Resting Tired Eyes | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 눈이 피곤해요.

   My eyes are tired.

   눈

   eyes

   피곤해요

   is tired

   More detail

   눈 means “eyes” here, as fixed by the translation. The same Korean noun can refer to one eye or both eyes; Korean nouns do not normally mark singular versus plural by changing their form. In another context, 눈 can also mean “snow,” but that is not the intended meaning here. 피곤해요 comes from the descriptive verb 피곤하다, “to be tired.” The form 피곤해요 is the polite everyday present form used for a statement. The ending -해요 is part of the polite form of this word; it does not mean “do” separately here. Compare the less polite form 피곤해 and the more formal form 피곤합니다. The particle 이 after 눈 marks 눈 as the subject: 눈이. It is attached after a noun ending in a consonant; the corresponding subject particle after a vowel is 가. For example, 눈이 아파요 means “My eyes hurt.” Together, 눈이 피곤해요 means “My eyes are tired.” Korean does not need a separate word for “my” here because the intended owner is clear from the fixed translation and situation; 눈 is the subject, and 피곤해요 describes its condition.

2. 화면에서 잠깐 눈을 떼세요.

   Take a short break from the screen.

   화면에서

   from the screen

   잠깐

   briefly

   눈을 떼세요

   look away

   More detail

   화면에서 combines 화면 (“screen”) with the particle 에서. Here, 에서 marks the screen as the point from which the action is directed away: “from the screen.” 화면 is a noun, and the same noun can be reused in phrases such as 화면을 보다 (“watch/look at the screen”). 잠깐 means “briefly” or “for a short time.” It is an adverb, so it modifies the action rather than naming a thing. For example, 잠깐 기다리세요 means “Please wait briefly” or more naturally “Please wait a moment.” 눈을 떼세요 literally describes taking one’s eyes away. 눈 means “eye(s),” and 을 marks it as the object of the verb. Korean commonly uses the singular-form noun 눈 for the eyes in this expression; the form itself does not specify a numerical count here. 떼세요 is the polite request/command form of 떼다, “to detach, remove, or take away.” The ending -(으)세요 makes the instruction polite. The related negative request 떼지 마세요 means “Please do not take [it] away,” but it is a different form. Together, 화면에서 identifies what the eyes should be taken away from, 잠깐 limits the duration, and 눈을 떼세요 gives the polite instruction. The whole utterance means “Take a short break from the screen,” more literally, “Briefly take your eyes away from the screen.”

3. 얼마나 오래 화면에서 눈을 떼고 있어야 해요?

   How long should I look away?

   얼마나 오래

   how long

   화면

   screen

   눈을 떼고

   look away

   있어야 해요

   should stay / need to be

   More detail

   얼마나 오래 asks about duration: 얼마나 means “how much/to what extent,” and 오래 means “for a long time.” Together, 얼마나 오래 is the reusable question pattern “how long?” Example: 얼마나 오래 기다려요? — “How long do you wait?” 화면 means “screen.” The following 에서 is not included in the phrase entry, but in the sentence 화면에서 marks the screen as the place or point from which the eyes are moved away. 화면 is a noun and does not change form here. 눈을 떼고 uses the expression 눈을 떼다, literally “take one’s eyes off” something. 눈 means “eyes,” and 을 marks it as the object of 떼다, whose base meaning here is “take off” or “remove.” The observed form 떼고 adds connective -고, linking this action to what follows. In this sentence, 눈을 떼고 means “looking away” or “keeping one’s eyes off.” Example: 책에서 눈을 떼세요. — “Take your eyes off the book.” 있어야 해요 expresses necessity: “must be” or “need to be.” It is built from 있다 (“to be/stay”) with -어야 하다, the pattern for something that is required; 해요 is the polite present form of 하다 in that pattern. Here, 있다 combines with the preceding -고 form, so 눈을 떼고 있어야 해요 means “need to keep one’s eyes off” rather than merely “need to look away once.” As a whole, 얼마나 오래 asks for the duration, 화면에서 눈을 떼고 describes keeping one’s eyes away from the screen, and 있어야 해요 makes that state necessary. The complete utterance therefore means, “How long should I look away?” or more literally, “How long do I need to keep my eyes off the screen?”

4. 1분 동안 화면에서 눈을 떼고 있으세요.

   Look away for a minute.

   1분 동안

   for one minute

   화면

   screen

   눈을 떼고

   look away

   있으세요

   please stay

   More detail

   1분 동안 gives the duration: “for one minute.” 분 is the counter for minutes, and 동안 marks the span during which something continues. The number 1 is read as 일 here, so 1분 is 일 분. A reusable pattern is [time span] 동안: 10분 동안 means “for ten minutes.” 화면 means “screen.” It is a noun and can be used with particles such as 을/를: 화면을 봐요 means “I look at the screen.” In this sentence, 화면에서 marks the screen as the point from which the eyes are moved away; 에서 is part of the following expression, not part of the noun itself. 눈을 떼고 comes from the expression 눈을 떼다, literally “take one’s eyes off,” meaning “look away” or “stop looking at” something. 떼다 is the base form; 떼고 is its -고 form, which connects it to the continuing form 있다. The expression is normally used with an object marked by 을/를, as in 화면에서 눈을 떼다, “take one’s eyes off the screen.” 있으세요 is the polite request form of 있다, “to be/remain.” In -고 있으세요, it makes the preceding action or state something the listener is requested to continue: 눈을 떼고 있으세요 means “please keep looking away.” This is different from a simple request to begin an action, such as 보세요, “please look.” Putting the parts together, 1분 동안 sets the duration, 화면에서 눈을 떼고 expresses keeping one’s eyes off the screen, and 있으세요 politely asks the listener to maintain that state. The whole utterance means: “Look away for one minute.”

5. 쉬는 동안 물을 좀 마실 수 있어요.

   I can drink some water while I rest.

   쉬는 동안

   while resting

   물

   water

   좀

   some; a little

   마실 수 있어요

   can drink

   More detail

   쉬는 동안 means “while I rest” here. 쉬다 is the base verb “to rest”; 쉬는 is its present modifier form, used before 동안 (“during the time”). This pattern is reusable with other action verbs: 공부하는 동안 means “while studying.” Example: 자는 동안 비가 왔어요. — “It rained while I was sleeping.” 물 is the noun “water.” It can be used directly when the substance is understood: 물을 마셔요 means “I drink water.” The particle 을 marks 물 as the object of 마셔요; it is not included in the selected quote 물. 좀 means “some” or “a little” here. With an amount such as 물 좀, it presents a small or unspecified amount naturally and can make the expression softer. Example: 물 좀 주세요. — “Please give me some water.” 마실 수 있어요 expresses ability or possibility: “can drink.” Its base verb is 마시다 (“to drink”). In 마실 수 있다, 마실 is the form of 마시다 used before 수, and 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다. The pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요 means “can [verb]”; after a vowel-ending verb stem, -ㄹ 수 있어요 is used, as in 갈 수 있어요 (“can go”). The negative pattern is 마실 수 없어요 (“cannot drink”). Together, 쉬는 동안 sets the time, 물 좀 identifies a small or unspecified amount of water, and 마실 수 있어요 says that drinking it is possible for the speaker. The complete meaning is: “I can drink some water while I rest.”

6. 그러면 눈이 더 편해질 거예요.

   That should help your eyes feel better.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   눈

   eyes

   더

   more

   편해질

   become comfortable

   거예요

   will; is expected to

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It connects the utterance to a situation or condition already understood. Example: 비가 오면 집에 있을게요. — “If it rains, I’ll stay home.” 눈 means “eye” or “eyes.” Korean nouns do not normally require a plural ending, so the same form can refer to one or more eyes depending on context. Here, the fixed translation identifies the intended referent as the listener’s eyes; Korean does not separately mark “your” in this sentence. 더 means “more.” Here it marks an increase in comfort compared with before. Example: 이 의자가 더 편해요. — “This chair is more comfortable.” 편해질 is the form of 편해지다, “to become comfortable.” 편해지다 combines 편하다, “to be comfortable,” with -어지다, which expresses a change into a state. The observed form 편해질 is the form used before 거예요 in the future-expectation pattern. Example: 날씨가 따뜻해질 거예요. — “The weather will become warm.” 거예요 follows a verb or adjective form ending in -(으)ㄹ and commonly presents a future expectation or prediction. In 편해질 거예요, 편해지다 has the ㄹ form 편해질 because its stem ends in a vowel: 편해지- + -ㄹ 거예요. Together, 그러면 means “then,” 눈 identifies the affected body part, 더 adds the sense of increased comfort, and 편해질 거예요 presents that change as expected. The whole utterance means: “That should help your eyes feel better.”

7. 그럼 일을 끝낼 수 있어요.

   Then I can finish the task.

   그럼

   Then

   일

   task; work

   끝낼

   finish

   수 있어요

   can

   More detail

   그럼 is a shortened conversational form of 그러면, meaning “then” or “in that case.” It connects the current statement to what came before. A useful pattern is 그러면/그럼 + sentence: “Then/in that case, …” 일 means “work” or “task.” In this sentence it is followed by the object marker 을, forming 일을; this marks the task as what is finished. The same noun can refer broadly to work or more specifically to a task, depending on context. 끝낼 comes from the verb 끝내다, “to finish.” The form 끝낼 is the verb’s modifier form used before 수 in 끝낼 수 있다; it does not mean an imperative “finish!” by itself. For example, 오늘 일을 끝낼 수 있어요 means “I can finish the work today.” 수 있어요 is the polite form of the ability/possibility pattern -(으)ㄹ 수 있다. Together with 끝낼, 끝낼 수 있어요 means “can finish.” 있어요 here expresses that the possibility or ability exists; it is not the ordinary locational meaning “is/exists” in isolation. The negative pattern is -(으)ㄹ 수 없어요, “cannot …” Putting the parts together, 그럼 sets up the consequence, 일을 끝낼 identifies finishing the task, and 수 있어요 expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility. The whole utterance means: “Then I can finish the task.”

8. 먼저 쉬고, 그다음에 일을 끝내세요.

   Take the break first, then finish the task.

   먼저

   first

   쉬고

   take a break, and then

   그다음에

   after that

   일을

   the task

   끝내세요

   finish, please

   More detail

   먼저 means “first” and sets the order for the action that follows. It is a useful sequencing adverb: 먼저 A, 그다음에 B means “A first, then B.” 쉬고 is the form of 쉬다 (“to rest” or, in this context, “to take a break”) with the connective ending -고. Here -고 links this action to the next one in sequence: “take a break and then …” The observed form does not itself mark the subject or tense. 그다음에 means “after that” or “then.” It points to the action just mentioned and introduces the next step. Together with 먼저, it makes the order explicit rather than merely listing two actions. 일을 consists of 일 (“work” or “task” here) plus the object particle -을. The particle marks 일 as the object of the following verb. The choice of -을 is used after a noun ending in a consonant; after a vowel, Korean uses -를 instead. 끝내세요 comes from 끝내다, “to finish” or “to complete.” The ending -세요 makes this a polite request or instruction: “please finish” or “finish.” This is not the same as 끝나다, which means “to end” or “to be finished” without directly expressing that someone finishes something. For example, 일을 끝내세요. means “Please finish the task.” The utterance is assembled as 먼저 쉬고 (“first, take a break”), 그다음에 (“after that”), and 일을 끝내세요 (“finish the task, please”). Thus the complete meaning is: “Take the break first, then finish the task.” The polite -세요 makes the instruction courteous.