Exchanging a Shirt for a Larger Size | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 이 셔츠를 샀어요.

   I bought this shirt.

   이

   this

   셔츠

   shirt

   를

   object marker

   샀어요

   bought

   More detail

   이 means “this” when it comes before a noun. It identifies something near the speaker or otherwise presented as the speaker’s “this”; it does not itself show whether the noun is singular or plural. Compare 그 “that/the one already associated with the listener or context” and 저 “that over there.” 셔츠 is the noun “shirt,” a loanword. In this sentence it is the thing that was bought. Korean nouns do not change form for singular versus plural here. 를 marks the noun phrase before it as the object of the action. The noun 셔츠 ends without a final consonant (받침), so it takes 를; after a noun with a final consonant, the corresponding object marker is 을. For example, 책을 샀어요 means “I bought a book.” 샀어요 is the polite past form of 사다, “to buy.” The verb stem 사- combines with the past polite ending -았어요, and the vowels contract to produce 샀어요. The form expresses a completed purchase in the polite conversational style. For example, 빵을 샀어요 means “I bought bread.” Together, 이 셔츠를 means “this shirt” as the object, and 샀어요 means “bought.” Korean commonly omits a subject when it is understood; here, the fixed translation identifies the omitted buyer as “I.” The whole utterance therefore means “I bought this shirt.”

2. 맞지 않아요.

   It does not fit.

   맞지 않아요

   does not fit

   More detail

   맞지 않아요 is the polite present negative form of 맞다 (“to fit” here). The subject is omitted, as is common in Korean; the fixed translation gives the meaning “it,” referring in this exchange to the item discussed. 맞다 has several uses, including “to fit” and “to be correct,” so its meaning depends on context. Here, the clothing context selects “fit.” Example: 이 신발은 잘 맞아요. — “These shoes fit well.” -지 않다 is a productive way to negate a verb or adjective. The pattern is verb/adjective stem + 지 않다; in polite present speech, 않다 becomes 않아요. Thus, 맞다 → 맞지 않아요, meaning “does not fit.” This is a negative statement, not a question. Together, 맞다 (“fit”) plus -지 않아요 (“does not”) produces the complete meaning: “It does not fit.”

3. 영수증과 택을 아직 가지고 계세요?

   Do you still have the receipt and the tag?

   영수증과

   receipt and

   택을

   tag

   아직

   still

   가지고 계세요

   have; keep

   More detail

   영수증과 means “the receipt and.” 영수증 is “receipt,” and -과 links it to the following noun in a coordinated list. After a vowel, the corresponding linking form is -와; after a consonant, -과 is used. Here -과 connects the receipt and the tag. 택을 means “the tag” as the object of the question. 택 is a loanword meaning “tag,” and -을 marks an object after a consonant-final noun. The object marker is attached to the noun in writing, as in 택을; after a vowel-final noun, the corresponding object marker is -를. 아직 means “still” here: the question asks whether the possession continues at this point. It can also mean “yet” in a negative or question context, but “still” is the compatible meaning in this sentence. 가지고 계세요 is a polite honorific form meaning “have” or “keep” here. The reusable pattern is N을/를 가지고 있다 for possessing or keeping something: 가지고 comes from 가지다 (“to have; to possess”), and 계세요 is the polite present form of the honorific verb 계시다, used in the 가지고 있다 construction to honor the person who possesses the item. Thus, the form reflects both possession and respect toward the person addressed; it is not simply the ordinary form 가지고 있어요. Example: 우산을 가지고 있어요. — “I have an umbrella.” This uses the ordinary, non-honorific form for the subject. A polite honorific version addressing or referring respectfully to the possessor is 우산을 가지고 계세요. — “You have an umbrella.” Together, 영수증과 택을 names the two objects, 아직 asks whether the possession continues, and 가지고 계세요? asks politely and honorifically whether the addressee has or is keeping them. The complete utterance means: “Do you still have the receipt and the tag?”

4. 둘 다 가방 안에 넣어 두었어요.

   I kept both in the bag.

   둘 다

   both

   가방

   bag

   안에

   inside; in

   넣어 두었어요

   put in and kept

   More detail

   둘 다 means “both,” referring here to the two items identified in the surrounding exchange. 둘 is the native Korean numeral “two,” and 다 adds “all” in this pattern. A reusable pattern is A와 B 둘 다 (“both A and B”). 가방 means “bag.” Korean nouns do not obligatorily mark singular versus plural; here, the fixed translation presents it as one bag. Example: 가방이 커요. — “The bag is big.” 안에 means “inside; in.” 안 means “inside,” and -에 marks a location or destination. Thus 가방 안에 means “inside the bag.” The location marker -에 differs from -에서, which commonly marks the place where an action occurs. 넣어 두었어요 describes putting something somewhere and leaving it there. The lexical verb is 넣다, “to put in” or “to place inside.” 넣어 is its connective form, followed by 두다; in this construction, 두다 contributes the idea of maintaining the result. 두었어요 is the polite past form of 두다, so the completed placement is presented as a state maintained in the past. The contracted form 넣어 뒀어요 is also common, but it is not the form used here. Example: 서류를 가방 안에 넣어 두었어요. — “I put the documents in the bag and left them there.” This is a new practice example illustrating the same pattern, not a fact from the supplied exchange. Together, 둘 다 identifies both items, 가방 안에 gives the destination “inside the bag,” and 넣어 두었어요 describes putting them there and keeping them there. The omitted subject is understood as “I” in the fixed translation, yielding: “I kept both in the bag.”

5. 그러면 반품이나 교환을 도와드릴 수 있어요.

   Then I can help with a return or exchange.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   반품이나

   a return or

   교환

   exchange

   도와드릴 수 있어요

   can help you

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links the utterance to a situation already under discussion and can introduce a resulting offer or conclusion. A reusable pattern is 그러면 + clause: “Then/in that case, …” 반품이나 contains the noun 반품 (“return”) and the alternative marker -이나. After a noun ending in a consonant, -이나 means “or.” For example, 차나 버스 means “a car or a bus”; after a vowel-ending noun, the shorter form -나 is used. 교환 is the noun “exchange.” Together, 반품이나 교환 presents two alternatives: “a return or an exchange.” The following object marker 을 applies to this coordinated noun phrase in the full sentence. 도와드릴 수 있어요 uses 도와드리다, “to help someone” in a respectful service-oriented expression. The form 도와드릴 is the prospective modifier of 도와드리다, and 수 있어요 completes the pattern -ㄹ/을 수 있다, meaning that the subject is able to or can do something. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 in this pattern. The 드리다 part presents the help respectfully toward the person receiving it; here, the fixed translation identifies the speaker as the helper and the listener as the person being helped. The whole utterance combines 그러면 (“then/in that case”) with 반품이나 교환을 (“a return or exchange,” as the object) and 도와드릴 수 있어요 (“can help you respectfully”). Its meaning is: “Then I can help with a return or exchange.”

6. 더 큰 사이즈로 교환하고 싶어요.

   I would rather exchange it for a larger size.

   더 큰

   larger

   사이즈

   size

   교환하고 싶어요

   want to exchange

   More detail

   더 큰 means “larger” here. 크다 is the base form meaning “to be big”; before a noun, it becomes 큰, and 더 adds comparison, meaning “more” or “-er.” Thus 더 큰 사이즈 is “a larger size.” Without 더, 큰 사이즈 means “a big size.” 사이즈 is a noun meaning “size.” It is a commonly used Korean loanword. Here it names the requested replacement size, while 더 큰 describes it. 교환하고 싶어요 expresses “want to exchange.” 교환하다 is the base verb “to exchange.” The verb combines with -고 싶다 to express a desire: 교환하고 싶다 means “want to exchange,” and 싶어요 is its polite present form here. The subject is omitted; the speaker’s desire is understood. A reusable pattern is 동사-고 싶어요, meaning “I want to [verb].” Example: 환불하고 싶어요 means “I want a refund.” Together, 더 큰 사이즈로 means “for a larger size.” Here -로 marks the selected replacement or change-to option. 교환하고 싶어요 says that the speaker wants to make that exchange. The complete utterance means “I would rather exchange it for a larger size.”

7. 셔츠를 입지 않았다면 가능할 것 같아요.

   That should be possible if the shirt is unused.

   셔츠

   shirt

   입지 않았다면

   if it has not been worn

   가능할 것 같아요

   seems possible

   More detail

   셔츠 means “shirt.” With the following object marker 를, it forms the reusable clothing pattern [clothing]을/를 입다 (“wear [clothing]”); for example, 코트를 입어요. means “I wear a coat.” 입지 않았다면 means “if it has not been worn.” Its base verb is 입다, “to wear.” 입지 않다 negates the verb with -지 않다, and 않았다면 combines the past form with -다면 to make a conditional: “if it has not ….” The wearer is not expressed, while the supplied translation identifies the intended condition as the shirt being unused or unworn. A reusable pattern is 동사-지 않았다면 (“if [someone] has not …”); for example, 아직 먹지 않았다면 드세요. means “If you have not eaten yet, please eat.” 가능할 것 같아요 means “seems possible,” and here it gives the tentative judgment “should be possible.” 가능하다 means “to be possible.” In 가능할 것 같다, 가능할 is the attributive form of 가능하다 before 것; 것 같다 presents the proposition as an impression or expectation rather than an absolute guarantee. The -ㄹ here is the prospective attributive form, not a standalone word meaning “possibility.” For example, 내일 만날 수 있을 것 같아요. means “I think I will be able to meet tomorrow.” Together, 셔츠를 입지 않았다면 sets the condition “if the shirt has not been worn,” and 가능할 것 같아요 gives the tentative judgment “should be possible.” The whole utterance therefore means: “That should be possible if the shirt is unused.”

8. 더 큰 사이즈는 어디에서 입어 볼 수 있나요?

   Where can I try the larger size?

   더 큰

   larger

   사이즈

   size

   어디에서

   where

   입어 … 볼 수 있나요?

   can try on

   More detail

   더 큰 means “larger” here. 크다 is the base form “to be big”; its noun-modifying form is 큰, and 더 makes the comparison stronger: 큰 사이즈 “a big size” → 더 큰 사이즈 “a larger size.” The adjective form 큰 modifies the noun 사이즈 that follows it. 사이즈 is the noun “size,” commonly used for a garment or other product size. A reusable pattern is 더 큰 + noun for “a larger [noun].” For example, 더 큰 방 means “a larger room.” 어디에서 asks “where” and marks the place where an action takes place. 에서 is used for an activity or event at a location, as in 어디에서 만나요? — “Where shall we meet?” This differs from 어디에, which commonly marks a destination or location of existence. 입어 볼 수 있나요? asks whether the speaker can try something on. 입다 means “to wear” or “to put on”; 입어 is its connective form. Here it combines with auxiliary 보다, literally “to see,” in the construction -어/아 보다, meaning “to try doing.” Thus 입어 보다 means “to try wearing [it].” The -을 수 있다 pattern, seen here as 볼 수 있다, expresses ability or possibility, and 있나요? makes it a polite question. For example, 이 신발을 신어 볼 수 있나요? means “Can I try on these shoes?” Together, 더 큰 사이즈 identifies the larger size, 어디에서 asks for the place, and 입어 볼 수 있나요? asks whether trying it on is possible. The complete utterance therefore means, “Where can I try the larger size?”

9. 피팅룸은 저 진열대 뒤에 있어요.

   The fitting rooms are behind that display.

   피팅룸

   fitting room(s)

   저

   that

   진열대

   display stand

   뒤에

   behind

   있어요

   is/are

   More detail

   피팅룸 means “fitting room.” It is a Korean loanword compound used here as the topic of the sentence. Korean does not require a plural ending here, so the fixed translation’s “fitting rooms” is compatible with the unchanged form 피팅룸. 저 means “that” when pointing to something at a distance from the speaker and listener. It is a demonstrative placed before the noun it specifies. For comparison, 이 means “this,” while 그 commonly means “that” associated with the listener or with an already established context. Here 저 identifies the display as “that” one. 진열대 means “display stand” or “display shelf,” the noun identified by 저. The useful pattern is 저 + noun, meaning “that noun.” 뒤에 means “behind” in this sentence. 뒤 is the noun meaning “back” or “rear,” and -에 marks the location being described. Thus N 뒤에 means “behind N.” The location phrase is 저 진열대 뒤에, “behind that display.” 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, used here to say that something is located somewhere or exists somewhere. In a location sentence, N은/는 장소에 있어요 means “N is located in/at the place.” 있어요 does not change for the number of the located item, so the Korean form itself does not show singular versus plural. Together, 피팅룸은 sets the fitting rooms as the topic, and 저 진열대 뒤에 gives their location. The final 있어요 states that they are there: “The fitting rooms are behind that display.”