Cleaning a Small Stain | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 테이블 위에 얼룩이 있어요.

   There is a stain on the table.

   테이블

   table

   위에

   on; above

   얼룩이

   stain

   있어요

   there is; is present

   More detail

   테이블 means “table” here. It is a noun, and it is a common loanword in Korean; 식탁 is another word for a dining table, but it is not interchangeable in every context. 위에 means “on/above.” It combines 위 (“top,” “upper part”) with 에, a particle marking a location. The location pattern is reusable: N 위에 = “on top of N.” For example, 책상 위에 책이 있어요. means “There is a book on the desk.” 얼룩이 means “a stain.” The noun is 얼룩, and 이 marks it as the subject of the existence statement. Korean subject particles are 이 after a consonant and 가 after a vowel; 얼룩 ends in a consonant, so it takes 이. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, meaning “to exist,” “to be present,” or, in a location statement, “to be located.” The polite ending -어요 makes the statement suitable for ordinary respectful conversation. With a location, N에 있다 expresses that something is at or in a place; N에 있어요 is its polite present form. Together, 테이블 위에 identifies the location, while 얼룩이 있어요 states that a stain is present there. The reusable pattern is 장소에 대상이 있어요 or, more specifically here, 장소 위에 대상이 있어요: “There is a/the object in/on the place.” Thus 테이블 위에 얼룩이 있어요. means “There is a stain on the table.”

2. 컵 근처에 얼룩이 보여요.

   I can see it near the cup.

   컵

   cup

   근처에

   near; nearby

   얼룩

   stain

   보여요

   can see; is visible

   More detail

   컵 means “cup” here. It is a noun and can be reused in compounds or location phrases, such as 컵 근처 (“near the cup”). 근처에 means “near/around.” 근처 is a noun meaning “vicinity” or “nearby area,” and 에 marks the location. Thus 컵 근처에 means “near the cup.” Example: 문 근처에 의자가 있어요. — “There is a chair near the door.” 얼룩 means “stain.” In this sentence it refers to the stain identified by the fixed translation as “it,” consistently with the preceding context. The following 이 marks 얼룩 as the subject of what is visible. Example: 셔츠에 얼룩이 있어요. — “There is a stain on the shirt.” 보여요 is the polite present form of 보이다, “to be visible” or “to be seen.” With a visible thing as the subject, the pattern X이/가 보여요 commonly means “X is visible” or “I can see X.” It is different from 봐요, the polite present form of 보다 (“to look at; to see”), which describes the viewer’s action more directly. Together, 컵 근처에 sets the location, while 얼룩이 보여요 says that the stain is visible there. The whole utterance means, “I can see it near the cup.”

3. 깨끗한 스펀지가 있어요?

   Do we have a clean sponge?

   깨끗한

   clean

   스펀지가

   sponge

   있어요?

   is there?

   More detail

   깨끗한 means “clean” here and comes from the descriptive verb 깨끗하다. Before a noun, it takes the attributive form 깨끗한: 깨끗한 스펀지 means “a clean sponge.” The related form 깨끗해요 is used when describing something in a complete polite statement, not directly before a noun. 스펀지가 is 스펀지 (“sponge”) plus the subject particle 가. This particle marks the thing whose existence is being asked about. With a noun ending in a vowel, 가 is used; after a consonant, 이 is used, as in 컵이 (“the cup”). 있어요? is the polite present form of 있다, meaning “exist,” “be present,” or, in a context like this, “be available.” Korean uses this existence pattern to express possession or availability rather than a separate verb corresponding directly to English “have.” The question asks whether a clean sponge is available; it does not by itself state who owns it. 있어요 is polite and can be used in both statements and questions, with intonation and the question mark showing the question here. Together, 깨끗한 modifies 스펀지, 스펀지가 marks that noun as the subject, and 있어요? asks about its presence or availability. The whole utterance therefore means “Do we have a clean sponge?”

4. 스펀지는 싱크대 옆에 있어요.

   The sponge is by the sink.

   스펀지는

   the sponge

   싱크대

   sink

   옆에

   beside; next to

   있어요

   is; is located

   More detail

   스펀지는 identifies the item being talked about: “the sponge.” 스펀지 is a noun, and 는 marks it as the topic. The topic marker is attached directly to the noun; after a vowel such as the final vowel in 스펀지, 는 is used. This does not by itself state a numerical quantity. 싱크대 means “sink.” It is a noun, and it can be used with a location particle to identify where something is. Example: 싱크대 앞에 컵이 있어요. — “There is a cup in front of the sink.” 옆에 means “beside” or “next to.” 옆 means “side,” and 에 marks the location where something exists or is situated. The form 옆에 therefore gives the location “at the side.” Example: 가방은 의자 옆에 있어요. — “The bag is next to the chair.” 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, used here for the location or existence of a nonhuman item. It describes a current state such as “is located” or “is there”; it is not the copula used to say that one thing is another thing. Example: 열쇠가 책상 위에 있어요. — “The key is on the desk.” Together, 스펀지는 sets “the sponge” as the topic, 싱크대 옆에 gives its location, and 있어요 says that it is currently located there. The whole utterance means that the sponge is by the sink. A reusable pattern is [topic]은/는 [place]에 있어요, meaning “[topic] is at/in [place].”

5. 비누를 조금 쓸까요?

   Should I use some soap?

   비누

   soap

   조금

   a little; some

   쓸까요

   shall I use?

   More detail

   비누 means “soap.” It is a noun, and in this sentence it is the thing being used. The following object marker 를 shows that role; the noun itself does not change. Example: 비누를 사요. — “I buy soap.” 조금 means “a little” or “some,” indicating a small, unspecified amount. It modifies the amount of soap here, without asserting an exact quantity. Example: 물을 조금 마셔요. — “I drink a little water.” 쓸까요 comes from the verb 쓰다, “to use.” The form -을까요?/-ㄹ까요? asks whether the speaker should do something or offers to do it; after the vowel-final stem 쓰-, the observed form is 쓸까요?. This is different from the plain question form 써요?, which generally asks whether someone uses or is using something rather than making this “shall I?” proposal. Example: 창문을 열까요? — “Shall I open the window?” Together, 비누를 marks soap as the object, 조금 limits its amount, and 쓸까요? asks whether the speaker should use it. The whole utterance therefore means “Should I use some soap?”

6. 스펀지에 비누를 조금 묻히세요.

   Put a little soap on the sponge.

   스펀지

   sponge

   비누

   soap

   조금

   a little

   묻히세요

   put on / apply

   More detail

   스펀지 means “sponge.” It is a noun. In 스펀지에, the particle -에 marks the place or target onto which something is put, so this chunk means “onto the sponge.” 비누 means “soap.” It is the noun marked by -를, the object particle: 비누를 is “soap” as the thing being applied. The particle -를 follows a noun ending in a vowel; its form is -을 after a consonant. 조금 means “a little” or “a small amount.” Here it modifies the amount of soap. It does not say that there is one bar or one item; it only limits the amount. 묻히세요 is the polite request or command form used here for applying or getting something onto a surface. Its dictionary form for this sense is 묻히다; -세요 makes the instruction polite. Do not confuse this observed application sense with other uses of similar-looking 묻다 forms, which can refer to asking or burying depending on the form and context. A reusable pattern is A에 B를 묻히세요, meaning “Apply B to A.” Together, 스펀지에 identifies the target surface, 비누를 identifies what is applied, 조금 gives its amount, and 묻히세요 gives the polite instruction. The whole utterance therefore means: “Put a little soap on the sponge.”

7. 얼룩이 거의 없어졌어요.

   The stain is almost gone.

   얼룩

   stain

   거의

   almost

   없어졌어요

   is gone; disappeared

   More detail

   얼룩 means “stain.” It is a noun for a marked or dirty spot. Example: 얼룩이 보여요. — “I can see a stain.” The particle 이 marks 얼룩 as the subject in the sentence. 거의 means “almost” or “nearly.” It indicates that something is close to being complete, true, or in a certain state, but not fully so. Example: 거의 다 했어요. — “I’m almost finished.” 없어졌어요 means “is gone” or “disappeared” here. Its base form is 없어지다, “to disappear” or “to go away.” The form 없어졌어요 expresses a completed change of state in a polite conversational style: something that was present became absent. The stem 없어지- combines with the past form -었- and the polite ending -어요. This is different from 없어요, which means “there is not” or “it is not present” without explicitly describing the change into that state. Example: 냄새가 없어졌어요. — “The smell is gone.” Together, 얼룩이 identifies the stain as the subject, 거의 reduces the completeness of the result to “almost,” and 없어졌어요 says that it has gone away. The whole utterance therefore means “The stain is almost gone.”

8. 테이블이 깨끗해 보여요.

   The table looks clean.

   테이블

   table

   깨끗해

   clean

   보여요

   looks; appears

   More detail

   테이블 means “table.” It is a noun used here as the thing being described. Korean nouns do not generally change form for singular versus plural in a sentence like this; the context determines the number. 깨끗해 comes from the descriptive verb 깨끗하다, “to be clean.” The form 깨끗해 connects this description to the following verb 보여요. In the useful pattern [description] 보여요, it means “looks [description]” or “appears [description].” The same word can also be used directly: 테이블이 깨끗해요 means “The table is clean.” Its attributive form is 깨끗한, as in 깨끗한 테이블, “a clean table.” 보여요 is the polite present form of 보이다, “to be seen” or “to look/appear.” In this sentence it describes the table’s visible appearance, so it means “looks” rather than simply “is visible.” Do not confuse it with 봐요, a form of 보다, “to see” or “to look at”; 보여요 presents how something appears, while 봐요 can describe someone looking at something. Example: 이 방은 넓어 보여요. — “This room looks spacious.” Together, 테이블이 marks “the table” as the subject, 깨끗해 supplies the appearance being judged, and 보여요 says that this appearance is perceived visually. Thus 테이블이 깨끗해 보여요 means “The table looks clean.”