Keeping a Shared Kitchen Clean | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 여기서 제 컵을 씻어도 돼요?

   Can I wash my cup here?

   여기서

   here

   제

   my

   컵을

   cup

   씻어

   wash

   도 돼요?

   is it okay?

   More detail

   여기서 means “here” as the place where an action happens. It combines 여기 (“here”) with -에서, a location marker used for an action or event. For example, 집에서 공부해요 means “I study at home.” 제 means “my” in this sentence. It is the possessive form of the polite first-person pronoun: 저 + 의 → 제. 저 is the humble/polite form of “I,” while 제 marks something as belonging to the speaker. For example, 제 가방 means “my bag.” 컵을 consists of 컵 (“cup”) plus -을, the object marker. Because 컵 ends in a consonant sound, -을 is used; after a vowel-final noun, -를 is used instead. The marker shows that the cup is the thing being washed. 씻어 comes from the verb 씻다, “to wash.” Its stem is 씻-, and 씻어 is the -어 form used before another grammatical element. Here it combines with 도 to form 씻어도, meaning “even if [someone] washes” or, in the permission pattern, “may wash.” It is not a past-tense form. 도 돼요? is part of the reusable permission pattern V-아/어도 돼요?, meaning “Is it okay to V?” or “May I/you V?” Here 씻어도 돼요? asks whether washing is permitted. 돼요 is the polite form of 되다 (“to be possible/acceptable”); in this construction, it expresses that the action is allowed. For example, 여기 앉아도 돼요? means “May I sit here?” Together, 여기서 sets the location, 제 컵을 identifies the speaker’s cup as the object, and 씻어도 돼요? asks for permission to wash it. The whole utterance means: “Can I wash my cup here?”

2. 왼쪽 싱크대를 사용하세요.

   Use the sink on the left.

   왼쪽

   left; the left side

   싱크대

   sink

   사용하세요

   please use

   More detail

   왼쪽 means “the left side” here and comes before the noun it identifies: 왼쪽 싱크대 means “the sink on the left.” The same word can also be used in other expressions for the left direction or side; it is not the name of the sink itself. 싱크대 is “sink,” specifically the sink fixture or basin area. Korean commonly places a modifier before the noun, so the location word comes before 싱크대 in this utterance. 사용하세요 means “please use.” Its base form is 사용하다, “to use.” The ending -(으)세요 makes a polite request or instruction; with 사용하다, it appears as 사용하세요. This is an instruction addressed respectfully to the listener, not a statement that the listener is already using the sink. Together, 왼쪽 + 싱크대 identifies which sink, and 사용하세요 gives the polite instruction: “Use the sink on the left.”

3. 저는 이 공간을 깨끗하게 유지하고 싶어요.

   I want to keep the space clean.

   저는

   I / as for me

   이

   this

   공간

   space

   깨끗하게

   cleanly

   유지하고

   keep / maintain

   싶어요

   want to

   More detail

   저는 presents the speaker as the topic: 저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I,” and 는 marks the topic. The form is used when the speaker is talking about themself; it does not mean that another person is included. Example: 저는 학생이에요. — “I am a student.” 이 means “this” and comes before the noun it points to. It is a demonstrative rather than a marker of the noun’s number or gender. Here it identifies the relevant space as “this space.” 공간 means “space” or “area.” It is a noun and can be used for a physical area without specifying its exact size. Example: 이 공간을 사용하세요. — “Please use this space.” 깨끗하게 means “cleanly” here, or more naturally in the full sentence, “clean.” It is the adverbial form of 깨끗하다 (“to be clean”): 깨끗하다 → 깨끗하게. This form describes the state or manner connected with the following verb. Example: 방을 깨끗하게 정리했어요. — “I organized the room neatly.” 유지하고 comes from 유지하다, “to maintain” or “to keep,” plus connective -고. In 유지하고 싶어요, -고 links the action 유지하다 to the desire expression that follows; it is not simply an independent “and” between two completed actions. The useful pattern is N을/를 A-게 유지하다, “keep N A,” as in 창문을 깨끗하게 유지해요. — “I keep the window clean.” 싶어요 is the polite present form of 싶다, “to want.” After a verb, Korean commonly uses V-고 싶어요 for “want to V.” Thus 유지하고 싶어요 means “want to keep/maintain.” The polite ending -어요 makes the statement suitable for ordinary courteous conversation. Together, 이 공간을 깨끗하게 유지하고 싶어요 means “want to keep this space clean,” while the fixed translation gives the compatible natural English meaning “I want to keep the space clean.” The topic 저는 identifies the person who has this desire, and 이 공간을 identifies the object being maintained. The pattern 저는 N을/를 A-게 V-고 싶어요 can be reused for a speaker’s wish to keep something in a particular state.

4. 다 끝나면 테이블을 닦아 주세요.

   Please wipe the table after you finish.

   다 끝나면

   when you finish

   테이블

   table

   닦아

   wipe

   주세요

   please

   More detail

   다 끝나면 means “when you finish” here. 다 conveys that the relevant activity is complete, and 끝나면 comes from 끝나다 (“to finish; to be over”) plus -면, a form used for a condition or for the time when something happens. The fixed translation identifies the addressee as the person who finishes. Korean does not state that subject as a separate word here. Example: 일이 끝나면 집에 가요. — “When the work is finished, I go home.” The same -면 form connects one situation with what happens afterward. 테이블 is the noun “table,” used here for the physical table. In the full sentence, 테이블을 marks the table as the object of the wiping action; 을 is the object marker attached after this noun. 닦아 comes from the base verb 닦다, “to wipe” or “to clean by wiping.” It is the verb’s 아/어 form, used before 주세요 in a polite request. Example: 창문을 닦아 주세요. — “Please wipe the window.” 주세요 is a polite form of 주다 (“to give”). After another verb’s 아/어 form, it creates the polite request pattern -아/어 주세요, meaning “please do ...” for the speaker or another relevant person. Thus 닦아 주세요 means “please wipe.” Together, 다 끝나면 sets the time—“when you finish”—and 테이블을 닦아 주세요 makes the polite request “please wipe the table.” The complete meaning is: “Please wipe the table after you finish.”

5. 쓰레기는 이 쓰레기통에 버리나요?

   Does trash go in this bin?

   쓰레기는

   trash

   이

   this

   쓰레기통

   bin

   에

   in; to

   버리나요?

   is it put away? / do you throw it away?

   More detail

   쓰레기는 means “as for the trash.” 쓰레기 is the noun “trash/garbage,” and 는 marks it as the topic. The topic marker does not itself say that there is only one piece of trash; it presents trash as what the question is about. Example: 책은 여기 있어요. — “The book is here.” 이 means “this” and is used before a noun to identify something near the speaker or in the current situation. It does not carry the noun’s number by itself. Here it modifies 쓰레기통, rather than referring independently to an already identified object. 쓰레기통 means “trash bin” or “wastebasket.” It is a compound noun formed from 쓰레기 (“trash”) and 통 (“container/bin”). In this sentence it identifies the container being pointed out as “this bin.” 에 marks the place where something is put, or a destination. With a verb such as 버리다, it can mark the bin into which something is thrown: 휴지를 쓰레기통에 버려요. — “I throw the tissue away in the bin.” 버리나요? comes from the verb 버리다, “to throw away” or “discard.” The form 버리나요? is a polite present-tense question form. In this sentence, the question asks whether the trash should be put in the indicated bin; it is not a command. The ending -나요? makes a polite question, while the verb stem 버리- carries the action. A related polite statement is 버려요 — “(someone) throws it away” or, depending on context, “Please throw it away.” Together, 쓰레기는 sets “trash” as the topic, 이 쓰레기통에 identifies “in this trash bin,” and 버리나요? asks whether it is thrown away there. The complete meaning is: “Does trash go in this bin?” This pattern is reusable as [item]은/는 [place]에 버리나요? for politely asking whether an item should be discarded in a particular place.

6. 문 옆에 있는 쓰레기통에 버리세요.

   Put it in the bin by the door.

   문

   door

   옆에

   beside; by

   있는

   being; located

   쓰레기통

   bin; trash can

   버리세요

   please throw away

   More detail

   문 means “door.” It is a noun; the form does not show whether there is one door or more than one. Example: 문을 닫으세요. means “Please close the door.” 옆에 means “beside/by.” 옆 is “side,” and -에 marks the place where something is located. Example: 의자 옆에 있어요. means “It is beside the chair.” 있는 is the form of 있다 used before a noun to describe something that is located or exists there. Here, it links the location phrase to the following noun: “the bin that is by the door.” In this attributive form, 있다 becomes 있는. Example: 책상 위에 있는 책 means “the book that is on the desk.” 쓰레기통 means “bin” or “trash can.” It is a noun formed from 쓰레기 (“trash”) and 통 (“container”), but it is used as the ordinary word for a trash container. The following -에 marks the destination of putting something: 쓰레기통에 means “into the bin.” 버리세요 comes from 버리다, “to throw away” or “discard.” The ending -(으)세요 makes a polite request or instruction. The object is omitted in the Korean sentence, so 버리세요 itself means “please throw it away” only when the omitted object is supplied by context; the fixed translation supplies “it,” and the surrounding context supports the understood item being put away. Example: 이것을 버리세요. means “Please throw this away.” The structure is [문 옆에 있는] [쓰레기통에] [버리세요]: “by the door” modifies 쓰레기통, -에 marks that bin as the destination, and 버리세요 gives the polite instruction. Together, the utterance means: “Put it in the bin by the door.”

7. 제가 지금 처리할게요.

   I will take care of it now.

   제가

   I (subject)

   지금

   now

   처리할게요

   I’ll take care of it

   More detail

   제가 means “I” as the subject. It is the first-person pronoun 저 (“I,” humble/polite) plus the subject marker 가. In contrast, 나 is the less-polite first-person form; 제가 is appropriate in this polite sentence. The subject marker highlights who will do the action. 지금 means “now.” It places the action at the present time, rather than referring to a later or unspecified time. 처리할게요 is based on the verb 처리하다, “to handle” or “take care of.” Here, 처리하다 is used with the matter understood from context, so the intended meaning is “take care of it.” The ending -ㄹ게요 expresses the speaker’s commitment or decision to do something, often with the listener in mind. Thus 처리할게요 is a polite “I’ll take care of it,” not simply a neutral statement about a scheduled future event. For example, 제가 확인할게요 means “I’ll check.” Together, 제가 지금 처리할게요 means “I will take care of it now.” The sentence identifies the speaker as the person responsible, places the action now, and presents it as the speaker’s polite commitment to handle the matter.

8. 그러면 모두가 쓸 수 있게 주방을 준비해 둘 수 있어요.

   That keeps the kitchen ready for everyone.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   모두가

   everyone

   쓸

   use

   수 있게

   so that … can

   주방

   kitchen

   준비해 둘

   prepare and leave ready

   수 있어요

   can; be able to

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links this sentence to the preceding situation and presents the following action as its result or consequence. A reusable pattern is 그러면 + clause: “Then, …” 모두가 means “everyone” here. 모두 means “all/everyone,” and 가 marks it as the subject of the following ability expression. The form 모두가 쓸 수 있다 means “everyone can use [it].” The object is understood from the situation rather than separately stated in this sentence. 쓸 is the modifier form of 쓰다, “to use,” before 수. In 쓸 수 있다, it is part of the pattern verb-(으)ㄹ 수 있다, meaning that someone can or is able to do something. Example: 읽을 수 있어요 means “I/you can read.” 수 있게 combines that ability pattern with -게, giving the purpose or result “so that … can.” Thus 모두가 쓸 수 있게 means “so that everyone can use [it].” The subject of 쓸 is 모두가, while the omitted object is understood from context. 주방 means “kitchen.” It is the noun being prepared in this sentence. Example: 주방을 청소해요 means “I clean the kitchen”; 을 marks 주방 as the object of 청소해요. 준비해 둘 contains 준비하다, “to prepare,” followed by -아/어 두다. 준비해 두다 means to prepare something in advance and leave it in that ready state. Here 준비해 둘 is the modifier form used before 수, so it enters the same ability pattern: 준비해 둘 수 있어요, “can prepare it and leave it ready.” Example: 자료를 준비해 둘게요 means “I’ll prepare the materials in advance and leave them ready.” 수 있어요 completes -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, the expression of ability or possibility. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다; in this construction it does not mean simple physical location. Together with 준비해 둘, it says that the preparation-and-leaving-ready action is possible. The earlier 쓸 수 is another occurrence of the same construction with a different verb. Putting the chunks together: 그러면 “then/in that case” + 모두가 쓸 수 있게 “so that everyone can use [it]” + 주방을 준비해 둘 수 있어요 “can prepare the kitchen and leave it ready.” The whole utterance means, “Then, the kitchen can be prepared and left ready for everyone to use,” matching the fixed translation, “That keeps the kitchen ready for everyone.”