Borrowing and Reading in a Quiet Library | Learn Korean in English

Korean lesson set in a contemporary Seoul everyday setting: In a library, a visitor asks to borrow a book, where to return it, and where to read before leaving..

EN → KO / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Borrowing and Reading in a Quiet Library to practice Korean conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

이 도서관은 아주 조용해요.

ee doh-suh-GWAN-uhn AH-joo joh-yong-heh-yo This library is very quiet.
B

사람들이 공부할 수 있게 목소리를 낮춰요.

SAH-rahm-deu-ree gong-boo-hal soo EET-keh mok-SSOH-ree-rul NAT-chwuh-yo We keep our voices low so people can study.
A

이 책을 빌리고 싶어요.

ee CHEH-geul BEEL-lee-go SHEE-puh-yo I want to borrow this book.
B

데스크에서 제가 대신 빌려 드릴 수 있어요.

deh-suh-keu-eh-suh JEH-ga dae-SHIN BEEL-lyuh DUH-reel soo ee-SSUH-yo I can check it out for you at the desk.
A

어디에 반납해야 해요?

uh-DEE-eh ban-NAHP-heh-ya heh-yo Where should I return it?
B

다 읽으면 데스크로 가져다주세요.

da eel-GUH-myun deh-suh-keu-roh gah-juh-da JOO-seh-yo Bring it back to the desk when you are finished.
A

창가 자리가 편해 보여요.

CHAHNG-ga ja-ree-ga PYUN-heh BOH-yuh-yo The window seat looks comfortable.
B

떠나기 전에 거기에 앉아서 읽어도 돼요.

TTUH-na-gee juhn-eh guh-GEE-eh AHN-jah-suh EEL-guh-do DWEH-yo You can sit there and read before you leave.

Word by Word

이 이 means “this” in 이 도서관은 and points to the library being referred to. It is placed directly before a noun, as in 이 책을 for “this book.” You can use 이 with a nearby person, place, or thing.
도서관은 도서관은 means “the library; as for the library” in 이 도서관은 아주 조용해요. 도서관 is “library,” and 은 marks it as the topic of the sentence. A reusable pattern is 이 도서관은 ... for describing this library.
아주 아주 means “very” and strongly describes how quiet the library is in 이 도서관은 아주 조용해요. It is placed before the word it intensifies. You can use 아주 before an adjective when you want to say “very ...”.
조용해요 조용해요 means “is quiet” here, describing the library. It is the polite form used in the statement 이 도서관은 아주 조용해요; the citation form is 조용하다. You can use 조용해요 to describe a library, room, or other quiet place.
사람들이 사람들이 means “people” as the subject of the action in 사람들이 공부할 수 있게 목소리를 낮춰요. 사람들 means “people,” and 이 marks them as the subject. A reusable pattern is 사람들이 ... when explaining what people do.
공부할 공부할 refers to studying in 사람들이 공부할 수 있게, where it describes the action that people are able to do. It comes from 공부하다 and appears before 수 in the possibility pattern 공부할 수 있다. You can use 공부할 수 ... to talk about being able to study.
수 수 is the ability or possibility part of 공부할 수 있게. The full expression 공부할 수 있게 means “so that people can study,” so 수 alone does not mean “can.” A reusable pattern is verb form + 수 있다 for expressing ability or possibility.
있게 있게 helps form the purpose expression 공부할 수 있게, meaning “so that people can study.” It connects the possibility expressed by 공부할 수 있다 with the purpose of lowering voices. You can use ... 수 있게 when describing an action done to make something possible.
목소리를 목소리를 means “the voice or voices” as the object being lowered in 목소리를 낮춰요. 목소리 means “voice,” and 를 marks it as the object of 낮춰요. A common pattern is 목소리를 낮추다 for asking someone to speak more quietly.
낮춰요 낮춰요 means “lower” or “keep low” here, referring to the voice in 목소리를 낮춰요. The citation form is 낮추다, and the polite form 낮춰요 is used in this instruction or explanation. You can use 낮춰요 with 목소리를 when asking someone to speak quietly.
책을 책을 means “the book” as the object of borrowing in 이 책을 빌리고 싶어요. 책 means “book,” and 를 marks it as the object. A reusable pattern is 책을 빌리다 for “borrow a book.”
빌리고 빌리고 means “borrow and” in 이 책을 빌리고 싶어요. It comes from 빌리다 and uses -고 to connect the borrowing action to 싶어요. The common pattern 책을 빌리고 싶어요 means “I want to borrow a book.”
싶어요 싶어요 expresses the speaker’s desire to do the action before it, so 빌리고 싶어요 means “want to borrow.” It follows the -고 form of a verb, as in 빌리고 싶어요. You can use verb + 고 싶어요 to say that you want to do something.
데스크에서 데스크에서 means “at the desk” in 데스크에서 제가 대신 빌려 드릴 수 있어요. 에서 marks the place where the borrowing action takes place. You can use place + 에서 when describing where an action happens.
제가 제가 means “I” as the subject of the service offered in 제가 대신 빌려 드릴 수 있어요. It presents the speaker as the person who can perform the action. You can use 제가 ... when clearly saying that you will do something.
대신 대신 means “instead” or “on someone’s behalf” in 제가 대신 빌려 드릴 수 있어요. Here it shows that the speaker will handle the borrowing for the other person. A reusable pattern is 제가 대신 ... for offering to do something for someone.
빌려 빌려 means “borrow” as the action performed for the listener in 빌려 드릴 수 있어요. It comes from 빌리다 and connects to 드리다 in the expression 빌려 드리다. In this dialogue, the full expression means that the speaker can borrow the book for the listener.
드릴 드릴 contributes the meaning of doing the action as a service for the listener in 빌려 드릴 수 있어요. It comes from 드리다 and appears before 수 in the possibility expression. The pattern verb + 드리다 is used when offering to do something for someone respectfully.
있어요 있어요 completes 빌려 드릴 수 있어요 and makes it mean “can borrow it for you.” The meaning of ability comes from the whole pattern 빌려 드릴 수 있어요, not from 있어요 alone. A reusable pattern is verb + ㄹ/을 수 있어요 for saying that something is possible.
어디에 어디에 means “where” or “to where” in 어디에 반납해야 해요? 에 marks the destination of returning the book. You can use 어디에 ...? when asking where an object should be placed or returned.
반납해야 반납해야 signals that returning the book is required in 어디에 반납해야 해요? It comes from 반납하다 and connects with 해요 to form the necessity expression 반납해야 해요, “must return.” A reusable pattern is 어디에 반납해야 해요? when asking where something must be returned.
해요 해요 completes 반납해야 해요 and makes the question ask what must be done. In this expression, it does not introduce a separate action; the whole form 반납해야 해요 means “must return.” You can use 해야 해요 after an action to ask or state that it is necessary.
다 다 means “all” or “completely” in 다 읽으면, referring to finishing the reading. It emphasizes that the reading is complete before the next action. You can place 다 before a verb when saying that something is done completely.
읽으면 읽으면 means “when you read” or, with 다, “when you finish reading” in 다 읽으면 데스크로 가져다주세요. It comes from 읽다 and uses -으면 to introduce a condition or time. A reusable pattern is 다 읽으면 ... for saying what happens after finishing a text.
데스크로 데스크로 means “to the desk” in 데스크로 가져다주세요. 로 marks the direction or destination of bringing the book. You can use place + 로 with movement verbs when specifying where something should go.
가져다주세요 가져다주세요 means “please bring it to the stated place” in 데스크로 가져다주세요. It combines the action of bringing something with a polite request, and 데스크로 supplies the destination. A reusable request pattern is 물건을 장소로 가져다주세요 for asking someone to bring an object somewhere.
창가 창가 means “the window side” in 창가 자리가 편해 보여요. It identifies the area beside a window, and 창가 자리 means “window seat.” You can use 창가 before 자리 or another place-related noun.
자리가 자리가 means “the seat” as the subject of the description in 창가 자리가 편해 보여요. 자리 means “seat” or “place,” and 가 marks it as the subject. A reusable pattern is 자리가 ... 보여요 when describing how a seat appears.
편해 편해 means “comfortable” in 편해 보여요. It is the form of 편하다 used before 보여요 to describe how the seat appears. You can use 편해 보여요 to say that a seat, room, or arrangement looks comfortable.
보여요 보여요 means “looks” or “seems” in 편해 보여요. Together, 편해 보여요 means “looks comfortable,” while 보여요 alone does not supply the whole description. A reusable pattern is adjective + 보여요 for saying that something appears a certain way.
떠나기 떠나기 means “leaving” in 떠나기 전에 거기에 앉아서 읽어도 돼요. It comes from 떠나다 and turns the action into the noun-like form needed before 전에. You can use verb + 기 전에 to say “before doing something.”
전에 전에 means “before” in 떠나기 전에, so the reading happens before leaving. It follows the noun-like form 떠나기 here. A reusable pattern is verb + 기 전에 for describing an action that comes earlier.
거기에 거기에 means “there” as the place where the listener may sit in 거기에 앉아서 읽어도 돼요. 에 marks the location of 앉아서. You can use 거기에 ... when directing someone to sit, wait, or stay in a particular place.
앉아서 앉아서 means “sit and” in 거기에 앉아서 읽어도 돼요. It connects sitting with the following action of reading, showing the actions in sequence. A reusable pattern is 앉아서 + another verb when saying to sit and do something.
읽어도 읽어도 is the “even if you read” or “may read” part of 읽어도 돼요. It comes from 읽다 and connects with 돼요 in the permission expression 읽어도 돼요, “you may read.” You can use verb + 어도 돼요 to ask for or give permission.
돼요 돼요 means “is okay” or “is permitted” in 읽어도 돼요. The full expression 읽어도 돼요 means “you may read,” so the permission meaning comes from the construction as a whole. You can use verb + 어도 돼요 when allowing an action.

Grammar Points

동사/형용사 + -(으)면

읽으면

eel-GUH-myun

if/when (someone) reads

Attach -(으)면 to express a condition or a repeated situation: “if/when someone reads.”

동사 + -아/어서

앉아서

AHN-jah-suh

sit and; while sitting

-아/어서 connects actions, showing that one action happens before or during the next action.

Korean Vocabulary

가져다주다 verb
gah-juh-da-JOO-da to bring and give 가져다주세요

다 읽으면 데스크로 가져다주세요.

공부하다 verb
gong-boo-ha-da to study 공부할

사람들이 공부할 수 있게 목소리를 낮춰요.

낮추다 verb
NAT-choo-da to lower 낮춰요

사람들이 공부할 수 있게 목소리를 낮춰요.

대신 adv
deh-SHIN instead; on behalf of someone

데스크에서 제가 대신 빌려 드릴 수 있어요.

데스크 noun
deh-suh-keu desk

데스크에서 제가 대신 빌려 드릴 수 있어요.

도서관 noun
doh-suh-GWAN library

이 도서관은 아주 조용해요.

목소리 noun
mok-SSOH-ree voice

사람들이 공부할 수 있게 목소리를 낮춰요.

반납하다 verb
ban-NAHP-ha-da to return 반납해야

어디에 반납해야 해요?

빌리다 verb
BEEL-lee-da to borrow 빌리고

이 책을 빌리고 싶어요.

사람들 noun
SAH-rahm-deu people

사람들이 공부할 수 있게 목소리를 낮춰요.

조용하다 adj
joh-yong-ha-da to be quiet 조용해요

이 도서관은 아주 조용해요.

책 noun
CHEK book

이 책을 빌리고 싶어요.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

This library is very quiet.

Show Answer이 도서관은 아주 조용해요.

We keep our voices low so people can study.

Show Answer사람들이 공부할 수 있게 목소리를 낮춰요.

I want to borrow this book.

Show Answer이 책을 빌리고 싶어요.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to be quiet

Show Answer조용해요

to return

Show Answer반납해야

to bring and give

Show Answer가져다주세요

desk

Show Answer데스크