Using a Shared Meeting Room | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 공용 회의실을 사용해도 돼요?

   Can we use the shared meeting room?

   공용

   shared

   회의실

   meeting room

   사용해도 돼요?

   Is it okay to use?

   More detail

   공용 means “shared” or “for common use.” It commonly comes before a noun in the pattern 공용 + noun, describing something intended for use by multiple people rather than one private user. Example: 공용 주차장 means “shared parking lot.” 회의실 means “meeting room.” It is a compound noun: 회의 is “meeting,” and 실 is “room” in compounds for designated rooms. Example: 회의실이 어디예요? means “Where is the meeting room?” 사용해도 돼요? asks whether it is permitted to use something. The useful base verb is 사용하다, “to use.” Here, 사용해도 combines the verb with -아/어도, and 돼요 is the polite present form of 되다; together, -아/어도 되다 is the reusable pattern “be allowed to do” or “may do.” With 사용하다, the form is 사용해도 되다, because 하다 becomes 해 before -도 in this construction. Example: 여기 앉아도 돼요? means “May I sit here?” The polite ending -요 makes the question suitable for ordinary respectful conversation. Korean does not need an explicit subject here, so the sentence itself does not grammatically specify who “we” refers to; the fixed translation supplies the intended reading as “we.” Together, 공용 회의실 means “the shared meeting room,” and 사용해도 돼요? asks whether using it is permitted. The complete utterance therefore means, “Can we use the shared meeting room?”

2. 사용해도 돼요. 하지만 다른 사람들을 위해 깨끗하게 써 주세요.

   You can, but keep it tidy for other people.

   사용해도 돼요

   you may use it

   하지만

   but

   다른 사람들

   other people

   위해

   for the sake of

   깨끗하게

   cleanly; tidily

   써 주세요

   please use it

   More detail

   사용해도 돼요 contains 사용하다 “to use” plus -아/어도 되다, a pattern asking or granting permission: “it is okay to use.” Here the omitted object is understood from the context as the shared meeting room. The polite ending -요 makes the statement suitable for ordinary polite conversation. Compare 사용하면 안 돼요 (“you must not use it”), where 안 reverses the permission. 하지만 means “but” and links the permission to a condition or request that follows. It does not itself express the condition. 다른 사람들 means “other people.” 다른 modifies 사람들, while 사람들 is 사람 (“person”) with -들, a plural marker. The phrase is followed in the sentence by the object marker 을, so these people are the people considered in the following purpose phrase, not the users of the room. 위해 is the form used in the pattern N을/를 위해(서), “for N” or “for the sake of N.” Here 다른 사람들을 위해 means “for other people,” expressing the reason for keeping the shared space tidy. 깨끗하게 is the adverbial form of 깨끗하다 (“to be clean”): 깨끗하다 → 깨끗하게, “cleanly” or “tidily.” The ending -게 commonly turns a descriptive word into an adverb that describes how an action is done. For example, 방을 깨끗하게 써 주세요 means “Please use the room tidily.” 써 주세요 is a polite request pattern: 쓰다 (“to use” here) becomes 써, and 주세요 adds “please do it for me/us.” 쓰다 also has other meanings in Korean, including “to write,” but the surrounding context and the fixed translation select “use” here. The object is omitted because it is understood from the earlier question. The form 써 reflects the change from 쓰다 before the polite ending; it is not a separate base verb. Together, 사용해도 돼요 grants permission to use the shared meeting room. 하지만 then introduces the request 다른 사람들을 위해 깨끗하게 써 주세요: please use it tidily for other people. The whole utterance is therefore, “You can, but keep it tidy for other people.”

3. 이 테이블은 비어 있어요?

   Is this table free?

   이

   this

   테이블

   table

   비어 있어요

   is empty / is available

   More detail

   이 means “this” and points to something near the speaker. Korean demonstratives do not change for grammatical gender or number, so 이 can modify a singular or plural noun. Compare 그 (“that,” generally near the listener or already mentioned) and 저 (“that over there,” away from both). 테이블 is the noun “table.” It is a loanword used for a table, especially in settings such as a café or shared workspace. Example: 테이블이 있어요. — “There is a table.” Here the first 이 is not the demonstrative; the 이 attached to 테이블 is a subject particle. 비어 있어요 describes a continuing state: the table is empty and therefore available. The base verb is 비다 (“to be empty”). In this construction, 비어 있다 expresses the state resulting from something being empty, and the polite present form is 비어 있어요. The observed 있어요 is the polite form of 있다; here it helps express the continuing state rather than simply saying that the table exists. Example: 자리가 비어 있어요. — “The seat is available.” The question intonation, shown here by the question mark, turns the statement into a question. The chunks combine as 이 테이블 (“this table”) + 비어 있어요? (“is empty / is available?”), giving the intended meaning, “Is this table free?” In this context, “free” means available for use, not without cost.

4. 지금 사용할 수 있어요.

   It is available now.

   지금

   now

   사용할 수 있어요

   is available; can be used

   More detail

   지금 means “now,” placing the availability in the present time. It can be moved to other positions depending on Korean sentence structure, but here it comes first and sets the time frame. 사용할 수 있어요 expresses that something is available for use: literally, “there is a possibility/capacity to use it.” 사용하다 means “to use”; its form 사용할 is the form used before 수 있다 in this construction. The pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 means “can do” or “be possible to do,” while 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 없다 means “cannot do.” For example, 여기서 사용할 수 있어요 means “You can use it here.” 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, “to exist” or “to be available.” In -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요, it completes the expression of possibility or availability. The polite negative counterpart is 없어요 in the corresponding -(으)ㄹ 수 없어요 pattern. Together, 지금 and 사용할 수 있어요 produce “It is available now.” The sentence states present availability for use; the thing being used is understood from the situation rather than identified within this sentence.

5. 벽 옆에 제 가방을 놓을게요.

   I will put my bag by the wall.

   벽

   wall

   옆에

   beside; next to

   제

   my

   가방을

   bag

   놓을게요

   I will put it

   More detail

   벽 means “wall.” It is a noun and can be used with location expressions such as 벽 옆 (“beside the wall”). 옆에 means “beside/next to.” 옆 is “side,” and -에 marks a location or destination. Thus 벽 옆에 means “by the wall,” literally “at the wall’s side.” 제 means “my” in the humble/polite first-person form. It is a shortened form of 저의; 저 is the humble form of “I,” and 나의 is the less formal “my.” The possessive form 제 does not itself indicate the number of things owned. 가방을 means “bag” as the object of the action. The noun is 가방 (“bag”), and -을 marks it as the object. Korean object marking distinguishes this from a subject-marked form: 가방이 would mark “the bag” as the subject. Here, 제 가방을 is “my bag” as what will be placed. 놓을게요 comes from 놓다, “to put/place,” plus -(으)ㄹ게요. Because the verb stem 놓- ends in a consonant, this form is 놓을게요. -(으)ㄹ게요 presents the speaker’s intention or commitment to do something, often naturally translated as “I’ll ...” in a polite conversation. The subject “I” is understood from this speaker-oriented ending; it is not separately written. Example: 여기에 놓을게요. — “I’ll put it here.” The same ending expresses the speaker’s intended action, while the object is understood from context. Together, 벽 옆에 gives the placement location, 제 가방을 gives the speaker’s bag as the object, and 놓을게요 expresses the speaker’s commitment to place it. The complete meaning is: “I will put my bag by the wall.”

6. 테이블을 비워 주세요.

   Please keep the table clear.

   테이블

   table

   비워 주세요

   please leave it clear

   More detail

   테이블 means “table,” the surface or piece of furniture being referred to. It is a noun; Korean nouns do not change form for singular or plural in this expression. Example: 테이블이 커요. — “The table is big.” 비워 주세요 asks someone politely to leave something empty or clear. 비워 is the -아/어 form of 비우다 (“to empty; to clear”), and 주세요 adds a polite request meaning “please do it.” The subject of the request is understood from the situation, while the object is understood from the table expression here. This pattern is reusable: 문을 열어 주세요. — “Please open the door.” Together, 테이블을 marks the table as the object, and 비워 주세요 politely requests that it be kept clear. Thus the whole utterance means “Please keep the table clear.”

7. 다 끝나면 방을 깨끗하게 할게요.

   We will leave the room clean when we finish.

   다

   all; completely

   끝나면

   when it ends; when we finish

   방

   room

   깨끗하게

   cleanly; clean

   할게요

   will do; will make sure to do

   More detail

   다 contributes the sense “all” or “everything” in 다 끝나면: the idea is that the relevant activity is fully finished, not merely that one item ends. Its exact scope comes from the context. 끝나면 comes from 끝나다 (“to end; to be finished”) plus -(으)면, a form used for a condition or, as here, a time condition. In this sentence, the fixed translation supports the temporal reading “when we finish.” Korean often leaves the subject unspoken; here, the intended subject is “we” as given by the translation. 끝나다 describes something reaching its end, while 끝내다 is the related causative verb “to finish something.” 방 means “room.” In the sentence it appears as 방을: 을 marks the room as the object of the following action. The useful pattern is N을/를 ... 하다, in which the noun is the object affected by the action. 깨끗하게 is the adverbial form of 깨끗하다 (“to be clean”). The ending -게 lets this descriptive word modify an action, so 깨끗하게 하다 means “make something clean” or “leave something clean.” For example, 책상을 깨끗하게 했어요 means “I cleaned the desk,” literally presenting the desk as being made clean. 할게요 is based on 하다 (“to do; to make”) with -(으)ㄹ게요. This form commonly presents the speaker’s willing decision or commitment to do something, often with the listener in mind. Korean does not mark the number of the unspoken subject in this form; in this sentence, the intended “we” comes from the fixed translation. In 깨끗하게 할게요, 하다 combines with 깨끗하게 to mean “will make [it] clean.” Together, 다 끝나면 sets the time—“when we are all finished”—and 방을 깨끗하게 할게요 states the speaker’s commitment to make or leave the room clean. The complete meaning is: “We will leave the room clean when we finish.”

8. 그렇게 하면 다음 그룹에 도움이 돼요.

   That helps the next group.

   그렇게 하면

   if you do that

   다음

   next

   그룹

   group

   도움이 돼요

   helps

   More detail

   그렇게 하면 means “if you do that” or “if things are done that way.” 그렇게 means “that way,” and 하면 is the conditional form of 하다 (“to do”): 하다 + -면 → 하면. The pattern 그렇게 하면 ... is reusable for describing a result that follows from an action or method. 다음 means “next” or “following.” It is used before a noun to identify what comes after something else in an order or sequence, as in 다음 버스 (“the next bus”). Here it modifies 그룹. 그룹 is a noun meaning “group.” It is a loanword used for an organized set of people or things. In this sentence, it refers to the group that is next in the relevant sequence. 도움이 돼요 is the polite present form of the useful pattern 도움이 되다, “to be helpful” or “to help.” 도움 means “help,” 이 marks it as the subject of 되다, and 돼요 is the polite form of 되다 in this expression. The form 돼요 comes from 되다, not from 하다. For example, 이 정보가 도움이 돼요 means “This information is helpful.” Together, 그렇게 하면 sets up the condition, 다음 그룹 identifies the beneficiary, and 도움이 돼요 states the result: “If you do that, it helps the next group.”