Finding a Quiet Study Seat | Learn Korean in English

Korean lesson set in a contemporary Seoul everyday setting: In a library, one person asks whether a table is free and chooses a quiet place to study..

EN → KO / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Finding a Quiet Study Seat to practice Korean conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

이 테이블은 비어 있나요?

ee TAY-buhl-un bee-uh eeng-NAH-yo? Is this table free?
B

여기에는 아무도 앉아 있지 않아요.

yuh-GEE-eh-nun ah-MOO-doh AHN-jah it-JJEE ah-NAH-yo. No one is sitting here.
A

저는 조용히 앉을 곳이 필요해요.

juh-NUN joh-YONG-hee an-jeul GOH-see pee-ryoh-HAE-yo. I need a quiet place to sit.
B

이 테이블은 문에서 멀어요.

ee TAY-buhl-un moon-eh-suh MUHL-uh-yo. This table is away from the door.
A

그럼 여기는 공부하기 좋은 곳이에요.

guh-RUM yuh-GEE-nun gong-boo-ha-GEE JOH-un GOH-see-eh-yo. Then this is a good place to study.
B

공부할 때는 작은 목소리로 말해 주세요.

gong-boo-hal TTEH-nun JAH-geun mohk-SSOH-ree-roh mal-hae joo-SEH-yo. Please keep your voice low while you study.
A

네, 목소리를 낮출게요.

neh, mohk-SSOH-ree-reul NAHT-chool-KKEH-yo. Sure, I'll keep my voice down.
B

그러면 다른 사람들이 공부하는 데 도움이 돼요.

guh-ruh-myun DAH-reun SAH-ram-deu-ree gong-boo-ha-nun deh doh-OO-mee DWEH-yo. That helps other people study.

Word by Word

이 이 means “this” and points to the table being discussed in 이 테이블은. It comes directly before a noun; a new example is 이 책 for “this book.”
테이블은 테이블은 means “the table” as the topic of the question. 테이블 is followed by 은 to mark what the speaker is asking about; a new example is 책은 for “as for the book.”
비어 비어 means “empty” or “unoccupied” in 비어 있나요, describing the table’s state. It comes before 있나요 to ask whether that state is true; its citation form is 비다, “to be empty.”
있나요 있나요 asks politely whether something exists or is in a stated condition. In 비어 있나요, it completes the question about whether the table is unoccupied; its citation form is 있다, “to exist or be.”
여기에는 여기에는 means “here” as the location being discussed in 여기에는 아무도 앉아 있지 않아요. 에 marks the location and 는 presents it as the topic; a new example is 여기에는 책이 있어요 for “There is a book here.”
아무도 아무도 means “no one” in the negative statement 아무도 앉아 있지 않아요. With a negative expression such as 않아요, it means that not a single person is sitting there; a new example is 아무도 없어요 for “There is no one.”
앉아 앉아 means “sitting” as part of the state 앉아 있지 않아요. It links 앉다, “to sit,” with 있다 to describe someone remaining in a seated state; a new example is 앉아 있어요 for “is sitting.”
있지 있지 is the form of 있다 used inside 앉아 있지 않아요 to describe being in the state of sitting before negation. Here it helps form the expression “is not sitting”; a new example is 기다리고 있지 않아요 for “is not waiting.”
않아요 않아요 makes the preceding state negative in 앉아 있지 않아요, meaning that no one is sitting there. It is the polite form of 않다, “not to do or be,” and follows the expression being negated.
저는 저는 means “I” as the topic of the speaker’s need in 저는 조용히 앉을 곳이 필요해요. 저 is followed by 는 to mark the speaker as the topic; a new example is 저는 학생이에요 for “I am a student.”
조용히 조용히 means “quietly” and describes how the speaker wants to sit in 조용히 앉을 곳. It is an adverb formed from 조용하다, “to be quiet,” and can describe the manner of an action; a new example is 조용히 읽어요 for “read quietly.”
앉을 앉을 means “to sit” in the description 앉을 곳, referring to a place for sitting. It comes before 곳 to describe the place; its citation form is 앉다, “to sit.”
곳이 곳이 means “a place” as the subject of the need in 앉을 곳이 필요해요. 곳 is followed by 이 because it is the thing that is needed; a new example is 쉴 곳이 있어요 for “There is a place to rest.”
필요해요 필요해요 means “is needed” or “I need” in 곳이 필요해요. The needed thing is marked with 이, and 필요해요 is the polite form of 필요하다, “to be necessary”; a new example is 시간이 필요해요 for “I need time.”
문에서 문에서 means “from the door” in 문에서 멀어요, giving the door as the reference point for distance. 에서 marks the point from which the distance is considered; a new example is 학교에서 멀어요 for “It is far from school.”
멀어요 멀어요 means “is far” in 문에서 멀어요, describing the table’s distance from the door. It is the polite form of 멀다, “to be far,” and commonly follows a reference marked with 에서.
그럼 그럼 means “then” or “in that case” in response to the information that the table is away from the door. It introduces a conclusion based on what was just said; a new example is 그럼 여기 앉을게요 for “Then I’ll sit here.”
여기는 여기는 means “here” as the topic in 여기는 공부하기 좋은 곳이에요. 여기 is followed by 는 to focus on this location; a new example is 여기는 조용해요 for “It is quiet here.”
공부하기 공부하기 means “studying” as an activity in 공부하기 좋은 곳, “a place good for studying.” It comes before 좋은 to identify the activity that the place suits; its citation form is 공부하다, “to study.”
좋은 좋은 means “good” or “suitable” in 공부하기 좋은 곳, describing the place as suitable for studying. It comes before the noun 곳; its citation form is 좋다, “to be good.”
곳이에요 곳이에요 means “is a place” in 여기는 공부하기 좋은 곳이에요. The noun 곳, “place,” is followed by 이에요, the polite form of 이다 used after a noun; a new example is 여기는 좋은 곳이에요 for “This is a good place.”
공부할 공부할 means “to study” in 공부할 때, identifying the time when studying takes place. It comes before 때 to describe that time; its citation form is 공부하다, “to study.”
때는 때는 means “when” or “at the time” in 공부할 때는, with studying as the relevant situation. 때 is followed by 는 to mark this situation as the topic; a new example is 집에 있을 때는 for “when I am at home.”
작은 작은 means “small” and describes the voice in 작은 목소리로, meaning a low or quiet voice. It comes before 목소리; its citation form is 작다, “to be small.”
목소리로 목소리로 means “with a voice” or “in a voice” in 작은 목소리로 말해 주세요. 목소리 is followed by 로 to mark the means or manner of speaking; a new example is 큰 목소리로 말해요 for “speak in a loud voice.”
말해 말해 means “speak” or “say” in the polite request 말해 주세요. It is the form of 말하다, “to speak or say,” that links with 주세요 to ask someone to speak; a new example is 천천히 말해 주세요 for “Please speak slowly.”
주세요 주세요 makes 말해 주세요 a polite request meaning “please speak.” It follows a verb form such as 말해 to ask someone to do that action; its citation form is 주다, “to give,” but here it functions in the request expression.
네 네 means “yes” or “sure” as an acknowledgment of the request to keep the voice low. It is used at the beginning of a reply to show agreement; a new example is 네, 알겠어요 for “Yes, I understand.”
목소리를 목소리를 means “the voice” as the object being lowered in 목소리를 낮출게요. 목소리 is followed by 를 to mark what the action affects; a new example is 목소리를 크게 해요 for “make the voice loud.”
낮출게요 낮출게요 means “I’ll lower it” in 목소리를 낮출게요, referring to lowering the speaker’s voice. It comes from 낮추다, “to lower,” with the polite -ㄹ게요 ending for a willing commitment; the object is 목소리를.
그러면 그러면 means “then” or “if so” in 그러면 다른 사람들이 공부하는 데 도움이 돼요. It introduces the result that follows from keeping the voice low; a new example is 그러면 시작할게요 for “Then I’ll start.”
다른 다른 means “other” in 다른 사람들이, referring to people besides the speaker. It comes before the noun it describes; its citation form is 다르다, “to be different,” and a new example is 다른 책 for “another book.”
사람들이 사람들이 means “other people” as the subject of studying in 다른 사람들이 공부하는 데 도움이 돼요. 사람들 is followed by 이 to mark those people as the subject; a new example is 사람들이 와요 for “People are coming.”
공부하는 공부하는 means “studying” in 공부하는 데, describing the activity of the other people. It is the form of 공부하다, “to study,” used before 데 to refer to the activity or situation.
데 데 refers to the activity or situation of studying in 공부하는 데 도움이 돼요, meaning “helpful for studying.” The pattern 공부하는 데 도움이 되다 is used to say that something helps with an activity; a new example is 운동하는 데 도움이 돼요 for “It helps with exercising.”
도움이 도움이 means “help” as the subject in 공부하는 데 도움이 돼요. 도움 is followed by 이 because the help is what is beneficial; a new example is 큰 도움이 돼요 for “It is a great help.”
돼요 돼요 means “is helpful” or “helps” in 도움이 돼요. It is the polite form of 되다, “to become or be,” and completes the expression 도움이 되다, “to be of help”; a new example is 도움이 돼요 for “It helps.”

Grammar Points

아무도 + 부정 표현

아무도 앉아 있지 않아요.

ah-MOO-doh AHN-jah it-JJEE ah-NAH-yo.

No one is sitting.

아무도는 부정 표현과 함께 써서 ‘no one’이라는 뜻을 나타냅니다.

동사 어간 + -기 좋은 + 명사

조용히 공부하기 좋은 곳

joh-YONG-hee gong-boo-ha-GEE JOH-un GOHT

A good place to study quietly

-기는 동사를 명사처럼 만들며, 좋은 곳은 어떤 행동에 적합한 장소를 나타냅니다.

Korean Vocabulary

곳 noun
GOHT place

저는 조용히 앉을 곳이 필요해요.

그럼 adv
guh-RUM then; in that case

그럼 여기는 공부하기 좋은 곳이에요.

멀다 adj
MUHL-dah to be far 멀어요

이 테이블은 문에서 멀어요.

문 noun
moon door

이 테이블은 문에서 멀어요.

비어 있다 phrase
bee-uh EET-tta to be free; to be empty 비어 있나요

이 테이블은 비어 있나요?

아무도 pron
ah-MOO-doh no one; nobody

여기에는 아무도 앉아 있지 않아요.

앉다 verb
AHN-tta to sit 앉아 있지 않아요

여기에는 아무도 앉아 있지 않아요.

여기 adv
yuh-GEE here

여기에는 아무도 앉아 있지 않아요.

이 det
ee this

이 테이블은 비어 있나요?

조용히 adv
joh-YONG-hee quietly

저는 조용히 앉을 곳이 필요해요.

테이블 noun
TAY-buhl table

이 테이블은 비어 있나요?

필요하다 adj
pee-ryoh-HAH-dah to need; to be necessary 필요해요

저는 조용히 앉을 곳이 필요해요.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Is this table free?

Show Answer이 테이블은 비어 있나요?

No one is sitting here.

Show Answer여기에는 아무도 앉아 있지 않아요.

I need a quiet place to sit.

Show Answer저는 조용히 앉을 곳이 필요해요.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to need; to be necessary

Show Answer필요해요

here

Show Answer여기

to be far

Show Answer멀어요

quietly

Show Answer조용히