Borrowing a Charger and Adapter | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 빌릴 수 있는 충전기 있어?

   Is there a charger I can borrow?

   빌릴 수 있는

   that I can borrow

   충전기

   charger

   있어?

   is there?

   More detail

   빌릴 수 있는 means “that I can borrow” here. The base verb is 빌리다 (“to borrow”). In 빌릴 수 있다, 빌릴 uses the -(으)ㄹ form before 수 있다, a pattern for ability or possibility. The 있는 part comes from 있다 and describes the following noun, so 빌릴 수 있는 충전기 means “a charger that I can borrow.” This pattern is reusable: 읽을 수 있는 책 means “a book that I can read.” 충전기 means “charger.” It is a noun for a device used to charge something. The final 기 also appears as a device-forming suffix in words such as 세탁기 (“washing machine”), but 충전기 is best learned here as the complete noun. The noun in this sentence is described by 빌릴 수 있는. 있어? comes from 있다, “to exist” or “to be available.” 있어 is its informal present form, and the question mark marks the written utterance as a question. Here it asks whether a charger of the described kind exists or is available. A useful contrast is 없어?, “is there none?” or “isn’t there any?”, from 없다, “not exist; be absent.” Together, 빌릴 수 있는 충전기 means “a charger that I can borrow,” and 있어? asks whether such a charger exists or is available. The whole utterance therefore means “Is there a charger I can borrow?”

2. 내 노트북 옆에 있는 것을 써.

   Use the one beside my laptop.

   내

   my

   노트북

   laptop

   옆에 있는 것

   the one beside

   써

   use

   More detail

   내 means “my” here. It is the possessive form of 나 (“I/me”), from 나의, and it does not change for the gender or number of the possessor. For example, 내 책 means “my book.” 노트북 is the Korean loanword for “laptop.” In 내 노트북, 내 identifies the laptop as belonging to the speaker. 옆에 있는 것 literally describes “the thing that is located beside [something].” 옆 means “side” or “beside,” and 에 marks the location. 있는 is the form of 있다 used before a noun to mean “that is located” or “that exists.” 것 means “thing” and lets the description refer to an unspecified object as “the one.” The reusable pattern is [place]에 있는 것, “the thing/one located at [place].” Thus 노트북 옆에 있는 것 is “the one beside the laptop.” The full object phrase is followed by 을, the object marker: 노트북 옆에 있는 것을. It marks the located item as what is being used. The marker is attached after 것 because 것 ends in a consonant. 써 is the informal imperative of 쓰다, “to use” or, in another context, “to write.” The form changes from 쓰다 to 써 in this command because the verb stem 쓰- combines with the informal imperative ending -어; this is not a form of 노트북. Here the fixed translation selects the “use” meaning. For example, 이 펜을 써 means “Use this pen.” The command is casual and direct. Together, 내 노트북 옆에 있는 것을 identifies the object as “the one beside my laptop,” and 써 commands the listener to use it. The whole utterance therefore means “Use the one beside my laptop.”

3. 이 어댑터도 필요해?

   Do I need this adapter too?

   이

   this

   어댑터

   adapter

   도

   too; also

   필요해?

   need it?

   More detail

   이 means “this” and comes before the noun it identifies. It is a demonstrative determiner, so it does not change for number or gender. The related form 그 means “that” in a relevant contrast, but 이 is the form observed here for the nearby or currently indicated adapter. 어댑터 is the noun “adapter.” Korean loanwords such as this one function as ordinary nouns; a noun can follow a demonstrative directly: 이 어댑터 = “this adapter.” 도 is an additive particle meaning “too” or “also.” It attaches to the item being added to an existing set or consideration. Here it marks the adapter as an additional item, producing “this adapter too.” 필요해? comes from the descriptive verb 필요하다, “to be necessary / needed.” In this form, 필요해 is the informal present form, and the question mark makes it a question. Korean commonly omits a subject when the context makes it recoverable. With the supplied translation, the intended question is whether the speaker needs this adapter too; the Korean wording itself presents the adapter as being needed, without an overt subject for “need.” Putting the parts together, 이 어댑터 identifies “this adapter,” 도 adds it as another item, and 필요해? asks whether it is needed. The whole utterance therefore means “Do I need this adapter too?” The informal ending suits a casual conversation.

4. 네 플러그가 맞지 않으면 써.

   Use it if your plug does not fit.

   네

   your

   플러그

   plug

   맞지 않으면

   if it does not fit

   써

   use it

   More detail

   네 means “your” here. It is a possessive form placed before a noun: 네 플러그 = “your plug.” The possessor is the listener; the form itself does not mark the noun’s number. 플러그 is the noun “plug.” It is a loanword used for the plug as an electrical connector. Example: 플러그를 꽂아. — “Plug it in.” 맞지 않으면 means “if it does not fit.” The base form is 맞다, which can mean “fit” or “be right,” and 맞지 않다 negates it: “not fit.” The ending -으면 makes an if-condition, so 맞지 않으면 is literally “if it does not fit.” Example: 이 신발이 맞지 않으면 바꿔. — “If these shoes do not fit, change them.” 써 is the informal imperative of 쓰다 in the sense “use.” The implied object is understood from the situation, giving “use it.” 쓰다 has other meanings in other contexts, but here the fixed translation establishes the “use” meaning. Example: 이 펜을 써. — “Use this pen.” Together, 네 플러그가 맞지 않으면 sets the condition “if your plug does not fit,” and 써 gives the instruction “use it.” The whole utterance is therefore “Use it if your plug does not fit.”

5. 케이블이 테이블까지 닿을까?

   Will the cable reach the table?

   케이블

   cable

   이

   subject marker

   테이블

   table

   까지

   up to; as far as

   닿을까?

   will reach?

   More detail

   케이블 means “cable” here. It is a loanword used as a noun. Example: 케이블이 짧아요. — “The cable is short.” 이 marks the subject after a noun ending in a consonant. After a noun ending in a vowel, the corresponding subject marker is 가; for example, 친구가 와요. means “A friend comes.” The marker belongs to 케이블, identifying the cable as the thing whose reaching is being considered. 테이블 means “table” here. It is a noun and can be followed by location or direction markers. Example: 테이블이 커요. — “The table is big.” 까지 marks an endpoint or limit: “up to,” “as far as,” or “until,” depending on the construction. Here it marks the table as the endpoint reached by the cable. The pattern 장소까지 가다 means “go as far as a place.” 닿을까? comes from 닿다, “to reach” or “to touch,” with -(으)ㄹ까?. The base verb 닿다 is used for something extending to or making contact with a point. Its form before this ending is 닿을까? because the verb stem ends in a consonant. The ending -(으)ㄹ까? presents the speaker’s uncertainty or wondering about a possible event; it is not a firm prediction. Example: 여기서 소리가 들릴까? — “I wonder if the sound will be heard from here.” Together, 케이블이 identifies the cable as the subject, 테이블까지 sets the table as the endpoint, and 닿을까? asks whether reaching that endpoint will be possible. The complete meaning is: “Will the cable reach the table?”

6. 벽 가까이에 앉으면 케이블이 닿아.

   It reaches if you sit near the wall.

   벽

   wall

   가까이에

   near

   앉으면

   if you sit

   케이블

   cable

   닿아

   reaches

   More detail

   벽 means “wall.” It is a noun, and 벽 가까이에 makes the location phrase “near the wall.” 가까이에 means “near” here. It is built from 가깝다 (“to be near”) and the location marking -에; 가까이 is the adverbial form. For example, 문 가까이에 서요 means “I stand near the door.” 앉으면 comes from 앉다 (“to sit”) plus the conditional ending -(으)면. Here it means “if you sit,” with you supplied by the fixed translation. The ending marks sitting as the condition for what follows; it does not itself encode the subject. For example, 여기에 앉으면 잘 보여요 means “If you sit here, you can see well.” 케이블 means “cable.” With the subject marker 이 in 케이블이, it is the subject of the following predicate. The preceding question also uses 케이블 as the subject of 닿을까? (“will it reach?”). 닿아 comes from 닿다 (“to reach; to touch”). In this utterance, its meaning is “reaches,” matching the fixed translation. The final -아 is a plain informal sentence ending in this present-tense statement. In other contexts, 닿다 can describe physical touching as well as reaching a point. Together, 벽 가까이에 앉으면 means “if you sit near the wall,” and 케이블이 닿아 means “the cable reaches.” The complete utterance means: “It reaches if you sit near the wall.”

7. 다 쓰면 전부 제자리에 놓을게.

   I will put everything back when I finish.

   다 쓰면

   when I finish using it

   전부

   everything

   제자리에

   in its place

   놓을게

   I’ll put it

   More detail

   다 쓰면 combines 다 (“all/fully”), 쓰다 (“to use”), and -면 (“if/when”). Here, 다 says that the using is completed, so the clause means “when I finish using it.” The form 쓰면 is the conditional/temporal form of 쓰다: 쓰다 → 쓰면. The subject is understood from the context of the sentence rather than stated in this clause. Example: 다 읽으면 알려 줘. — “Tell me when you finish reading.” 전부 means “everything” or “all of it” and emphasizes the complete set. It is a pronoun-like quantity word here, referring to the things being discussed; the sentence does not specify those things by name. Example: 전부 가져가. — “Take everything.” 제자리에 consists of 제자리 (“one’s proper place”) plus the location particle -에. The particle marks the destination or location relevant to 놓다, so 제자리에 means “in its proper place.” 제자리 is a noun, while -에 is the attached particle; the noun itself does not become an adjective. Example: 책을 제자리에 둬. — “Put the book back in its place.” 놓을게 is the form of 놓다 (“to put/place”) used for a speaker’s intention or promise: 놓다 → 놓을게. The ending -ㄹ게 presents what the speaker will do, often as a commitment relevant to the listener. It is different from simply describing a future event with -ㄹ 거야; 놓을게 more directly sounds like “I’ll put it there.” Example: 끝나면 문을 닫을게. — “When it’s over, I’ll close the door.” Together, 다 쓰면 sets the time—“when I finish using it”—then 전부 identifies the complete set, and 제자리에 놓을게 says that the speaker will put that entire set back in its proper place. The whole utterance means: “I will put everything back when I finish.”

8. 내가 찾을 수 있게 내 책상 위에 둬.

   Leave it on my desk so I can find it.

   내가

   I

   찾을 수 있게

   so as to be able to find it

   내

   my

   책상

   desk

   위에

   on top of

   둬

   leave it / put it

   More detail

   내가 means “I” here. It is the subject form of 나 (“I”) with the subject marker -가; 나 changes to 내 before this marker. Compare 나는, which uses the topic marker -는: 내가 찾았어. means “I found it,” with emphasis on who found it. 찾을 수 있게 expresses the ability-purpose pattern “so as to be able to find it.” 찾다 means “to find,” and 찾을 is the form used before 수 in -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, the pattern for being able to do something. With 있게, this becomes A-(으)ㄹ 수 있게, “so that someone can A.” The subject of 찾다 is supplied by the preceding 내가, while the object is understood from context and translated as “it.” Example: 읽을 수 있게 크게 써 줘. — “Write it large so I can read it.” 내 means “my” before a noun. It is the shortened possessive form of 나의, based on 나 (“I”), as in 내 책 (“my book”). It marks the possessor; it does not by itself state how many possessed things there are. 책상 means “desk.” It is a noun that can combine with location expressions. In 책상 위에, it identifies the desk whose upper surface is being used as the location. 위에 means “on top of” here. 위 means “top” or “upper part,” and -에 marks the location. The pattern 명사 위에 places something on the upper surface of the noun. Example: 책상 위에 연필이 있어. — “There is a pencil on the desk.” 둬 is the informal imperative form of 두다, meaning “to put/place and leave” or “to keep.” It comes from 두어, commonly contracted to 둬. The object is omitted in the Korean sentence; in this fixed meaning, it is the item referred to as “it.” 놔 is a related informal imperative from the different verb 놓다, also used in contexts involving putting or leaving something. Together, 내가 찾을 수 있게 gives the purpose, 내 책상 위에 gives the destination, and 둬 gives the informal command. The whole utterance means “Leave it on my desk so I can find it.” The understood subject of the command is the listener, while 내가 is the explicit subject of finding.