Speaking Quietly in the Library | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 여기서 조금만 더 조용히 말해 주실래요?

   Could you speak a little more quietly here?

   여기서

   here

   조금만

   just a little

   더

   more

   조용히

   quietly

   말해

   speak

   주실래요?

   would you do it?

   More detail

   여기서 combines 여기 (“here”) with the location particle -서, marking the place where the speaking happens. The phrase therefore sets the location as “here.” For example, 여기서 기다려요 means “I wait here.” 조금만 combines 조금 (“a little”) with the limiting particle -만 (“only/just”). In this sentence, -만 limits the requested degree: “just a little.” 조금 by itself means “a little,” while 조금만 makes the request sound limited rather than asking for a large change. 더 means “more” and signals comparison with the current level. Here it modifies the quietness: the listener is asked to speak more quietly than they are speaking now. For example, 조금 더 천천히 말해 주세요 means “Please speak a little more slowly.” 조용히 is the adverbial form of 조용하다, “to be quiet.” It describes how the speaking is done, so 조용히 말하다 means “to speak quietly.” The related adjective form is 조용한, as in 조용한 방 (“a quiet room”); 조용히 is the form used to modify an action. 말해 comes from 말하다, “to speak” or “to say.” 말해 is the 해-style form used here before the following helping construction; it is not the complete polite request by itself. For example, 친구에게 말해 means “tell/say it to a friend” in an informal context. 주실래요? is 주다 (“to give”) used after another verb as a helping verb meaning “do [the action] for someone,” with the respectful marker -시- and the -ㄹ래요? request form. After 말해, 말해 주실래요? politely asks whether the listener would do the speaking for the speaker. The respect marking addresses the listener politely; it does not change who performs the speaking. For example, 도와주실래요? means “Would you help me?” Together, 조금만 + 더 limits the amount of change, 조용히 gives the manner of speaking, and 말해 주실래요? makes a polite request. With 여기서 setting the place, the whole utterance means “Could you speak a little more quietly here?”

2. 제가 이렇게 크게 말하고 있는 줄 몰랐어요.

   I didn't realize I was speaking so loudly.

   제가

   I (subject form)

   이렇게

   like this; this way

   크게

   loudly

   말하고 있는

   speaking; talking

   줄 몰랐어요

   didn't realize that

   More detail

   제가 is the subject form of 저 (“I”). The particle 가 marks the subject in this sentence; 저 is the humble first-person pronoun used when referring to oneself politely. For example, 제가 할게요. means “I’ll do it.” 이렇게 means “in this way” or “like this.” It points to the manner of the action rather than naming the action itself. A related contrast is 그렇게, “in that way.” For example, 이렇게 해 보세요. means “Try doing it this way.” 크게 is the adverbial form of 크다, “to be big.” Here it describes the manner or volume of speaking, so it means “loudly,” not physically “in a big way.” Korean commonly uses descriptive words such as 크다 with -게 to form an adverb: 크다 → 크게. 말하고 있는 comes from the verb 말하다, “to speak” or “to talk.” The pattern -고 있다 presents an action as in progress; 말하고 있다 means “be speaking.” In this sentence, 있는 is the form of 있다 used within the modifying phrase 말하고 있는, which describes what the speaker was doing. For example, 그는 전화하고 있어요. means “He is making a phone call.” 줄 몰랐어요 is the polite past form of the pattern -(으)ㄴ/는 줄 모르다, used when someone did not know or did not realize that something was the case. With an ongoing action, -는 줄 모르다 is used: 말하고 있는 줄 몰랐어요 means “I didn’t realize that I was speaking.” The past ending -았어요 places the lack of realization in the past; it does not change the fact that the speaking is represented as ongoing. Together, 제가 이렇게 크게 말하고 있는 줄 몰랐어요 means “I didn’t realize I was speaking so loudly.” 제가 identifies the speaker as the subject, 이렇게 크게 describes the manner and volume of the speaking, 말하고 있는 presents the speaking as in progress, and 줄 몰랐어요 expresses the speaker’s past lack of awareness.

3. 옆 테이블에서 사람들이 공부하고 있어요.

   People are studying at the next table.

   옆

   next; adjacent

   테이블

   table

   에서

   at; in (a place)

   사람들이

   people

   공부하고 있어요

   are studying

   More detail

   옆 means “next to” or “beside.” Here it modifies 테이블, so 옆 테이블 means “the next table” or “the table beside [something understood from the situation].” It is a useful location word: 옆에 means “beside/next to,” while 옆 before a noun can describe something adjacent to it. 테이블 is a loanword meaning “table.” In this sentence, it is the place associated with the activity. A useful related expression is 테이블 옆에, “beside the table”; the order differs because 옆 테이블 describes the table as the adjacent one. 에서 marks the place where an action takes place. In 옆 테이블에서, it means “at the next table.” This location marker is used with activities or events happening in a place. It differs from 에, which commonly marks a destination or a static location: 학교에 가요 means “I go to school,” whereas 학교에서 공부해요 means “I study at school.” 사람들이 means “people” here. Its base noun is 사람, “person,” and 들 marks a plural group: 사람들, “people.” The subject marker 이 follows 들 because the resulting form ends in a consonant: 사람들이. The plural marker is not required in every Korean sentence, but it makes the group reading explicit here. 공부하고 있어요 means “are studying.” The lexical verb is 공부하다, “to study.” Its form 공부하고 있다 uses -고 있다 to present an action as ongoing; 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다. In the polite spoken style, 공부하고 있어요 is a natural way to say that the studying is in progress now. For example, 아이들이 책을 읽고 있어요 means “The children are reading a book.” Together, 옆 테이블에서 identifies the location, 사람들이 identifies the people doing the action, and 공부하고 있어요 describes their ongoing activity. The whole utterance means: “People are studying at the next table.”

4. 목소리를 낮출게요.

   I will lower my voice.

   목소리

   voice

   낮출게요

   will lower

   More detail

   목소리 means “voice.” It is a noun, and 목소리를 marks it as the object of the following action with -를. Korean often leaves a possessive such as “my” unspoken when the context makes the owner clear; here, the fixed translation identifies the voice as the speaker’s. 낮출게요 comes from the verb 낮추다, “to lower” or “to reduce.” The form is built from the verb stem 낮추- plus -ㄹ게요. In this sentence, -ㄹ게요 presents the speaker’s intention or commitment to do something, so 낮출게요 means “I’ll lower it” rather than simply describing an impersonal future event. The object is understood from 목소리를: “I’ll lower my voice.” The reusable pattern is N을/를 V-(으)ㄹ게요, meaning “I’ll V N” when the speaker is undertaking the action. For example, 문을 닫을게요 means “I’ll close the door.” The choice between -을게요 and -ㄹ게요 depends on the final sound of the verb stem; 낮추다 has a vowel-ending stem, so it takes -ㄹ게요. Together, 목소리를 낮출게요 says, “I will lower my voice.”

5. 그러면 모두가 더 쉽게 집중할 수 있을 거예요.

   It will make it easier for everyone to focus.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   모두가

   everyone

   더 쉽게

   more easily

   집중할

   focus

   수 있을 거예요

   will be able to

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It connects the current sentence to a condition or action just mentioned. Here it presents the result of lowering the voice: “In that case…” It is a compact transition, not part of the verb 집중하다. 모두가 means “everyone,” with 가 marking 모두 as the grammatical subject. 모두 can mean “all/everyone” when referring to people, and 모두가 is its subject-marked form. Example: 모두가 왔어요. — “Everyone came.” 더 쉽게 means “more easily.” 더 adds the meaning “more,” while 쉽게 is the adverbial form of 쉽다, “to be easy.” The adjective 쉽다 changes to 쉽게 when it describes how an action is performed. Compare: 쉽게 이해해요. — “I understand it easily.” 더 makes this comparative: “more easily.” 집중할 is the form of 집중하다, “to concentrate/focus,” used before 수 in the pattern (verb)-(으)ㄹ 수 있다. The ㄹ form here does not mean that 집중할 alone is “will focus”; it helps form the ability or possibility expression. 집중하다 is a 하다-verb, so its relevant form is 집중할, not a form derived from another nearby word. 수 있을 거예요 contains the pattern (verb)-(으)ㄹ 수 있다, “can/be able to,” followed by -(으)ㄹ 거예요, which presents an expected or predicted situation. In this sentence, 수 있다 becomes 있을 before 거예요, giving “will be able to.” Example: 내일 만날 수 있을 거예요. — “I will probably be able to meet tomorrow.” Together, 그러면 marks the result, 모두가 identifies everyone as the subject, 더 쉽게 says that the action will be easier than before, and 집중할 수 있을 거예요 says that focusing will be possible. The whole utterance therefore means: “Then everyone will be able to focus more easily,” or, in the fixed translation’s natural wording, “It will make it easier for everyone to focus.”

6. 제가 더 가까이 앉아서 크게 말하지 않아도 돼요.

   I can sit closer so we do not have to talk loudly.

   제가

   I

   더

   more; further

   가까이

   closer; nearer

   앉아서

   sit and

   크게

   loudly

   말하지 않아도 돼요

   do not have to talk

   More detail

   제가 combines 저 (“I,” the humble first-person pronoun) with the subject particle 가. It marks the speaker as the subject of 앉아서: “I sit.” The particle 가 is used here because the speaker is being identified as the subject; it does not itself mean “can.” 더 means “more” or “further” and modifies the following adverb. 가까이 means “closer” or “nearer,” functioning as an adverb here. Together, 더 가까이 means “closer” in relation to the current position. The related adjective is 가깝다 (“to be close”); 가까이 is its adverbial form. 앉아서 comes from 앉다 (“to sit”) plus -아서. This ending links the sitting action to what follows, often with a meaning such as “and then,” “while,” or “by doing.” Here it presents sitting closer as the action that makes the later situation possible: “sit closer and …” or “by sitting closer …”. 크게 comes from 크다 (“to be big”) in an adverbial form. With speech-related verbs, it means “loudly” or “in a loud voice,” not physically “in a big way.” For example, 크게 읽어요 means “I read aloud.” 말하지 않아도 돼요 is built from 말하다 (“to speak, talk”), the negative form 말하지 않다 (“not speak”), and -아/어도 되다 (“it is okay to …”). With the negative action, -지 않아도 되다 means “do not have to …” or “there is no need to …”. Thus 말하지 않아도 돼요 means “do not have to talk.” The omitted subject is understood from the situation and the fixed translation as the speaker and the other participant together: “we do not have to talk.” The whole utterance combines 제가 더 가까이 앉아서 (“I sit closer”) with 크게 말하지 않아도 돼요 (“we do not have to talk loudly”). Its meaning is: “I can sit closer so we do not have to talk loudly.” The polite ending -요 makes the statement suitable for ordinary polite conversation.

7. 그러면 다른 사람을 방해하지 않고 계속 일할 수 있어요.

   Then we can keep working without bothering anyone.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   다른

   other; different

   사람

   person; people

   방해하지 않고

   without bothering

   계속

   continuously; keep doing

   일할 수 있어요

   can work

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It connects this sentence to a condition, suggestion, or solution just mentioned. Example: 비가 오면 안 가요. 그러면 집에 있을게요. — “If it rains, I won’t go. Then I’ll stay home.” 다른 means “other” or “different” and comes before the noun it describes. In 다른 사람, it points to a person other than the relevant person or people. It does not by itself specify the number of people. A useful contrast is 같은 “same”: 다른 방법 means “a different method,” while 같은 방법 means “the same method.” 사람 means “person” or “people.” Korean nouns generally do not change form for singular versus plural; context supplies the number when no plural marker is used. -들 can be added when plurality needs to be explicit, as in 사람들 “people.” Here, 다른 사람 has the context-compatible meaning “another person” or “other people.” 방해하지 않고 means “without bothering” or “without interfering.” Its base verb is 방해하다, “to bother” or “to interfere.” The pattern -지 않고 attaches to a verb and means “without doing that action,” linking it to the following action. Example: 늦지 않고 도착했어요. — “I arrived without being late.” 계속 is an adverb meaning “continuously” or “continually.” With an action, it gives the reusable idea “keep doing.” Example: 계속 공부해요. — “I keep studying.” 일할 수 있어요 contains the base verb 일하다, “to work,” and the pattern -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, which expresses ability or possibility. 일할 is the form of 일하다 before 수, and 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 in this pattern. Thus this chunk means “can work.” Example: 오늘 일할 수 있어요. — “I can work today.” The sentence leaves its subject unstated; the fixed translation supplies “we” as the intended subject here. Together, 그러면 means “then/in that case”; 다른 사람을 means “other people” or “another person,” with 을 marking that noun phrase as the object of 방해하다; 방해하지 않고 means “without bothering”; and 계속 일할 수 있어요 means “can keep working.” The complete utterance means, “Then we can keep working without bothering anyone.”

8. 이제부터 조용히 할게요.

   I will keep it down from now on.

   이제부터

   from now on

   조용히

   quietly

   할게요

   I’ll do it / I’ll keep it that way

   More detail

   이제부터 means “from now on.” It combines 이제 (“now”) with 부터, which marks the starting point of a period or sequence. The phrase sets the point from which the speaker’s behavior will apply. Example: 이제부터 매일 운동할게요. — “From now on, I’ll exercise every day.” 조용히 means “quietly” here. It is the adverbial form of 조용하다 (“to be quiet”): 조용하다 → 조용히. The ending -히 makes this descriptive word modify an action. Example: 조용히 들어오세요. — “Please come in quietly.” 할게요 comes from 하다 (“to do”) plus the ending -(으)ㄹ게요. In this sentence, -ㄹ게요 presents the speaker’s willing commitment about their own action, often with the sense “I’ll do it” or “I’ll make sure to do it.” It is not merely a neutral prediction. Because 하다 ends in a vowel, the form is 할게요; after a consonant, the corresponding form is commonly -을게요, as in 읽을게요 — “I’ll read it.” Together, 조용히 할게요 literally presents the speaker as doing things quietly, and 이제부터 places that behavior from this point onward. The complete utterance therefore means, “I’ll keep it down from now on,” with a polite commitment by the speaker to remain quiet. -요 makes the statement polite in style.