Holding a Place in Line | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 제 자리를 잠깐 지켜 주실 수 있어요?

   Can you save my place for a minute?

   제

   my

   자리를

   place; spot

   잠깐

   for a moment

   지켜

   keep; hold (a place)

   주실 수 있어요?

   can you do it for me?

   More detail

   제 is the contracted form of 저의, meaning “my.” 저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I,” and 의 marks possession. Thus 제 자리 means “my place,” not simply “a place.” 자리를 is 자리 (“place,” “spot,” or “seat”) plus the object marker 를. The object marker shows that the place is what someone will keep or watch. In this utterance, the intended place is the speaker’s spot, as confirmed by 제 and the fixed translation. 잠깐 is an adverb meaning “briefly” or “for a moment.” It limits the duration of the requested action. Example: 잠깐 기다려 주세요. — “Please wait a moment.” 지켜 is the connective form of 지키다, whose basic meanings include “keep,” “protect,” and “watch.” With a place as its object, 자리를 지키다 means to stay with or hold a spot. The form 지켜 is not past tense; it connects 지키다 to the following helping verb. 주실 수 있어요? combines 주다 (“to do or give for someone”), the honorific marker -시-, and -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 (“to be able to” or “can”). Here 지켜 주다 means “keep the place for someone,” so the combined question politely asks whether the listener can do that as a favor. 주실 contains the honorific form of 주다; the honorific marking respects the person being asked, while 수 있어요? asks about ability or possibility. Example: 도와주실 수 있어요? — “Can you help me?” Together, 제 자리를 identifies the speaker’s spot as the object, 잠깐 makes the requested period brief, and 지켜 주실 수 있어요? politely asks whether the listener can hold it as a favor. The whole utterance therefore means: “Can you save my place for a minute?”

2. 다녀오시는 동안 자리를 지켜 드릴게요.

   I can hold your spot while you are away.

   다녀오시는 동안

   while you are away

   자리

   spot; place

   지켜

   keep; watch

   드릴게요

   I’ll do it for you

   More detail

   다녀오시는 동안 means “while you are away.” 다녀오다 literally means “to go and come back,” and here its honorific form 다녀오시다 is used for the person being addressed. -는 동안 means “while …” and attaches to the present attributive form: 기다리는 동안 means “while waiting.” 자리 means a place or spot, including someone’s seat or place in a line. In this sentence it is the spot that the speaker will keep for the addressee. Example: 자리가 있어요. — “There is a seat/place.” 지켜 is the connective form of 지키다, “to keep, guard, or protect.” Here it means keeping the spot available, not merely watching it. The pattern 자리를 지키다 can mean “keep one’s place” or “stay at one’s post,” depending on context. Example: 제가 자리를 지킬게요. — “I’ll keep the spot.” 드릴게요 combines 드리다, the humble form used when doing or giving something for someone, with -(으)ㄹ게요, which expresses the speaker’s intention or promise. In 지켜 드릴게요, the speaker offers to keep the spot for the addressed person. 드리다 is the form that marks the favor toward the other person; it is not the base form of 지키다. Together, 자리를 지켜 드릴게요 means “I’ll keep your spot for you,” and 다녀오시는 동안 sets the time: “while you are away.” The complete utterance is therefore “I can hold your spot while you are away.”

3. 지갑을 두고 왔어요.

   I left my wallet behind.

   지갑

   wallet

   두고 … 왔어요

   left behind

   More detail

   지갑 means “wallet.” It is a noun; in this sentence, 지갑을 marks the wallet as the object of the action. The particle 을 is used after a noun ending in a consonant; after a vowel, the corresponding object particle is 를. 두고 왔어요 is the useful pattern “left something behind and came away.” 두다 means “to put” or “to leave,” and 오다 means “to come.” In 두고, -고 connects the first verb to the next one. The past polite form 왔어요 comes from 오다; the irregular-looking change is 오 + 았어요 → 왔어요. Here, the combined pattern 두고 오다 means that someone left an item at the original place and came away without it, rather than simply putting it somewhere. Example: 우산을 두고 왔어요. — “I left my umbrella behind.” This uses the same object-plus-두고 왔어요 pattern. Together, 지갑을 identifies the wallet as the item affected, and 두고 왔어요 says that the speaker came away after leaving it behind. The whole utterance therefore means, “I left my wallet behind.”

4. 어서 돌아오세요.

   Try to come back soon.

   어서

   soon; quickly

   돌아오세요

   please come back

   More detail

   어서 means “quickly” or “soon” here. It urges the action to happen without delay. It is commonly used before a request or command, as in 어서 앉으세요 (“Please sit down quickly.”). 돌아오세요 means “please come back.” Its base form is 돌아오다, “to return” or “to come back.” The form -세요 makes a polite request or command; it does not itself specify who will perform the action. Compare 돌아가세요 (“please go back”): 오다 focuses on coming toward the relevant place or person, while 가다 focuses on going away. Together, 어서 돌아오세요 means “Please come back soon” or “Try to come back soon.” 어서 adds urgency to the polite request 돌아오세요. In the supplied context, this is compatible with asking someone who left a wallet behind to return promptly.

5. 지금 가져올게요.

   I will grab it now.

   지금

   now

   가져올게요

   I’ll get it

   More detail

   지금 means “now” and places the action at the present time. It is a time adverb. Example: 지금 가요. — “I’m going now.” 가져올게요 is the speaker’s polite form meaning “I’ll get it” here. It is formed from 가져오다 (“to bring” or “to get and bring”) plus -(으)ㄹ게요, which presents a future action as the speaker’s commitment or intention toward the listener. Because the verb stem ends in a vowel, this form uses -ㄹ게요: 가져오- + -ㄹ게요 → 가져올게요. The object is not stated in the Korean sentence; the fixed translation supplies “it,” but the supplied context does not identify what “it” is. Example: 제가 가져올게요. — “I’ll bring it.” Together, 지금 + 가져올게요 means “I will grab it now.” 지금 says when the action will happen, and 가져올게요 expresses the speaker’s polite commitment to perform it.

6. 여기 줄에 서서 기다릴게요.

   I will stay here in line.

   여기

   here

   줄

   line

   서서

   standing; while standing

   기다릴게요

   I’ll wait

   More detail

   여기 means “here,” referring to the place relevant in the utterance. It is a demonstrative adverb, so it does not change according to a noun’s number or gender. A useful contrast is 거기 “there, near you” and 저기 “over there.” 줄 means “line” or “queue.” In this sentence, it identifies the line where the speaker will remain. The same noun can also mean a physical line or string in other contexts, so the surrounding words determine the intended sense. 서서 comes from the verb 서다, “to stand.” The form 서서 combines the verb stem 서- with -어서; here it links standing with the following action and gives the sense “standing and/while standing.” In the line context, it describes remaining in a standing position while waiting. Example: 서서 이야기해요. — “I talk while standing.” 기다릴게요 comes from 기다리다, “to wait.” Its form is 기다리- + -ㄹ게요. This ending presents the speaker’s intention or commitment to do the action, often with the listener in mind, so it means “I’ll wait” here. It is polite speech. The ending is not simply a neutral future marker: 기다릴 거예요 more neutrally predicts or states “I will wait.” Together, 여기 줄에 identifies the place as “in this line,” 서서 adds the manner or accompanying action “standing,” and 기다릴게요 says that the speaker will wait there. The complete meaning is: “I will stay here in line.” The sentence is a polite, conversational commitment by the speaker to remain in that line and wait.

7. 찾았고 바로 돌아왔어요.

   I found it and came right back.

   찾았고

   found it, and

   바로

   right away

   돌아왔어요

   came back

   More detail

   찾았고 comes from 찾다, “to find.” The observed form 찾았- marks a completed past event, and -고 links it to the next clause: “found it and …”. The object is omitted in the Korean sentence, but the fixed translation identifies it as “it.” Example: 열쇠를 찾았고 집에 갔어요. — “I found the key and went home.” 바로 means “immediately” or “right away” here. It modifies the following return, showing that the speaker came back without delay. Example: 바로 연락했어요. — “I contacted [someone] right away.” 돌아왔어요 comes from 돌아오다, “to come back” or “to return.” 왔어요 is the polite past form within this compound verb, so the form describes a completed return toward the relevant place or point of reference. The subject is understood from context rather than stated. Contrast 돌아가다, “to go back,” which describes movement away from the speaker’s or reference point’s location. Example: 저녁에 집에 돌아왔어요. — “I came back home in the evening.” Together, 찾았고 links the completed finding with 바로 돌아왔어요, “came right back.” The whole utterance means: “I found it and came right back.”

8. 여기 줄에 다시 서셔도 돼요.

   You can step back in here.

   여기

   here

   줄

   line; queue

   다시

   again

   서셔도 돼요

   may stand

   More detail

   여기 means “here,” referring to the place indicated by the situation. It is a location word; compare 거기 (“there,” near the listener or a previously indicated place) and 저기 (“over there,” away from both). Example: 여기 앉으세요. — “Please sit here.” 줄 is a noun meaning a line or queue in this context. It can also mean a line or row in other contexts, so the surrounding situation supplies the intended sense. Example: 줄에 서요. — “I stand in the queue.” 다시 means “again” or “back,” marking a return to an earlier state or place. Here it combines with standing in the queue: the person may stand in the queue again, which matches the fixed translation “step back in.” Example: 다시 왔어요. — “I came back.” 서셔도 돼요 is a polite permission pattern. The base verb is 서다, “to stand.” In the observed form, 서시- contains the honorific marker -시-, and -어도 돼요 means that doing the action is permitted: “it is okay for you to stand.” The honorific marker respects the person being addressed; it does not itself mean “again” or “back.” The verb 서다 has the irregular-looking present form 서요, but the form here is 서셔도, with the honorific element inserted before -어도. Together, 여기 줄에 places the action in the queue here, 다시 marks re-entry or return, and 서셔도 돼요 grants permission. The whole utterance means, “You can step back in here,” more literally, “It is okay for you to stand in this line here again.”