Using a shared laundry room | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 공용 세탁실을 사용해도 돼요?

   Can I use the shared laundry room?

   공용

   shared; communal

   세탁실

   laundry room

   사용해도 돼요?

   May I use it?

   More detail

   공용 means “shared” or “communal”: it describes something intended for use by multiple people. For example, 공용 주방 means “shared kitchen.” 세탁실 means “laundry room.” The word refers to a room or designated space for doing laundry. In this sentence, 공용 modifies 세탁실, producing “the shared laundry room.” 사용해도 돼요? is a polite way to ask for permission: “May I use it?” The base verb is 사용하다 (“to use”). Its stem combines with -해도 되다: 사용해도 되다, literally asking whether it is acceptable to use something. 돼요 is the polite present form of 되다 in this permission pattern. The subject and object can be understood from context, so the question does not need to state “I” or repeat what is being used. A reusable pattern is [verb]-아/어도 돼요? (“May I [verb]?”). For example, 여기 앉아도 돼요? means “May I sit here?” Together, 공용 세탁실 identifies the shared laundry room, and 사용해도 돼요? asks whether the speaker is permitted to use it. The complete meaning is “Can I use the shared laundry room?”

2. 지금 열려 있어요.

   It is open now.

   지금

   now

   열려 있어요

   is open

   More detail

   지금 means “now” and places the situation in the present moment. It can be moved for emphasis in many sentences, but here it comes first and sets the time for the statement. 열려 있어요 describes something as being in an open state. 열리다 means “to open” or “to become/be opened” without presenting the subject as the agent; 열다 is the commonly contrasted transitive verb “to open something.” The form 열려 있다 combines the open-state form 열려 with 있다 (“to exist/be”), and 열려 있어요 is its polite present-style ending. This construction focuses on the continuing state rather than an action happening at this moment. Example: 문이 닫혀 있어요. — “The door is closed.” This uses the same state-description pattern with 닫히다 (“to close/be closed”). Together, 지금 + 열려 있어요 means “is open now.” The utterance states the current open condition; it does not specify who opened the thing or identify a separate agent.

3. 이 세탁기는 비어 있어요?

   Is this machine free?

   이

   this

   세탁기

   washing machine

   는

   as for

   비어 있어요

   is free

   More detail

   이 means “this” and points to a nearby or contextually identified item. It is a demonstrative determiner placed before a noun; it does not change for number or grammatical gender. Example: 이 책 means “this book.” 세탁기 means “washing machine.” It is a noun, so it can be used with particles such as 는 when the sentence makes it the topic. Example: 세탁기가 있어요. means “There is a washing machine.” 는 marks the topic: “as for the washing machine...” After a vowel-ending noun, Korean uses 는; after a consonant-ending noun, it uses 은. Here it attaches to 세탁기, producing 세탁기는. 비어 있어요 describes a state of being empty or unoccupied. The base form is 비다 (“to be empty”); 비어 is its connective form, and 있어요 adds the sense of a state that remains in place, in polite present style. In this sentence, the fixed translation and context select the practical meaning “is free” or “is available,” rather than merely emphasizing physical emptiness. Example: 그 자리는 비어 있어요. — “That seat is free.” Together, 이 세탁기는 sets “this washing machine” as the topic, and 비어 있어요? asks whether it is currently unoccupied and therefore available to use. The whole utterance means: “Is this washing machine free?”

4. 이 세탁기는 사용할 수 있어요.

   This one is available.

   이

   this

   세탁기

   washing machine

   사용할 수 있어요

   can be used; is available

   More detail

   이 means “this” and points to something near the speaker or otherwise identified in the situation. It is a demonstrative determiner, so it appears before the noun it specifies. Example: 이 책 means “this book.” 세탁기는 consists of 세탁기 (“washing machine”) plus the topic marker 는. The topic marker presents the washing machine as the thing being discussed. In this sentence, the translation identifies it as “this one,” referring to the machine already indicated by 이; 는 does not itself mean “one.” 사용할 수 있어요 expresses that something can be used. 사용하다 is the base verb “to use”; 사용할 is its form before 수, and 있어요 completes the pattern -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, “can” or “be possible.” With a thing such as a washing machine as the topic, this naturally means that it is available for use. The polite ending -어요 makes the statement polite. Example: 여기서 사용할 수 있어요. means “You can use it here.” Together, 이 세탁기는 sets “this washing machine” as the topic, and 사용할 수 있어요 says that using it is possible. The whole utterance therefore means “This washing machine is available” or, in the fixed translation’s concise wording, “This one is available.”

5. 제 바구니를 어디에 놓아야 해요?

   Where should I put my basket?

   제

   my

   바구니

   basket

   어디에

   where; to where

   놓아야 해요

   should put; need to put

   More detail

   제 means “my” here. It is the contracted form of 저의, a polite or humble first-person possessive expression: 저 “I” + 의 possessive marker → 제. It identifies the basket as belonging to the speaker. 바구니 means “basket.” It is a noun; the phrase 제 바구니 means “my basket.” 어디에 asks “where” as a destination or location. 어디 means “where,” and 에 marks the place toward which an action is directed or where something is located. Here it asks for the place to which the basket should be put. Compare 어디에 가요? — “Where are you going?” 놓아야 해요 comes from 놓다, “to put, place, or set something down.” The stem 놓- combines with -아야 하다 to express necessity or what someone should do: 놓아야 하다 is literally “have to put/place.” 놓아야 해요 is the polite present-style form, meaning “should put” or “need to put.” The form 놓아야 is 놓다 with -아야; 해요 supplies the necessity construction. For example, 여기에 놓아야 해요. means “You need to put it here.” Together, 제 바구니를 means “my basket” as the object, 어디에 asks for its destination, and 놓아야 해요 asks what place is required for putting it. The whole utterance means “Where should I put my basket?”

6. 벽 옆에 놓으세요.

   Set it beside the wall.

   벽

   wall

   옆에

   beside; next to

   놓으세요

   put it; place it

   More detail

   벽 means “wall.” It is a noun and can combine with location expressions: 벽 앞 means “in front of the wall,” while 벽 옆 means “beside the wall.” 옆에 means “beside/next to.” 옆 means “side,” and -에 marks the place where something is located or placed. The pattern N 옆에 means “beside N.” Example: 문 옆에 앉으세요. means “Please sit beside the door.” 놓으세요 is the polite request or command form of 놓다, “to put/place.” The stem 놓- ends in a consonant, so the polite directive ending -(으)세요 appears here as -으세요. The object is omitted in the Korean sentence, while the fixed translation supplies it as “it.” Together, 벽 옆에 specifies the destination, and 놓으세요 tells the listener to place the understood object there. Thus 벽 옆에 놓으세요. means “Set it beside the wall.”

7. 세탁이 끝나면 제 옷을 꺼낼게요.

   I will take my clothes out when the wash is done.

   세탁

   wash / laundry

   끝나면

   when it is finished

   제

   my

   옷

   clothes

   꺼낼게요

   I’ll take out

   More detail

   세탁 means washing or laundry. Here it refers to the wash process, which is the subject marked by 이 in 세탁이. A useful related form is 세탁하다, “to do the laundry” or “to wash laundry.” 끝나면 comes from 끝나다, “to end / be finished,” plus -면, which marks a condition or time: “when” or “if.” In this sentence, the intended time meaning is “when the wash is finished.” The subject of 끝나다 is the wash process, not the speaker. 제 is the possessive form of 저, “I” in humble/polite speech: 저의 is commonly shortened to 제, meaning “my.” It identifies the clothes as belonging to the speaker. 옷 means clothes or clothing. It is followed by 을, the object marker, because the clothes are what the speaker will take out. A reusable example is 옷을 입어요, “I wear clothes.” 꺼낼게요 comes from 꺼내다, “to take out,” and uses the ending -ㄹ게요. This ending presents the speaker’s intention or commitment to do something, often understood as “I’ll …” Here, 꺼낼게요 means “I’ll take out.” The ㄹ form is used because the verb stem 꺼내- ends in a vowel; the ending is not a separate future-tense word. Together, 세탁이 끝나면 sets the time condition, 제 옷을 identifies the object, and 꺼낼게요 states the speaker’s intention: “I will take my clothes out when the wash is done.”

8. 옷을 바로 가져가 주세요.

   Please collect them right away.

   옷을

   clothes

   바로

   right away

   가져가 주세요

   please take / collect

   More detail

   옷을 means “clothes” here. 옷 is a noun whose form does not mark singular versus plural, so it can refer to clothing items generally or to particular clothes identified by context. 을 marks 옷 as the object of the action. For a noun ending in a vowel, Korean uses 를 instead; compare 옷을 with 바지를 (“pants,” as the object). 바로 means “right away” in this sentence. It is an adverb, so it modifies the following action rather than the noun 옷. The combination 바로 가져가다 expresses taking or collecting something without delay. 가져가 주세요 is a polite request meaning “please take/collect [it or them].” 가져가다 is the verb “to take away” or, in this context, “to collect”; its form here ends in 가 because it is followed by 주세요. 주세요 is a polite request pattern: an action stem followed by -아/어 주세요 asks someone to do that action. The direction in 가져가다 is away from the relevant place or toward the requester’s intended destination; 가져오다 instead means “to bring” toward the relevant place or speaker. Putting the parts together, 옷을 supplies the object, 바로 says that the action should happen immediately, and 가져가 주세요 politely asks the listener to take or collect it. The complete meaning is “Please collect them right away,” with “them” understood as the clothes. This is a polite everyday request.