Choosing a Light Snack | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 간식이 먹고 싶어요.

   I want a snack.

   간식

   snack

   먹고 싶어요

   want to eat

   More detail

   간식 means “snack.” It is a noun for food eaten between regular meals. For example, 간식을 먹어요. means “I eat a snack.” The object marker -을 appears after 간식 when the noun is the thing being eaten: 간식을. 먹고 싶어요 expresses a present desire to eat. 먹다 is the base form “to eat”; 먹고 싶다 combines the verb stem with -고 싶다, a pattern meaning “want to do [the verb].” In polite everyday speech, 싶다 becomes 싶어요. The subject is not stated in the Korean sentence, but the fixed translation identifies it here as “I.” For example, 쉬고 싶어요. means “I want to rest.” Together, 간식 and 먹고 싶어요 produce 간식이 먹고 싶어요., meaning “I want a snack.” More literally, the sentence presents “eating a snack” as something the speaker wants. Here 이 marks 간식 as the subject of the expression, while the desired action is formed with 먹고 싶어요.

2. 배가 별로 고프지 않아요.

   I am not very hungry.

   배

   stomach; hunger-related body part

   별로

   not particularly

   고프지 않아요

   am/is not hungry

   More detail

   배 means “stomach” here. In Korean, 배가 고프다 is the ordinary way to say “to be hungry”: the stomach is described as hungry. 배 can also refer to the abdomen or belly in other contexts, so its exact meaning comes from the surrounding expression. 별로 means “not particularly” or “not very” in this sentence. It commonly appears with a negative expression to soften or limit the degree: 별로 안 좋아해요 means “I don’t particularly like it.” By itself, 별로 does not express a specific amount. 고프지 않아요 comes from the descriptive word 고프다, “to be hungry.” The ending -지 않아요 negates the description politely, giving “am/is not hungry.” The -지 form is part of the negation pattern; it is not a separate meaning of “hungry.” For example, 춥지 않아요 means “It is not cold.” Together, 배가 marks the stomach as the subject of the description, 별로 reduces the degree, and 고프지 않아요 says that it is not hungry. The whole utterance therefore means “I am not very hungry.”

3. 그럼 요거트처럼 가벼운 걸 골라요.

   Then choose something light, like yogurt.

   그럼

   then

   요거트

   yogurt

   처럼

   like; as

   가벼운

   light

   걸

   thing

   골라요

   choose

   More detail

   그럼 means “then” here. It is a common conversational shortening of 그러면 (“then; in that case”), used to move from the situation to a next suggestion or decision. 요거트 is the noun “yogurt.” It is the comparison standard in this sentence, not the thing being chosen. 처럼 is a particle attached to a noun to mean “like” or “as.” In 요거트처럼, it makes the pattern “like yogurt” or, with the following adjective, “as [adjective] as yogurt.” Example: 아이처럼 웃어요. — “They laugh like a child.” 가벼운 is the noun-modifying form of 가볍다, “to be light.” The form changes before a noun: 가볍다 → 가벼운. Here, in 가벼운 걸, it describes something as light; the sentence does not specify whether the relevant sense is physical weight or how light it is as food. Example: 가벼운 음식을 먹어요. — “I eat light food.” 걸 is the conversational contraction of 것을: 것 (“thing”) plus the object marker 을. After 가벼운, 가벼운 걸 means “a light thing” or more naturally “something light.” The contraction is common in speech and informal writing. Example: 좋은 걸 골라요. — “Choose a good one.” 골라요 comes from the verb 고르다, “to choose” or “to select.” 고르다 changes to 골라요 in the polite -요 style; the 르 form is not kept unchanged. In this context, the polite sentence ending makes it a gentle directive: “choose.” Example: 원하는 것을 골라요. — “Choose what you want.” Together, 요거트처럼 가벼운 means “light like yogurt,” and 가벼운 걸 makes that description the object of 골라요. With 그럼 setting up the next step, the whole utterance means: “Then choose something light, like yogurt.”

4. 견과류도 있어요?

   Do we have nuts too?

   견과류

   nuts

   도

   too; also

   있어요?

   is there?; do we have?

   More detail

   견과류 means “nuts” here. It is a noun for nuts as a food category; the ending -류 helps form category names. For example, 과일류 means “fruit and similar items,” but 견과류 itself is the natural word for “nuts.” 도 comes after 견과류 and adds the meaning “too” or “also.” It marks nuts as an additional item being considered, rather than replacing the meaning of the noun. For example, 차도 있어요. means “There is tea too.” 있어요? is the polite present question form of 있다, “to exist” or “to be available.” In this sentence, the intended meaning is “do we have [them]?” because the surrounding context concerns available food. Korean commonly leaves the subject and other recoverable information unstated, so this form itself does not encode the English subject “we.” The question asks whether the nuts are available; the next sentence confirms that some are in the cupboard. Compare 있어요. “There is/are some” or “We have some” and 없어요. “There is/are none” or “We do not have any.” Together, 견과류 names the additional food item, 도 adds it to the items under consideration, and 있어요? asks whether it is available. Thus the whole utterance means “Do we have nuts too?”

5. 찬장에 조금 있어요.

   There are some in the cupboard.

   찬장

   cupboard

   조금

   some; a little

   있어요

   there is/are; exists

   More detail

   찬장 means “cupboard.” It is a noun; with the location particle 에, 찬장에 means “in the cupboard” or “at the cupboard.” The particle 에 marks the place where something exists or is located. Example: 책이 책상에 있어요. — “The book is on the desk.” 조금 means “some” or “a little” here. It expresses a small amount, and the thing being quantified can be omitted when the context makes it clear. In this exchange, the omitted item is understood as nuts from the preceding question. 조금 does not by itself assert a specific numeric count. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, “to exist” or “to be located.” In this sentence it states the existence or location of something, rather than describing an action. Korean commonly uses 있다 for both “there is/are” and “to be somewhere.” Example: 물이 냉장고에 있어요. — “There is water in the refrigerator.” Together, 찬장에 gives the location, 조금 gives the small amount, and 있어요 says that it is present there: “There are some in the cupboard.”

6. 요거트에 견과류를 넣으면 좋겠어요.

   Yogurt with nuts sounds good.

   요거트

   yogurt

   에

   in; into

   견과류

   nuts

   를

   marks the object

   넣으면

   if (someone) puts in

   좋겠어요

   would be good

   More detail

   요거트 means “yogurt.” It is a noun, so it can be followed by a particle showing its role in the sentence. Example: 요거트를 먹어요. — “I eat yogurt.” 에 marks the place or container that something enters or is put into. Here, 요거트에 means “into/in the yogurt.” This is different from 에서, which commonly marks the place where an action occurs or from which something comes. 견과류 means “nuts” or “nuts as a food category.” It is the noun referring to what is put into the yogurt. Example: 견과류를 먹어요. — “I eat nuts.” 를 marks 견과류 as the object of the following action. For an object, use 을/를: 을 follows a noun ending in a consonant, and 를 follows a noun ending in a vowel. Thus 견과류를 marks “nuts” as what is put in. 넣으면 comes from 넣다, “to put in” or “to add.” The ending -으면/-면 makes a conditional or time clause: “if/when someone puts in.” Because 넣다 ends in a consonant, its form here is 넣으면; after a vowel, the corresponding form is generally -면, as in 가면 — “if/when [someone] goes.” The person doing the putting is not stated in this sentence. 좋겠어요 is based on 좋다, “to be good,” with -겠어요. In this context, -겠어요 presents an evaluation or suggestion in a tentative, polite way, giving the pattern -으면 좋겠어요: “it would be good if …” or “it would be nice to ….” Example: 내일 비가 안 오면 좋겠어요. — “It would be nice if it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” Together, 요거트에 견과류를 넣으면 means “if/when nuts are put into the yogurt,” and 좋겠어요 evaluates that possibility positively: “it would be good.” The whole utterance therefore means “Yogurt with nuts sounds good,” or more literally, “It would be good to put nuts in yogurt.”

7. 작은 그릇을 가져와요.

   Take a small bowl.

   작은

   small

   그릇

   bowl

   가져와요

   take; bring

   More detail

   작은 means “small” here and comes before the noun it describes. It is the form of 작다 used before a noun: 작다 → 작은. This form does not itself indicate number; it simply describes the bowl’s size. Example: 작은 컵 means “a small cup.” 그릇 means “bowl” here. It can also refer more broadly to a dish or container, depending on context, but “bowl” is the intended meaning in this sentence. The particle 을 after 그릇 marks it as the object of the action. 가져와요 comes from 가져오다, “to bring” or, in this intended instruction, “to take/bring [it].” The ending -어요 is a polite everyday ending. In this sentence, the form functions as a polite request or instruction rather than simply reporting an action. 가져오다 and 가져가다 contrast in direction: 오다 presents movement as coming toward a reference point, while 가다 presents movement as going away from it. The fixed translation establishes the intended instruction as “Take a small bowl.” Together, 작은 그릇을 means “a small bowl” as the object, and 가져와요 gives the polite instruction to take or bring it. Thus the whole utterance means “Take a small bowl.”

8. 그렇게 많지 않아요.

   It is not too much.

   그렇게

   that much; to that extent

   많지 않아요

   is not much; is not many

   More detail

   그렇게 means “to that extent” or “that much.” It is an adverb, so it modifies the description that follows rather than naming the amount itself. In this sentence, the extent is understood from the surrounding situation. 많지 않아요 comes from 많다 (“to be much/many”). The form 많지 않아요 negates it politely: 많지 않다 means “not be much/many,” and -어요 gives the polite conversational ending. Here, the fixed translation selects the amount reading “not too much.” The form can also describe a quantity of countable things as “not many,” depending on context; this sentence does not by itself state a numeric count. Together, 그렇게 + 많지 않아요 means “It is not that much” or, naturally here, “It is not too much.” The utterance comments on the amount being made or used without specifying an exact quantity.

9. 지금 하나 만들게요.

   I will make one now.

   지금

   now

   하나

   one

   만들게요

   I will make it

   More detail

   지금 means “now,” referring to the current time. It commonly appears near the beginning of a sentence to set when an action happens. Example: 지금 시작해요. — “I’m starting now.” 하나 means “one” and is used here for one item or unit whose identity is understood from the situation. It is the native Korean counting word for “one” when the item itself is not named. Example: 하나 주세요. — “Please give me one.” 만들게요 comes from 만들다, “to make,” plus the polite ending -ㄹ게요. The ending presents the speaker’s intention or commitment to do something, so 만들게요 means “I’ll make it” or “I’ll make [one]” in this context. The object is supplied by the surrounding meaning rather than stated inside this word. Example: 제가 준비할게요. — “I’ll prepare it.” Together, 지금 하나 만들게요 means “I will make one now.” 지금 gives the time, 하나 identifies the quantity of the thing being made, and 만들게요 expresses the speaker’s polite commitment to make it.

10. 제 것도 견과류를 조금 남겨 주세요.

    Leave some nuts for me, please.

    제 것도

    mine too

    견과류

    nuts

    조금

    some; a little

    남겨 주세요

    please leave

    More detail

    제 것도: 제 is the humble first-person possessive form, “my,” and 것 is a noun meaning “thing”; together, 제 것 means “mine” or “my share.” The particle 도 adds “also/too,” so this chunk means “mine too.” The exact item referred to by “mine” is not named in this sentence. 견과류: This noun means “nuts” as a category or food group. 견과류를 marks the nuts as the object of the action; 를 is the object particle after a vowel-final noun. For example, 과일을 먹어요 means “I eat fruit.” 조금: This expresses a small amount, “a little” or “some.” In this sentence it indicates that only a small amount of nuts should be left, without stating an exact quantity. For example, 물을 조금 주세요 means “Please give me a little water.” 남겨 주세요: 남겨 is the form of 남기다, “to leave” or “to save,” used before 주세요. The pattern -아/어 주세요 makes a polite request: 남겨 주세요 means “please leave it/them.” Here, the object is the nuts mentioned earlier. 남기다 can also mean saving something for later, so the context determines whether “leave” or “save” is the most natural translation. Together, 제 것도 (“mine too”), 견과류를 (“the nuts”), 조금 (“some/a little”), and 남겨 주세요 (“please leave”) form: “Please leave some nuts for me too.” The request is directed to the listener, and 도 indicates that the speaker’s share should be included as well.