example: 계획이 있어요. — “I have a plan.” 바꿔야 해요 expresses “need to change” here. The useful base verb is 바꾸다, “to change.” Its stem combines with -어야 하다 to express necessity: 바꾸다 → 바꾸어야 하다 → 바꿔야 하다; the spoken polite form 해요 completes this expression. Thus -아/어야 해요 is a reusable pattern meaning “must/need to …,” with the verb before it showing the required action. Example: 일찍 가야 해요. — “I need to leave early.” Together, 계획을 marks “the plan” as the object of the change, and 바꿔야 해요 says that changing it is necessary. The omitted subject is understood from the situation; the sentence itself does not specify who needs to change it beyond the fixed translation’s “I.” The whole utterance therefore means, “I need to change the plan.”

2. 어떤 부분이 안 돼요?

   What part is not working?

   어떤

   which; what kind of

   부분

   part

   안 돼요

   does not work

   More detail

   어떤 comes before a noun and asks the listener to identify one by type or choice: “which” or “what kind of.” For example, 어떤 책을 읽어요? means “Which book are you reading?” 부분 means “part” or “section.” It is a noun, and here it is the thing being identified as not working. The form 부분이 adds the subject marker 이 because 부분 ends in a consonant. The pattern 어떤 + noun is reusable: 어떤 부분 means “which part.” 안 돼요 is the polite present form of 안 되다, used here for something not working or not functioning. 안 is placed before 되다 to make the meaning negative. The base form is 되다; 돼요 is its polite present form. In another context, 되다 can also mean “become,” “be allowed,” or “work out,” so the “work” meaning here comes from the situation and the fixed translation. For example, 컴퓨터가 안 돼요. means “The computer isn’t working.” Together, 어떤 부분이 asks “which part,” and 안 돼요 says that the part is not working. The whole utterance is therefore “What part is not working?” The polite ending 요 makes this a courteous everyday question.

3. 만날 장소가 너무 시끄러운 것 같아요.

   The meeting spot feels too noisy.

   만날

   meeting

   장소

   place

   너무

   too

   시끄러운

   noisy

   것 같아요

   seems like

   More detail

   만날 comes from 만나다, “to meet.” Here it modifies the following noun: 만날 장소 is “a place to meet” or, in this sentence, “the meeting spot.” The ending -ㄹ makes a verb modifier for an intended or associated action. Compare 만나는 장소, “a place where someone is meeting,” which presents the meeting as ongoing or habitual rather than simply the intended meeting purpose. 장소 means “place” or “location.” It is a noun and can combine with modifiers such as 만날 장소, “meeting place,” and 조용한 장소, “quiet place.” 너무 means “too” here: the noise is presented as excessive for the situation. In some contexts, 너무 can also mean “very,” but the fixed translation supports the excessive meaning in this sentence. 시끄러운 means “noisy.” Its base form is the adjective 시끄럽다. The observed form is the noun-modifying form: 시끄럽다 becomes 시끄러운 before a noun, as in 시끄러운 장소, “a noisy place.” This change reflects the adjective’s form; it is not an inflection of 장소. 것 같아요 is a polite form meaning “seems” or “seems like.” With an adjective in the preceding modifier form, 시끄러운 것 같아요 expresses the speaker’s assessment that something seems noisy, rather than presenting the assessment as an absolute assertion. 같아요 is the polite present-style form used in this expression. Together, 만날 장소 identifies the location as the meeting spot, 너무 시끄러운 describes that spot as excessively noisy, and 것 같아요 presents this as the speaker’s impression. The whole utterance therefore means, “The meeting spot feels too noisy.”

4. 안에서 더 조용한 곳으로 가요.

   Let's move somewhere quieter inside.

   안에서

   inside; from within

   더

   more

   조용한

   quieter

   곳

   place

   으로

   to; toward

   가요

   go; let’s go

   More detail

   안에서 means “inside” here and marks the interior as the setting or starting area for the movement. 안 means “inside/interior,” and 에서 commonly marks where an action occurs or where movement begins. For example, 집에서 가요 can mean “I’m leaving from home,” though the exact interpretation depends on context. 더 means “more” and makes the following description comparative. The pattern 더 + adjective means “more [adjective]”; here it contributes “more” to 조용한, producing “quieter.” 조용한 means “quiet” in its attributive form, modifying the noun 곳. Its base form is 조용하다 “to be quiet,” and 조용한 is the form used before a noun. With 더, 더 조용한 곳 means “a quieter place.” For example, 더 큰 방 means “a bigger room”: 큰 is the attributive form of 크다 “to be big.” 곳 means “place” or “spot.” It is a noun referring to a location, and 곳으로 means “to a place” because the following 으로 marks direction. The sentence does not specify which particular place; it describes it only as quieter. 으로 marks movement toward a destination. It is attached to 곳, whose final consonant makes the form 곳으로. The related directional form 로 is used after a vowel or after the consonant ㄹ, while 으로 is used after other consonants. For example, 학교로 가요 means “I’m going to school,” whereas 집으로 가요 means “I’m going home.” 가요 is the polite everyday form of 가다 “to go.” In this utterance, the context and fixed translation give it the inclusive suggestion “let’s go” or “let’s move,” rather than merely reporting that someone goes. The same form can also mean “goes” or “is going” in other contexts; the surrounding wording determines its use. Together, 안에서 identifies the interior as the starting setting, 더 조용한 곳으로 gives the destination as a quieter place, and 가요 presents the movement as a polite suggestion: “Let’s move to somewhere quieter inside.”

5. 입구 바로 안쪽에서 만날 수 있어요?

   Can we meet just inside the entrance?

   입구

   entrance

   바로

   just; right

   안쪽에서

   inside; on the inner side

   만날 수 있어요?

   can we meet?

   More detail

   입구 means “entrance.” It is a noun and can combine with location expressions: 입구 앞 means “in front of the entrance,” while 입구 안쪽 means “the inner side of the entrance.” 바로 means “right” or “just” here. Before a place expression, it emphasizes an exact nearby location: 문 바로 앞 means “right in front of the door.” In this sentence, it makes 입구 바로 안쪽 mean “just inside the entrance.” 안쪽에서 is 안쪽 (“inner side/interior”) plus 에서, the location marker for an action. Thus, 안쪽에서 만나다 means “meet on the inside.” The form 에서 marks where the meeting occurs; it is different from 에, which commonly marks a destination or a static location. 만날 수 있어요? is the reusable possibility pattern verb stem + (으)ㄹ 수 있다, used for “can,” “be able to,” or “is possible to.” The verb is 만나다 (“to meet”); its stem is 만나-, so it becomes 만날 수 있어요. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 in this construction. With question intonation, the omitted subject is understood from context, giving the intended meaning “Can we meet?” Korean does not require the subject to be stated here. Together, 입구 바로 안쪽에서 sets the meeting location as “just inside the entrance,” and 만날 수 있어요? asks whether meeting there is possible. The complete utterance therefore means “Can we meet just inside the entrance?”

6. 저는 괜찮아요.

   That works for me.

   저는

   as for me

   괜찮아요

   is fine; works

   More detail

   저는 combines 저 (“I,” the humble/polite first-person pronoun) with the topic marker 는. It sets the speaker as the topic: “as for me” or “for my part.” The form 저 is used when referring to oneself politely; 나 is the less formal first-person alternative. Example: 저는 학생이에요. — “I’m a student.” 괜찮아요 comes from the adjective 괜찮다, meaning “to be okay” or “to be acceptable.” 괜찮아요 is its polite present form in the 해요 style. In this utterance, it means that the suggested arrangement is acceptable to the speaker, so “That works for me.” It can also describe a person or situation as being okay in other contexts, but that is not the intended meaning here. Example: 이 시간 괜찮아요? — “Is this time okay?” Together, 저는 괜찮아요 literally presents “as for me” followed by “it is okay.” In the supplied situation, it accepts the suggested meeting arrangement: “That works for me.”

7. 도착하면 거기서 기다릴게요.

   I'll wait there when I arrive.

   도착하면

   when I arrive

   거기서

   there; at that place

   기다릴게요

   I’ll wait

   More detail

   도착하면 combines 도착하다 (“to arrive”) with -면, which can express “when” or “if.” Here it expresses time: “when I arrive.” The subject is omitted in Korean, and the fixed translation identifies it as the speaker. 도착하다 is the base form; 도착하- takes -면 here. Example: 집에 도착하면 전화할게요. — “I’ll call when I arrive home.” The same -면 pattern places the time or condition before the following action. 거기서 means “there, at that place.” It is 거기 (“there”) plus -에서, marking the place where an action occurs. 거기 is a place-denoting demonstrative whose specific location is supplied by the context; this sentence does not identify it more precisely. Example: 거기서 만나요. — “Let’s meet there.” 기다릴게요 comes from 기다리다, “to wait.” The verb stem 기다리- combines with -ㄹ게요, a polite ending used when the speaker states an intended future action, often as a commitment relevant to the listener. 기다리다 is the base form, and 기다릴게요 expresses the speaker’s intended future waiting politely. Example: 여기서 기다릴게요. — “I’ll wait here.” Together, 도착하면 sets the time, 거기서 gives the place of waiting, and 기다릴게요 states the speaker’s intention: “I’ll wait there when I arrive.” Korean leaves the subject unspoken here, while the fixed translation identifies that understood subject as “I.”

8. 그러면 우리 같이 조용한 곳을 찾을 수 있어요.

   Then we can find a quiet place together.

   그러면

   then

   우리

   we; us

   같이

   together

   조용한

   quiet

   곳

   place

   찾을 수 있어요

   can find

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It connects the utterance to a condition or situation already under discussion. A useful pattern is 그러면 + sentence: “Then, …” 우리 is the Korean first-person plural pronoun, meaning “we” here. It can also mean “our” before a noun, but in this sentence it functions as the subject. Korean 우리 does not mark whether the listener is included; the fixed translation presents the group as “we.” 같이 means “together” and indicates that the action is carried out jointly. It can be placed before the verb phrase, as here. Example: 같이 가요. — “Let’s go together.” 조용한 means “quiet” here and directly modifies the following noun. Its base form is 조용하다 (“to be quiet”); 조용한 is the attributive form used before a noun. Example: 조용한 방 — “a quiet room.” 곳 means “place” or “spot.” It is a noun referring to a location. 곳 is useful when referring to a place without specifying what kind of location it is; for example, 좋은 곳 means “a good place.” 찾을 수 있어요 expresses the ability or possibility to find something. The lexical verb is 찾다, “to find” or “to look for”; 찾을 is its form before 수, and -을 수 있다 is the pattern meaning “can” or “be able to.” 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 in this construction. Example: 여기서 길을 찾을 수 있어요. — “We can find the way here.” Together, 그러면 sets the meaning as “then,” 우리 supplies the subject “we,” and 같이 shows that the action is joint. 조용한 곳 means “a quiet place,” and 찾을 수 있어요 says that finding it is possible. The whole utterance is: “Then we can find a quiet place together.”