Ask about sauce ingredients before eating | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 이 소스에 어떤 재료가 들어가는지 물어봐도 될까요?

   Could I ask about the ingredients in this sauce?

   이

   this

   소스

   sauce

   어떤

   which; what kind of

   재료

   ingredient

   들어가는지

   what goes in; what is included

   물어봐도 될까요?

   May I ask?

   More detail

   이 means “this” and comes before the noun it identifies. Here it modifies 소스, giving “this sauce.” Korean also has 그 for something associated with the listener or already mentioned and 저 for something over there; the choice depends on the demonstrative relation, not on the noun’s number. 소스 is a noun meaning “sauce.” Korean nouns do not change form for singular and plural, so context can determine whether it refers to one sauce or more than one. 어떤 comes before a noun and asks which one or what kind. Here 어떤 재료 means “which ingredients,” not an amount. Example: 어떤 음식이에요? — “What kind of food is it?” 재료 means “ingredient” here. It can also mean “material” in a non-food context. Korean does not require a plural ending on this noun, so 재료 can mean “ingredient” or “ingredients” according to context. Example: 재료가 뭐예요? — “What are the ingredients?” 들어가는지 is formed from the verb 들어가다, “to go in” or, in this context, “to be included,” plus the embedded-question ending -는지. This ending makes the clause an indirect question. Thus 어떤 재료가 들어가는지 asks what ingredients are included. It is not best analyzed here as a present attributive form followed by a separate -지; -는지 is the relevant ending attached to the verb. Example: 무엇이 들어가는지 알아요. — “I know what is included.” 물어봐도 될까요? is a polite permission-seeking construction. 물어보다 means “to ask,” -아/어도 되다 expresses that an action is permitted, and -ㄹ까요? forms a polite question. Together, the construction means “May I ask?” Example: 이름을 물어봐도 될까요? — “May I ask your name?” As a whole, 이 소스에 means “in this sauce,” 어떤 재료가 들어가는지 asks which ingredients are included in it, and 물어봐도 될까요? politely asks permission to ask that question. The complete meaning is “Could I ask about the ingredients in this sauce?”

2. 우유와 마늘이 조금 들어 있어요.

   It contains milk and a little garlic.

   우유

   milk

   와

   and

   마늘

   garlic

   조금

   a little

   들어 있어요

   is contained

   More detail

   우유 means milk. It is a noun and can combine with particles such as 를 when it is the object of an action: 우유를 마셔요 means “I drink milk.” Here, 우유 is one of the things being described as present. 와 connects nouns, so 우유와 마늘 means “milk and garlic.” In Korean, 와 is used after a noun ending in a vowel; the corresponding form after a consonant is 과. This connector does not itself indicate which noun is more important. 마늘 means garlic. It is a noun; for example, 마늘을 넣어요 means “I add garlic.” In this sentence, it is coordinated with 우유 and is part of the described contents. 조금 means “a little” or “a small amount.” It indicates a small quantity here, specifically a small amount of garlic in the intended translation. Example: 물이 조금 있어요 means “There is a little water.” 들어 있어요 comes from 들어 있다, literally “be in,” and describes something being contained or present in a place or mixture. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다; 들어 is the connective form of 들다 in this fixed expression. The whole expression is not simply the action “enter”; with a substance or ingredient, it commonly means “be included” or “be contained.” The subject marker 이 appears after 마늘, giving the coordinated phrase 우유와 마늘이. The phrase 우유와 마늘이 조금 들어 있어요 therefore assembles as “Milk and a little garlic are contained in it,” naturally translated as “It contains milk and a little garlic.” The thing containing them is understood from the surrounding question about the sauce; the sentence itself focuses on its ingredients.

3. 저는 우유를 먹으면 안 돼요.

   I can't have milk.

   저는

   I

   우유

   milk

   먹으면 안 돼요

   must not have; cannot eat

   More detail

   저는 means “as for me, I.” 저 is the humble first-person pronoun used in polite speech; 는 marks it as the topic. This form is appropriate when the speaker presents their own restriction. A useful contrast is 나는, which is the less-humble first-person form often used in casual speech. Example: 저는 커피를 마셔요. — “I drink coffee.” 우유 means “milk.” It is a noun and does not change form for singular or plural in this sentence. The following object marker is 를, so 우유를 marks milk as what is consumed. Example: 물을 마셔요. — “I drink water.” 먹으면 안 돼요 is a reusable prohibition pattern: 먹다 “to eat/consume” + -(으)면 “if/when” + 안 되다 “not be okay/allowed.” Literally, it presents consuming something as not allowed; in this sentence, the fixed translation makes the intended meaning “I can’t have it.” 먹다 commonly means “eat,” but it can also mean “consume/have” food, so the translation “have milk” is natural here. The polite ending -어요 appears in 돼요; the base form of that part is 되다. Example: 여기서 사진을 찍으면 안 돼요. — “You must not take photos here.” Together, 저는 sets the speaker as the topic, 우유를 marks milk as the object, and 먹으면 안 돼요 says that consuming it is not permitted or possible for the speaker. The complete meaning is “I can’t have milk.”

4. 소스를 따로 담아 드릴 수 있어요.

   I can keep the sauce on the side.

   소스를

   the sauce

   따로

   separately; on the side

   담아

   put in; pack

   드릴 수 있어요

   can provide it for you

   More detail

   소스를 is 소스 (“sauce”) plus the object marker -를. It marks the sauce as what is handled or put somewhere. The marker’s form changes according to the preceding noun: -를 after a vowel and -을 after a consonant. Example: 물을 마셔요. — “I drink water.” 따로 means “separately” here: the sauce is kept apart from the main food, so “on the side” is the natural translation. It is an adverb and can be reused with many actions. Example: 이것은 따로 보관해요. — “I store this separately.” 담아 is the connective form of 담다, “to put or pack something into a container.” 담다 becomes 담아 before the following verb. Here it links the action of putting the sauce somewhere with the service-oriented verb that follows. Example: 음식을 상자에 담아요. — “I put the food in a box.” 드릴 수 있어요 combines 드리다, 수, and 있어요. 드리다 is the humble/service-oriented counterpart of 주다 (“to give”) when the speaker does something for the listener or another respected person. In this sentence, 담아 드리다 means “to put or pack it for you,” rather than merely “to put it.” 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility; 있어요 is its polite present form here. The pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요 means “can …”: after a vowel, use -ㄹ 수 있어요, and after a consonant, use -을 수 있어요. Example: 도와드릴 수 있어요. — “I can help you.” Together, 소스를 따로 identifies the sauce as the object and specifies that it is separate, while 담아 드릴 수 있어요 says that the speaker can pack or place it that way as a service for the listener. The complete meaning is: “I can keep the sauce on the side.”

5. 그러면 저에게 더 좋을 것 같아요.

   That would work better for me.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   저에게

   for me

   더

   more

   좋을 것 같아요

   I think it would be good

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” Here it introduces the result of accepting or considering a preceding option, rather than simply locating an event in time. A reusable pattern is 그러면 + conclusion, as in 그러면 시작해요. (“Then let’s start.”) 저에게 contains 저, the humble first-person pronoun “I/me,” plus 에게, a particle marking the person something is directed or relevant to. In this sentence, 저에게 means “for me.” 저 is used when the speaker refers to themself politely; the less formal first-person form is 나, and its corresponding particle form is 나에게. 더 is an adverb meaning “more.” With the adjective 좋다 (“to be good”), 더 좋다 means “to be better,” expressing a comparison with an understood alternative. The word 더 itself does not mean “good”; it increases the degree of the following description. For example, 이 방법이 더 좋아요. means “This method is better.” 좋을 것 같아요 is a polite expression meaning “it seems it would be good” or, naturally here, “I think it would work better.” Its core adjective is 좋다, “to be good.” The form 좋을 is the prospective modifier of 좋다, used before 것 (“thing”); 것 같다 literally presents something as seeming to be the case. The polite ending -아요 makes the statement suitable for ordinary courteous conversation. This construction can express a tentative personal assessment rather than a blunt assertion: 괜찮을 것 같아요. means “I think it will be okay.” Together, 그러면 sets up the consequence, 저에게 identifies the person for whom the option is preferable, and 더 좋을 것 같아요 gives a polite, somewhat tentative assessment. The whole utterance means “Then, I think that would work better for me.”

6. 피해야 하는 다른 음식도 있나요?

   Are there any other foods you need to avoid?

   피해야 하는

   need to avoid

   다른

   other

   음식

   food

   도

   also; too

   있나요?

   are there?

   More detail

   피해야 하는 means “that you need to avoid” here. Its base verb is 피하다 (“to avoid”). 피해야 하다 expresses necessity—“have to avoid”—and the ending -는 turns that expression into a modifier before a noun: 피해야 하는 음식 means “food that you need to avoid.” The Korean form itself does not mark the person, while the fixed translation identifies the understood person as “you.” 다른 means “other” or “different.” It is the form of 다르다 used before a noun, as in 다른 방법 (“a different method”). Here it marks the food as additional to food already under discussion. 음식 is the noun “food.” It can refer to food generally or to a food item/category, depending on context. In this sentence it is the noun modified by 피해야 하는 and 다른. 도 is an additive particle meaning “also” or “too.” Attached to 음식, as in 음식도, it adds food to the set being considered: “food as well” or “foods too.” 있나요? asks whether something exists or is present. It is based on 있다 (“to exist; to be there”) with the polite question ending -나요?. In this sentence, the question asks whether there are any such foods; the “any” comes from the question context rather than from a separate Korean word. Together, 피해야 하는 음식 is “foods that you need to avoid,” 다른 adds the meaning “other,” and 도 있나요? asks whether they exist as well. The whole utterance therefore means: “Are there any other foods you need to avoid?”

7. 마늘은 괜찮아요.

   Garlic is fine.

   마늘

   garlic

   괜찮아요

   is fine

   More detail

   마늘 means “garlic.” It is a noun; the form does not show number, so it can refer to garlic generally or to a particular amount, depending on context. In this sentence, 은 follows it as a topic marker: 마늘은 means “as for garlic.” 괜찮아요 means “is fine” here. It is the polite present-style form of 괜찮다, commonly used for something being fine, acceptable, or not a problem. The ending -아요 makes the statement polite; it does not itself mark a separate past or future event. For example, 이것은 괜찮아요. means “This is fine.” Together, 마늘은 (“as for garlic”) and 괜찮아요 (“is fine”) produce “Garlic is fine.” The topic marker presents garlic as the item under discussion, and 괜찮아요 gives the judgment about it.

8. 소스 없이 접시를 준비할게요.

   I'll prepare your plate without the sauce.

   소스

   sauce

   없이

   without

   접시

   plate

   준비할게요

   I’ll prepare

   More detail

   소스 means “sauce.” It is a noun and can combine with particles or modifiers: for example, 소스를 넣어요 means “I add sauce.” 없이 means “without” and follows the noun or noun phrase that is absent: 소스 없이 means “without sauce.” This is a useful pattern for stating that something is done while omitting a thing. It is different from 없어요, which means “there isn’t any” or “it is absent” as a predicate. 접시 means “plate” or “dish.” In this sentence, 접시를 marks it as the object being prepared; 를 is the object particle. A reusable pattern is 명사+를 준비하다, “to prepare a noun.” 준비할게요 comes from 준비하다, “to prepare,” plus -(으)ㄹ게요. After a verb stem, this ending presents the speaker’s intention or promise to do something, so 준비할게요 means “I’ll prepare it.” The ending does not itself encode a grammatical first-person subject; in this construction, the speaker is understood as the intended actor. For example, 곧 갈게요 means “I’ll go soon,” expressing the speaker’s intention. Putting the parts together, 소스 없이 describes the condition of the preparation, 접시를 identifies what will be prepared, and 준비할게요 states the speaker’s intention. The whole utterance means, “I’ll prepare your plate without the sauce.”