Feeling Warm at Home | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 지금 추워요.

   I feel cold now.

   지금

   now

   추워요

   feel cold

   More detail

   지금 means “now” and places the situation at the present time. It can be reused in patterns such as 지금 와요 (“I’m coming now”), though the subject is understood from that sentence rather than supplied by 지금 itself. 추워요 is the polite present form of the Korean descriptive verb 춥다, “to be cold.” In this utterance, the fixed translation supports the personal reading “I feel cold.” 춥다 is a ㅂ-irregular form: before the vowel-initial ending -어요, it becomes 추워요, not a form with 춥어요. The ending -요 makes the statement polite; it does not itself add the meaning “now.” Together, 지금 + 추워요 gives “I feel cold now.” The time expression comes first, followed by the polite present description of the speaker’s current state.

2. 이 따뜻한 담요를 덮어요.

   Wrap yourself in this warm blanket.

   이

   this

   따뜻한

   warm

   담요

   blanket

   덮어요

   cover oneself / put over oneself

   More detail

   이 means “this” and points to a nearby thing. It is a demonstrative determiner placed before the noun it specifies. The related pronoun 이것 means “this thing,” while 그것 means “that thing.” 따뜻한 means “warm” here and describes the following noun. It is the noun-modifying form of the adjective 따뜻하다 (“to be warm”): 따뜻하다 → 따뜻한 before a noun. For example, 따뜻한 물 means “warm water.” 담요 means “blanket.” It is a noun, so 따뜻한 담요 is “a warm blanket.” Korean places descriptive words before the noun they describe. 덮어요 comes from the verb 덮다, whose basic meaning includes “to cover” or “to put something over something.” In this sentence, the intended action is putting the blanket over oneself, so the natural translation is “wrap yourself in it.” -어요 is a polite sentence ending for the present or general style. The subject is omitted because Korean commonly leaves it unspoken when the context makes the actor clear. The object 이 따뜻한 담요를 is marked by 를 (shown attached to the noun phrase in the supplied sentence). The useful pattern is [demonstrative] [description] [noun]을/를 [verb]어요: 이 따뜻한 담요를 덮어요. Here, 이 identifies the blanket, 따뜻한 describes it, 를 marks it as the object, and 덮어요 expresses the polite action of covering oneself with it. Together, the sentence means “Wrap yourself in this warm blanket.”

3. 제 손도 차가워요.

   My hands are cold too.

   제

   my

   손

   hand(s)

   도

   too; also

   차가워요

   is cold; feels cold

   More detail

   제 means “my” here. It is the commonly used contraction of 저의: 저 is the humble first-person pronoun, and 의 marks possession. 내 also means “my,” but it is the non-humble form used with 나 rather than 저. 손 means “hand.” Korean nouns do not generally mark singular versus plural by changing their form, so 손 can mean “hand” or “hands”; the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning here as “hands.” 도 is attached to the word or phrase being added to an existing comparison and means “too” or “also.” Thus 손도 means “the hands too,” while 제 손도 means “my hands too.” 차가워요 is the polite present form of 차갑다, “to be cold” or “to feel cold.” The adjective 차갑다 has a ㅂ change before the polite ending: 차갑다 → 차가워요. This form describes the hands’ present cold condition; it is not the verb “to cool.” Putting the parts together, 제 손 means “my hands,” 도 adds that they share the relevant condition as well, and 차가워요 states that they are cold. The complete utterance is therefore “My hands are cold too.”

4. 이 따뜻한 컵을 잠시 들고 있어요.

   Hold this warm cup for a while.

   이

   this

   따뜻한

   warm

   컵

   cup

   잠시

   for a while

   들고 있어요

   hold / be holding

   More detail

   이 means “this” and is a demonstrative placed before the noun it identifies. It indicates a nearby or contextually selected item; here, the fixed translation identifies that item as the cup. Compare 그 “that” and 저 “that over there” when the relevant distance or discourse relation differs. 따뜻한 means “warm” here and describes 컵 before it. It is the attributive form of the adjective 따뜻하다 “to be warm”: 따뜻하다 → 따뜻한 before a noun. For example, 따뜻한 물 means “warm water.” The adjective’s form changes for this noun-modifying position; 컵 itself does not carry this adjective’s form. 컵 means “cup.” It is a noun, and Korean commonly uses such loanwords as ordinary nouns. A reusable pattern is 이 + adjective in its noun-modifying form + noun, as in 이 작은 컵 “this small cup.” 잠시 means “for a while” or “briefly.” It sets a short duration for the holding action. For example, 잠시 기다려요 means “Please wait for a moment.” 들고 있어요 expresses “are holding” in this sentence. It consists of 들다 “to lift, carry, or hold” followed by -고 있다, which presents an action as continuing or as a current state resulting from it; 있어요 is the polite 해요-style form of 있다. In this combination, 들고 있다 means “be holding” rather than simply “lift.” For example, 책을 들고 있어요 means “I am holding a book.” The understood subject is the addressee in the fixed English instruction, so the polite Korean form functions here as a polite request or instruction: “Hold …” Korean does not need an overt subject when the context makes it clear. Together, 이 따뜻한 컵 means “this warm cup,” 잠시 limits the duration, and 들고 있어요 tells the addressee to keep holding it. The whole utterance therefore means “Hold this warm cup for a while.”

5. 조금 도움이 돼요.

   That helps a little.

   조금

   a little

   도움이 돼요

   helps

   More detail

   조금 means “a little” or “slightly.” It reduces the amount or degree expressed by what follows. Example: 조금 비싸요. — “It is a little expensive.” 도움이 돼요 means “helps” or “is helpful” here. 도움 means “help,” and 이 is the subject marker attached to it. 돼요 is the polite present form of 되다, whose basic meaning includes “to become” or “to serve as.” In 도움이 되다, the construction means “to be helpful.” The negative of this whole expression is 도움이 안 돼요, meaning “It does not help” or “It is not helpful.” By itself, 안 돼요 is a different use of 되다 and can mean “It does not work” or “It is not allowed,” depending on its construction and context. Together, 조금 modifies 도움이 돼요, giving “That helps a little.” The fixed translation identifies the intended referent as “that,” although the Korean sentence itself does not specify a noun for it. The ending 요 marks a polite style suitable for ordinary courteous conversation.

6. 소파에 앉아서 쉬어요.

   Sit on the sofa and rest.

   소파

   sofa

   앉아서

   sit and

   쉬어요

   rest

   More detail

   소파 means “sofa.” In the sentence, it is followed by 에, so 소파에 marks the sofa as the place where the sitting happens. 에 commonly marks a destination or a location associated with an action; here it is a location marker, not a direction of movement. 앉아서 comes from 앉다, “to sit,” plus -아서. The form 앉아서 links this action to the next one: “sit and then…” or, naturally here, “sit and…”. -아서/어서 is selected according to the final vowel of the verb stem and can connect related actions. Example: 집에 가서 쉬어요. — “I go home and rest.” The subject is omitted in the Korean sentence; the translation presents the understood instruction as “you sit.” 쉬어요 comes from 쉬다, “to rest.” The ending -어요 gives a polite present-style form. It can describe an action happening now or a polite instruction, depending on context. Example: 여기서 쉬어요. — “Rest here.” Together, 소파에 앉아서 means “sitting on the sofa” or “sit on the sofa and,” and 쉬어요 means “rest.” The complete utterance is therefore “Sit on the sofa and rest.”

7. 이제 방이 더 따뜻하게 느껴져요.

   The room feels warmer now.

   이제

   now

   방

   room

   더

   more

   따뜻하게

   warmly; in a warm way

   느껴져요

   feels

   More detail

   이제 means “now” and places the change at the present point. It can contrast with an earlier situation: 이제 괜찮아요. — “It’s okay now.” 방 means “room.” The following 이 marks 방 as the subject, so the room is the thing described as having a certain felt quality. 더 means “more” and makes a comparison with an earlier or implicit state. Here it modifies the warmth: the room feels warmer than before, without stating a specific comparison object. 따뜻하게 comes from the descriptive adjective 따뜻하다 (“to be warm”). The ending -게 changes this adjective into an adverbial form, allowing it to describe how something is perceived with 느껴지다. Compare 따뜻하다 (“be warm”) with 따뜻하게 느껴지다 (“feel warm”). In this sentence, 더 따뜻하게 means “warmer” in the way the room is experienced. 느껴져요 is the polite present form of 느껴지다, meaning “is felt” or, with a thing as subject, “feels.” It differs from 느껴요, the form of 느끼다 (“feel”): 느껴져요 presents the room’s warmth as an impression received by the speaker, while 느껴요 would normally make the experiencer the subject. The polite ending -어요 makes the statement suitable for ordinary courteous conversation. Together, 방이 (“the room,” as subject), 더 따뜻하게 (“warmer”), and 느껴져요 (“feels”) produce: “The room feels warmer now.” The sentence compares the current impression with an earlier one; it does not specify the exact temperature or what caused the change.

8. 계속 따뜻하도록 창문을 닫을게요.

   I'll close the window so it stays that way.

   계속

   continuously; still

   따뜻하도록

   so that it is warm

   창문

   window

   닫을게요

   I’ll close it

   More detail

   계속 means “continuously” or “still.” Here it says that the warm condition is to continue over time. It can also modify an action that continues, as in 계속 읽어요 — “I keep reading.” 따뜻하도록 is based on 따뜻하다 (“to be warm”) plus -도록, which can express a desired result or manner: “so that it is warm” or “in such a way that it is warm.” In this sentence, 계속 supplies the idea that the warm condition remains. The pattern A-도록 B can be reused for “B so that A”: 잊지 않도록 적어 두세요. — “Write it down so that you do not forget.” 창문 means “window.” It is the noun for the thing being closed here. Korean can omit an object particle when the relationship is clear, so 창문(을) can mean “the window” as the object here. The particle 을 is not present in the fixed utterance and is not part of the quoted word. 닫을게요 comes from the verb 닫다 (“to close”). The stem 닫- combines with -을게요, producing 닫을게요. This ending presents the speaker’s intention or commitment, commonly understood as “I’ll …” in this context; the speaker is the understood subject. It differs from simply describing a future event because it often marks what the speaker undertakes to do. For example, 제가 문을 닫을게요. means “I’ll close the door.” Together, 계속 따뜻하도록 gives the purpose “so that it stays warm,” while 창문 닫을게요 gives the action “I’ll close the window.” The whole utterance therefore means “I’ll close the window so it stays that way,” with “that way” referring to the warm condition established by the preceding context.