Shopping for groceries with a list | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 장보기 목록대로만 사요.

   Let's stick to the grocery list.

   장보기

   grocery shopping

   목록

   list

   대로만

   only according to

   사요

   buy

   More detail

   장보기 means “grocery shopping” here. It is a noun used to specify the kind of 목록 that follows: a grocery list. The related verb 장보다 means “to go grocery shopping”; 장보기 is the noun-like form used for the activity. 목록 means “list.” In 장보기 목록, it is the head noun, so the phrase means “grocery list.” 대로만 combines 대로, “according to / in the way that,” with 만, “only.” Attached to 목록, 목록대로 means “according to the list,” and 목록대로만 narrows this to “only according to the list.” The pattern [noun]대로만 is reusable for following a specified plan or standard only. For example: 계획대로만 해요. — “Let’s do it only according to the plan.” 사요 is the polite present-style form of 사다, “to buy.” The verb 사다 changes to 사요 in the common polite -요 style. In this sentence, the omitted subject is understood from the intended collaborative meaning in the fixed translation, so the polite verb phrase contributes “let’s buy” rather than identifying a particular named buyer. Together, 장보기 목록대로만 sets the restriction “only according to the grocery list,” and 사요 supplies the action “buy.” The whole utterance therefore means “Let’s stick to the grocery list,” with the more literal structure “Let’s buy only according to the grocery list.”

2. 그러면 너무 많이 사지 않을 수 있어요.

   That should keep us from buying too much.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   너무 많이

   too much

   사지

   buy

   않을 수 있어요

   can avoid

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links the preceding idea with a result. Example: 그러면 시작해요. — “Then let’s start.” 너무 많이 means “too much” here. 많이 is an adverb meaning “a lot” or “much,” and 너무 marks the amount as excessive. 많다 is the related base adjective meaning “to be many” or “to be much”; 너무 does not itself name an object or a quantity. 사지 is the observed form of 사다, “to buy.” The verb stem 사- combines with -지 before the negative verb 않다: 사지 않다, “not buy.” Example: 이 책을 사지 않아요. — “I do not buy this book.” 않을 수 있어요 completes the pattern -지 않을 수 있다, which expresses the possibility or ability not to do something. Here, 않을 is the form of 않다 used before 수, and 있어요 is the polite form of 있다. With 사지, the result is “can avoid buying.” The fixed translation supports the intended “we/us” reading, although the subject is not overtly stated in the Korean sentence. Together, 그러면 gives the result link, 너무 많이 specifies an excessive amount, and 사지 않을 수 있어요 says that buying can be avoided. The whole utterance means “Then we can avoid buying too much,” naturally rendered in the fixed translation as “That should keep us from buying too much.”

3. 파스타와 쌀은 어디에 있어요?

   Where are the pasta and rice?

   파스타

   pasta

   쌀

   rice

   어디에

   where

   있어요

   is located; are located

   More detail

   파스타 means “pasta.” It is a loanword used as a noun. A useful pattern is A와 B for “A and B” when the first noun ends in a vowel sound; 와 connects 파스타 to the following noun. 쌀 means “rice,” specifically rice as a food or grain. In this sentence, 은 marks 파스타와 쌀 as the topic being asked about. Since 쌀 ends in a consonant sound, the topic-marker form is 은; after a vowel sound, the corresponding form is 는. 어디에 means “where” in a location question. 어디 is the question word “where,” and 에 marks the place associated with location. Compare the reusable pattern 어디에 있어요? — “Where is it/are they?” 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, used here for something being located somewhere. Korean uses this same verb for “is located” and “are located”; it does not change for singular versus plural in this form. The polite ending -어요 makes the question suitable for ordinary respectful conversation. Together, 파스타와 쌀은 sets “pasta and rice” as the topic, and 어디에 있어요? asks where they are located. The complete utterance means “Where are the pasta and rice?”

4. 건조식품 코너에 있어요.

   They are in the dry food aisle.

   건조식품

   dry food

   코너

   aisle; section

   에

   in; at

   있어요

   is located; are located

   More detail

   건조식품 means “dry food” here. It is a compound noun: 건조 means “drying/dry,” and 식품 means “food product.” The compound can describe a category of shelf-stable foods. Example: 건조식품을 샀어요. — “I bought dry food.” 코너 is a loanword meaning a section or designated area in a store. In this sentence, 건조식품 코너 is the noun phrase “the dry food aisle/section.” Korean often places a noun modifier before the noun it describes: [category] + 코너. 에 is a location particle. Attached to 코너, it marks the place where something is located: 코너에 means “in/at the section.” This is different from a particle marking movement toward a place, even though 에 can also be used with destinations in other sentences. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, “to exist” or “to be located.” With a place marked by 에, it commonly means that something is located there. The form is polite and suitable for ordinary conversation. Example: 책이 책상 위에 있어요. — “The book is on the desk.” The subject is omitted in the Korean sentence. The fixed translation identifies it as “they,” and the preceding question identifies the items being located as the pasta and rice. Korean can leave a recoverable subject unspoken, so the sentence does not need an explicit pronoun. Together, 건조식품 코너에 gives the location “in the dry food aisle,” and 있어요 says that the relevant items are located there. Thus 건조식품 코너에 있어요. means “They are in the dry food aisle.”

5. 이게 지난번에 산 파스타예요.

   This is the pasta we bought last time.

   이게

   this (subject)

   지난번에

   last time

   산

   bought

   파스타

   pasta

   예요

   is

   More detail

   이게 means “this” as the subject. It is the conversational form of 이것이: 이것 (“this thing”) plus the subject marker 이, contracted in speech to 이게. The form identifies the thing being described, while its exact referent is supplied by the situation. 지난번에 means “last time.” 지난번 is a noun meaning “the previous time,” and 에 marks the time when something happened. Example: 지난번에 만났어요. — “We met last time.” 산 is the form of 사다 (“to buy”) used before a noun. It is the past attributive form, so 산 파스타 means “the pasta [someone] bought.” In this fixed sentence, the intended buyer is “we,” as shown by the translation; the Korean form itself does not encode the buyer. Korean places this describing clause before the noun. Example: 어제 산 책 — “the book I bought yesterday.” 파스타 is the noun “pasta.” Here it is the noun modified by 산, so the phrase refers to pasta that was bought previously. 예요 is a polite present copula, meaning “is” here. It attaches after a noun ending in a vowel, as in 파스타예요 (“it is pasta”). After a noun ending in a consonant, the corresponding form is commonly 이에요, as in 책이에요 (“it is a book”). Together, 지난번에 산 파스타 is “the pasta we bought last time”: 지난번에 gives the time of 산, and 산 describes 파스타. The sentence 이게 지난번에 산 파스타예요. therefore means “This is the pasta we bought last time.”

6. 카트에 한 팩 넣어요.

   Let's put one pack in the cart.

   카트

   cart

   한 팩

   one pack

   넣어요

   put in

   More detail

   카트 means “cart” here. It is a Korean loanword, so its form does not change for number in this phrase. For example, 카트에 넣어요 means “Put it in the cart” or, in a suitable shared-action context, “Let’s put it in the cart.” 한 팩 expresses one pack. 한 is the form of the native number 하나 used directly before a counting unit; 하나 팩 is not the usual form in this position. 팩 is the unit/noun “pack,” so 한 팩 means “one pack,” without claiming that the pack contains any particular number of items. 넣어요 means “put in” here. Its base form is 넣다, “to put in” or “to place inside,” and 넣어요 is a polite present-style form. Korean often leaves the subject unspoken when the context makes it clear; with the fixed translation, the understood subject is “we,” and the sentence functions as the suggestion “let’s put.” For example, 가방에 책을 넣어요 means “Let’s put the book in the bag” when used as a shared-action suggestion. Together, 카트에 (in/into the cart), 한 팩 (one pack), and 넣어요 (let’s put) produce: “Let’s put one pack in the cart.”

7. 그다음에는 우유만 필요해요.

   After that, we only need milk.

   그다음에는

   after that

   우유

   milk

   만

   only

   필요해요

   need

   More detail

   그다음에는 means “after that” or “then.” 그다음에 marks the time after an already established event, and 는 presents that time as the topic, giving the sense “after that, as for what is needed...” The form 에는 combines 에 and the topic particle 는. Example: 그다음에는 집에 가요. — “After that, I go home.” This reuses the same time expression with a different action. 우유 means “milk.” It is a noun and does not change form for number in this sentence; the context determines whether it means milk generally or a quantity of milk. Here it is the item identified by the fixed translation as needed. Example: 우유가 있어요. — “There is milk.” The particle 가 marks 우유 as the thing that exists in this example; it is not part of the noun itself. 만 means “only” or “just.” It is a particle placed directly after the word or phrase being limited. Here it limits 우유, so milk is the only thing included in what is needed. The “only” meaning belongs to 우유만 as a unit, not to 필요해요 alone. Example: 물만 필요해요. — “Only water is needed.” This has the same pattern, 명사만 필요해요. 필요해요 is the polite present form of the Korean descriptive verb 필요하다, “to be needed” or “to be necessary.” Korean commonly expresses English “need” with the needed thing as the subject: 우유가 필요해요 is literally “milk is needed,” while the natural English translation can be “I need milk” or “we need milk,” depending on context. In the fixed sentence, the translation identifies the people who need it as “we”; Korean leaves those people implicit. The needed item is 우유만. The polite -어요 ending makes the utterance suitable for ordinary polite conversation. Example: 시간이 필요해요. — “Time is needed.” The noun marked with 이/가 is what is needed; the person who needs it can remain unstated. Together, 그다음에는 우유만 필요해요 means “After that, we only need milk.” The time phrase sets the point in the sequence, 우유만 limits the needed item to milk, and 필요해요 presents that item as needed in polite present-tense Korean.

8. 그러면 바로 계산대로 갈 수 있어요.

   Then we can head straight to checkout.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   바로

   straight; directly

   계산대

   checkout counter

   갈

   go; head

   수 있어요

   can; be able to

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links the situation just mentioned to the next result or plan. A reusable pattern is 그러면 + clause: “Then …” or “In that case, …” 바로 means “straight” or “directly” here. It can describe going without a detour or intermediate stop. For example, 바로 집에 가요 means “I go straight home.” 계산대 means “checkout counter” or “checkout.” The following particle -로 appears in the full sentence as 계산대로; here it marks the destination or direction, giving “to the checkout counter.” 계산대 is a noun, while 계산대로 is the noun plus that particle. 갈 is the form of 가다, “to go.” In 갈 수 있어요, 갈 is the form used before 수, not a separate verb meaning “can.” The pattern 동사 stem + -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility: 가다 → 갈 수 있다 (“can go”). 수 있어요 completes the ability/possibility construction. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, and with -(으)ㄹ 수 it means “can” or “be able to.” The subject is omitted in Korean; the fixed translation identifies it here as “we.” Together, 그러면 sets up a consequence, 바로 adds the idea of going directly, 계산대로 identifies the destination, and 갈 수 있어요 says that going there is possible. The whole utterance therefore means: “Then we can head straight to checkout.”