Finding a Missing Screw | Learn Korean in English

Korean lesson set in a contemporary Seoul everyday setting: In a room, two adults find a small screw near a chair and keep it safe so they can finish fixing a shelf..

EN → KO / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Finding a Missing Screw to practice Korean conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

작은 나사 하나를 잃어버렸어요.

JAH-geun nah-SAH hah-NAH-reul ee-ruh-buh-RYUHSS-uh-yoh I lost a small screw.
B

의자 밑을 확인해 보세요.

ee-JAH mee-teul HWAH-gin-hae boh-SEH-yoh Check under the chair.
A

의자 다리 옆에 있었어요.

ee-JAH dah-REE yuh-PEH ee-SSUH-ssuh-yoh It was by the chair leg.
B

조심해서 주우세요.

joh-SHEEM-hae-suh joo-OO-seh-yoh Pick it up carefully.
A

아주 작아요.

AH-joo jah-GAH-yoh It is tiny.
B

다시 굴러가지 않도록 손바닥에 쥐고 계세요.

tah-SHEE gool-ruh-GAH-jee an-TOH-rohk sohn-BAH-dah-geh jwee-goh geh-SEH-yoh Hold it in your palm so it does not roll away again.
A

선반을 고치는 데 그 나사가 필요해요.

suhn-BAH-neul goh-CHEE-neun deh guh nah-SAH-gah pee-RYOH-hae-yoh We need it to fix the shelf.
B

그럼 선반을 다 고칠 수 있어요.

guh-RUHM suhn-BAH-neul dah goh-CHIL ssoo ee-SSUH-yoh Then we can finish fixing it.

Word by Word

작은 작은 means “small” in 작은 나사 하나를 잃어버렸어요. It is the form of 작다 used directly before a noun, so it describes 나사. A useful pattern is 작은 + noun when describing a small object.
나사 나사 means “screw,” the small metal object that was lost and found in the dialogue. It is the object described by 작은 and marked by 를 in 작은 나사 하나를 잃어버렸어요. Use 나사 when talking about a screw used for fixing or assembling something.
를 를 marks 나사 as the object of 잃어버렸어요 in 작은 나사 하나를 잃어버렸어요. It follows 나사 because that noun ends in a vowel sound. A useful pattern is noun + 를 + action verb for the object of an action.
잃어버렸어요 잃어버렸어요 means “lost” here: the speaker no longer had the screw. It is a polite past form used in 작은 나사 하나를 잃어버렸어요. A common reuse pattern is 물건을 잃어버렸어요, meaning that someone lost an item.
의자 의자 means “chair” in 의자 밑을 확인해 보세요 and 의자 다리 옆에 있었어요. It identifies the chair whose underside and leg are being checked. Use 의자 before a location word when specifying a place around a chair.
밑 밑 means “underneath” or “the bottom,” and 의자 밑 means “under the chair.” In 의자 밑을 확인해 보세요, it names the area to check. A useful pattern is noun + 밑 for the space underneath something.
을 을 marks 의자 밑 as the object of 확인해 보세요 in 의자 밑을 확인해 보세요. It follows 밑 because 밑 ends in a consonant sound. Use noun + 을 before an action that checks, moves, or affects that object.
확인해 확인해 contributes the meaning “check” or “inspect” in 확인해 보세요. Together with 보세요, 확인해 보세요 is a polite suggestion to try checking the area. A useful pattern is place or object + 을/를 확인해 보세요.
보세요 보세요 helps make 확인해 보세요 a polite suggestion to try checking. Its meaning comes from the whole expression rather than from 보세요 alone. The pattern verb stem + 보세요 can politely suggest trying an action.
다리 다리 means “leg” in 의자 다리 옆에 있었어요, referring to the leg of the chair. Here, 의자 다리 identifies a specific part of the chair. Use a noun before 다리 when naming an object’s leg, such as a chair leg.
옆 옆 means “beside” or “next to” in 의자 다리 옆에 있었어요. It identifies the place next to the chair leg where the screw was. A useful pattern is noun + 옆에 for saying that something is beside a particular object.
에 에 marks the location 의자 다리 옆에 in 의자 다리 옆에 있었어요. It shows where the screw was located. Use 에 after a place or location phrase with verbs such as 있었어요 when describing where something was.
있었어요 있었어요 means “was” or “was located” here, telling where the screw had been. It is a polite past form in 의자 다리 옆에 있었어요. A useful pattern is place + 에 있었어요 for saying that something was in or at a place.
조심해서 조심해서 means “carefully” in 조심해서 주우세요 and tells the listener how to pick up the screw. It links careful behavior to the following action. A useful pattern is 조심해서 + verb when asking someone to do an action carefully.
주우세요 주우세요 means “please pick it up” in 조심해서 주우세요. It is a polite request to pick up the small screw from the floor or nearby area. Use it when politely asking someone to pick up an object.
아주 아주 means “very” in 아주 작아요 and strengthens the description of the screw’s small size. It comes before the adjective 작아요. A useful pattern is 아주 + adjective when expressing a high degree.
작아요 작아요 means “is very small” in 아주 작아요, describing the screw as tiny. It is the polite present form used for the current description. Use 아주 작아요 to say that an object is very small.
다시 다시 means “again” in 다시 굴러가지 않도록, referring to the possibility of the screw rolling away another time. It comes before the action it modifies. A useful pattern is 다시 + verb when an action may happen another time.
굴러가지 굴러가지 contributes “roll away” in 굴러가지 않도록, describing what the screw must not do. The full expression 굴러가지 않도록 means “so that it does not roll away.” A useful pattern is an action followed by -지 않도록 when preventing that action.
않도록 않도록 makes 굴러가지 않도록 mean “so that it does not roll away.” It expresses prevention or a desired result, and it follows the negative form of the action. A useful pattern is verb + 지 않도록 when telling someone to prevent something.
손바닥 손바닥 means “palm of the hand” in 손바닥에 쥐고 계세요. It specifies the part of the hand where the screw should be held. Use 손바닥에 when describing something being placed or held in the palm.
쥐고 쥐고 means “holding” or “gripping” in 손바닥에 쥐고 계세요. It links the action of holding the screw to the request to continue doing so. A useful pattern is 손바닥에 + object를 쥐고 for holding an object in the palm.
계세요 계세요 is used in 쥐고 계세요 to politely ask someone to remain in the state of holding the screw. The whole expression means “please keep holding it.” A useful pattern is verb + 고 계세요 when asking someone to continue an ongoing action.
선반 선반 means “shelf” in 선반을 고치는 데 그 나사가 필요해요. It is the object being repaired. Use 선반을 when the shelf is the object of an action such as fixing it.
고치는 고치는 means “fixing” in 선반을 고치는 데, describing the act of fixing the shelf. It is the form of 고치다 placed before 데. A useful pattern is object을 고치는 데 when referring to the activity of fixing an object.
데 데 in 선반을 고치는 데 means “for the task of” or “in doing,” connecting fixing the shelf with the screw being needed. The full pattern 고치는 데 필요해요 means that something is needed for fixing it. Use verb + 는 데 when describing what is needed for an activity.
그 그 means “that” or “the” in 그 나사가 필요해요, referring to the screw already mentioned and found. It comes directly before 나사. Use 그 + noun when pointing back to a specific previously discussed thing.
가 가 marks 그 나사 as the subject of 필요해요 in 그 나사가 필요해요. It follows 나사 because that noun ends in a vowel sound. A useful pattern is noun + 이/가 필요해요 for saying that something is needed.
필요해요 필요해요 means “is needed” in 그 나사가 필요해요, which naturally means “we need that screw.” It describes the screw as necessary for fixing the shelf. A useful pattern is object + 이/가 필요해요 when stating what is needed.
그럼 그럼 means “then” or “in that case” in 그럼 선반을 다 고칠 수 있어요. It connects finding the screw with the resulting possibility of finishing the repair. Use 그럼 at the beginning of a sentence when drawing a conclusion from what was just said.
다 다 means “completely” or “all” in 다 고칠 수 있어요. It shows that the shelf can be fixed fully, not only partly. A useful pattern is 다 + verb when emphasizing completion of an action.
고칠 고칠 contributes “fix” in 고칠 수 있어요, expressing the action that is possible. It is the form of 고치다 used before 수 in this expression. A useful pattern is object을 고칠 수 있어요 for saying that someone can fix an object.
수 수 in 고칠 수 있어요 expresses ability or possibility. Together, 고칠 수 있어요 means “can fix,” while 수 itself does not mean “fix.” Use verb + 을/ㄹ 수 있어요 to say that an action is possible.
있어요 있어요 completes the possibility expression 고칠 수 있어요, making it mean “can fix” in this dialogue. Here it expresses possibility rather than simple existence. A useful pattern is verb + 을/ㄹ 수 있어요 for saying that someone can do something.

Grammar Points

V-는 데

선반을 고치는 데

suhn-BAH-neul goh-CHEE-neun deh

for fixing the shelf

동사 현재형에 는 데를 붙여 어떤 일을 하는 목적이나 상황을 나타냅니다.

V-도록

굴러가지 않도록

gool-ruh-GAH-jee an-TOH-rohk

so that it does not roll away

동사에 도록을 붙여 어떤 결과가 일어나도록 하는 목적을 나타냅니다.

Korean Vocabulary

나사 noun
nah-SAH screw

작은 나사 하나

다리 noun
dah-REE leg

의자 다리

밑 noun
meet under; bottom

의자 밑

아주 adv
AH-joo very
옆 noun
yuhp beside; next to

다리 옆

의자 noun
ee-JAH chair

의자 밑

잃어버리다 verb
ee-ruh-buh-REE-dah to lose 잃어버렸어요
작다 adj
JAHK-ttah to be small 작은

작은 나사

조심해서 adv
joh-SHEEM-hae-suh carefully
줍다 verb
JOOP-ttah to pick up 주우세요
하나 num
hah-NAH one

나사 하나

확인해 보세요 phrase
HWAH-gin-hae boh-SEH-yoh please check

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I lost a small screw.

Show Answer작은 나사 하나를 잃어버렸어요.

Check under the chair.

Show Answer의자 밑을 확인해 보세요.

It was by the chair leg.

Show Answer의자 다리 옆에 있었어요.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to lose

Show Answer잃어버렸어요

carefully

Show Answer조심해서

to pick up

Show Answer주우세요

very

Show Answer아주