Cooking Simple Soup | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 요리가 취미예요?

   Is cooking your hobby?

   요리

   cooking

   취미

   hobby

   예요?

   is

   More detail

   요리 means “cooking” here, used as a noun. It can also mean “cuisine” or “a dish” in other contexts, so its exact meaning comes from the surrounding words. Example: 요리를 해요. — “I cook.” 취미 means “hobby” or “pastime.” It is a noun and can be used in the reusable pattern A가 취미예요? — “Is A your hobby?” Example: 독서가 취미예요? — “Is reading your hobby?” This example introduces a new activity; it is not a fact about the supplied conversation. 예요? is the polite present form of the Korean copula, asking whether something is something. The form 예요 follows a noun ending in a vowel, while 이에요 follows a noun ending in a consonant: 취미예요 but 학생이에요 (“[someone] is a student”). Here, the question mark and question intonation make the utterance a question. The final 가 in 요리가 is a subject-marking particle attached to 요리; it marks “cooking” as the thing being identified. The structure is 요리-가 취미-예요?: “Cooking + subject marker + hobby + is?” Together, these parts mean “Is cooking your hobby?”

2. 집에서 간단한 음식을 만드는 것을 좋아해요.

   I like making simple food at home.

   집에서

   at home

   간단한

   simple

   음식을

   food

   만드는 것을

   making something

   좋아해요

   like

   More detail

   집에서 means “at home” here. 집 is the noun “home/house,” and -에서 marks the place where an action happens. This is different from -에, which commonly marks a destination or a place where something exists. Example: 집에서 공부해요. — “I study at home.” 간단한 describes 음식 as “simple.” Its base form is 간단하다 (“to be simple”), and 간단한 is the form used before a noun. Example: 간단한 아침을 먹어요. — “I eat a simple breakfast.” 음식을 means “food” as the object of the action. 음식 is the noun “food,” and -을 marks it as the object because the noun ends in a consonant. For a noun ending in a vowel, the object marker is -를 instead. 만드는 것을 expresses “making something.” 만드는 comes from 만들다 (“to make”): 만들다 changes to 만드는 before a noun-like element to describe an ongoing or general making activity. 것 literally means “thing,” but in this pattern -는 것 turns an action into a noun phrase, similar to “doing/making.” Example: 책을 읽는 것을 좋아해요. — “I like reading books.” 좋아해요 means “like.” Its base form is 좋아하다; 좋아해요 is the polite present-style form used here. Korean commonly leaves the subject unstated when it is understood from context. The object of liking comes before 좋아해요, so 만드는 것을 좋아해요 means “like making something,” rather than simply “like” followed by a separate action. Together, 집에서 sets the place, 간단한 음식을 identifies the simple food being made, and 만드는 것을 좋아해요 says that the speaker likes making it. The whole utterance therefore means, “I like making simple food at home.”

3. 무엇을 만드는 것을 좋아해요?

   What do you like to make?

   무엇을

   what

   만드는 것

   making

   좋아해요

   like

   More detail

   무엇을 means “what” as the object of the making action. 무엇 is the question word, and -을 marks an object after a noun ending in a consonant. In everyday Korean, 뭐를 or, more commonly, 뭘 can also be used; 무엇을 is the full form. 만드는 것 means “making.” It comes from 만들다 (“to make”): 만드는 is the present attributive form before 것, and 것 makes the action noun-like. The reusable pattern is [verb stem]는 것, meaning “doing …” or “the act of ….” Example: 운동하는 것을 좋아해요 means “I like exercising.” 좋아해요 is the polite present form of 좋아하다, “to like.” For an activity, Korean commonly uses [verb]는 것을 좋아하다, treating the activity as the object of “like.” Example: 음악을 듣는 것을 좋아해요 means “I like listening to music.” Together, 무엇을 만드는 것을 좋아해요? asks “What do you like to make?” The subject is not stated in Korean and is understood from the situation; the fixed translation supplies the intended English “you.” The reusable pattern is [무엇을/뭘] [verb-는 것을] 좋아해요?; for example, replacing 만드는 with another verb asks what the person likes to do. The supplied context uses the same making pattern for simple food and soup.

4. 저는 간단한 수프를 자주 만들어요.

   I often make a simple soup.

   저는

   I / as for me

   간단한

   simple

   수프

   soup

   자주

   often

   만들어요

   make

   More detail

   저는 means “I” with the topic marker -는. It presents the speaker as the topic: “As for me, …”. 저 is the humble first-person pronoun used in polite speech; 는 is attached after a vowel. The topic marker does not itself indicate a specific number beyond the intended speaker. 간단한 means “simple” here and describes the noun that follows. It is the noun-modifying form of the descriptive verb 간단하다 (“to be simple”): 간단하다 → 간단한 before a noun. Example: 간단한 요리 means “a simple dish.” 수프 is the noun “soup.” It is a loanword written in Korean script. In 간단한 수프, the adjective comes before the noun, so the phrase means “a simple soup.” 자주 is the adverb “often” or “frequently.” It describes how regularly the action happens and does not change for person or number. Example: 저는 자주 운동해요. means “I exercise often.” 만들어요 means “make” here. It is the polite present-style form of 만들다 (“to make”): 만들다 → 만들어요. In this sentence, the form expresses a habitual activity, not necessarily an action happening at this exact moment. The subject is understood from 저는, so the sentence says that the speaker often makes soup. Together, 저는 sets the speaker as the topic, 간단한 수프 identifies what is made, 자주 gives the frequency, and 만들어요 expresses the making action in polite speech. The whole utterance means: “I often make a simple soup.”

5. 요리법을 사용해요?

   Do you use a recipe?

   요리법

   recipe

   사용해요?

   use?

   More detail

   요리법 means “recipe” here: instructions for preparing food. It can also refer to a cooking method, so it is useful in other food-related sentences. In 요리법을, 을 marks 요리법 as the object. Korean uses 을 after a consonant-final noun and 를 after a vowel-final noun. 사용해요? is the polite everyday present form of 사용하다, “to use.” With 하다-verbs, the -해요 form is used: 사용하다 → 사용해요. This verb form does not mark the subject’s person or number, so it does not itself encode “you”; the fixed translation supplies that intended subject here. The question asks about present use. Example: 요리법을 사용해요. — “I use a recipe.” The omitted subject in that example is understood from its own context. Together, 요리법을 사용해요? follows the reusable pattern [object]을/를 사용해요? and means “Do you use a recipe?” 요리법 is the object, and the question asks whether the listener uses a recipe without specifying which recipe or asserting a numeric quantity.

6. 쉬운 요리법을 따라 해요.

   I follow an easy one.

   쉬운

   easy

   요리법

   recipe

   따라 해요

   follow it

   More detail

   쉬운 is the form of the descriptive adjective 쉽다 (“to be easy”) used before a noun. This adjective has a ㅂ change in some forms: 쉽다 → 쉬워요 (“is easy”) and 쉬운 (“easy” before a noun). Here, 쉬운 describes 요리법. 요리법 means “recipe” or “cooking method.” It is a noun, and the object marker 을 shows that it is the thing acted on: 요리법을. The same noun appears in the preceding question, but this sentence uses it as the object of the following action. 따라 해요 is the polite present form of 따라 하다, meaning “follow” or “do by following.” The first part, 따라, comes from 따르다 (“follow”), while 해요 is the polite present form of 하다 (“do”). Together they form a useful construction for carrying out something by following it. For example, 선생님을 따라 해요. means “I follow the teacher’s example.” The pattern is [description] + noun + 을/를 + 따라 해요: 쉬운 요리법을 따라 해요. The adjective form 쉬운 comes before the noun, 요리법을 marks the recipe as the object, and 따라 해요 expresses following it. Together, the utterance means “I follow an easy recipe,” matching the fixed translation’s “I follow an easy one.”

7. 다 되면 먹어 보고 싶어요.

   I would like to try it when it is ready.

   다

   completely; all

   되면

   when it is ready

   먹어 보고

   try eating

   싶어요

   would like to

   More detail

   다 means “completely” or “all” here. With 되다, it forms 다 되다, meaning that something is completely finished or ready. As an adverb, 다 does not change for person or number. 되면 is 되다 plus -(으)면. 되다 can mean “become,” “be completed,” or “be ready,” depending on context; here, the fixed translation supports “be ready.” The ending -(으)면 presents a condition or time: “if/when it is ready.” Example: 준비가 되면 시작해요. means “When the preparations are ready, we start.” 먹어 보고 contains the reusable construction 먹어 보다: 먹다 (“to eat”) changes to 먹어, and 보다 after another verb means “to try doing that action.” Thus 먹어 보다 means “to try eating” or “to taste it.” In this sentence, the following 싶어요 completes the pattern -고 싶어요, so 먹어 보고 싶어요 means “would like to try eating it.” Example: 이것을 사용해 봐요. means “Try using this.” 싶어요 is the polite-present form of 싶다, which expresses desire or a wish. After a verb form such as 먹어 보고, the pattern -고 싶어요 means “want to” or, naturally here, “would like to.” 싶다 is not the general verb “to like”; it specifically expresses wanting or wishing. Example: 쉬고 싶어요. means “I would like to rest.” Together, 다 되면 sets the time condition, 먹어 보고 expresses trying the action of eating, and 싶어요 expresses the speaker’s desire. The whole utterance means: “I would like to try it when it is ready.” The object of 먹다 is understood from the situation rather than stated in this sentence.

8. 수프를 조금 남겨 둘게요.

   I will save some soup for you.

   수프

   soup

   조금

   a little; some

   남겨 둘게요

   I will save it

   More detail

   수프 means “soup.” With the following 를, the full form 수프를 marks soup as the object of the action. 을/를 is the object marker; it does not by itself mean that the object is definite or specific. 를 is used after a vowel-final noun, while 을 is used after a consonant-final noun. Example: 물을 마셔요. — “I drink water.” 조금 means “a little” or “some” and indicates a small, non-exact amount. In this utterance, it specifies the amount of 수프, but it appears after the object phrase: 수프를 조금. Korean can place an amount expression after the noun it quantifies. Example: 물을 조금 마셔요. — “I drink a little water.” This does not state a precise numerical count. 남겨 둘게요 combines 남기다 (“to leave; to save”) with 두다 (“to put or keep something in a resulting state”) and -ㄹ게요. 남겨 is the connective form of 남기다, and 둘게요 is 두다 plus -ㄹ게요; the observed inflection is on these verbs, not on 수프. Together, they express leaving something set aside and the speaker’s intention or commitment to do so. -ㄹ게요 commonly presents an action the speaker will carry out, often with the listener in mind. Example: 문을 열어 둘게요. — “I’ll leave the door open.” The full structure is 수프를 조금 남겨 둘게요: 수프를 marks soup as the object, 조금 specifies a small amount of that soup, and 남겨 둘게요 says that the speaker will leave it set aside. Thus the fixed utterance means “I will save some soup for you,” with the recipient “for you” supplied by the fixed translation; Korean does not overtly state that recipient in this sentence.