Getting a copy of a stamped document | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 이 서류를 복사해 주실 수 있을까요?

   Could I get a copy of this document?

   이

   this

   서류

   document

   복사해

   make a copy

   주실 수 있을까요?

   could you do it for me?

   More detail

   이 means “this.” It is a demonstrative determiner placed before the noun it describes. In this sentence, it identifies the document as the one being indicated in the situation. 서류 means “document” or “paperwork.” Here, together with 이, it refers to “this document.” It is a noun; 문서 is another word for “document,” often used for a more formal or text-focused document, but the two are not interchangeable in every context. 복사해 comes from 복사하다, “to copy.” The ending -해 is the 하다 form that connects this action to the following helping verb. 복사해 주다 means “to copy and do it for someone,” naturally “to make a copy for someone.” 복사해 alone is not an imperative here; the request meaning comes from the complete construction. 주실 수 있을까요? is a polite request construction asking about the listener’s ability to do something for the speaker. 주다 can mean “to give,” and in this pattern it means “to do something for someone.” The -시- in 주실 honorifically marks the person who would perform the action, and -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 expresses possibility or ability. The ending -을까요? turns the expression into a polite question. The honorific marker is attached to 주다, appearing in 주실, not to 복사해. The parts combine in source order: 이 서류 means “this document,” and 복사해 주실 수 있을까요? politely asks whether the listener could make a copy for the speaker. The complete meaning is “Could I get a copy of this document?” This is a courteous request.

2. 먼저 원본을 봐야 합니다.

   I need to see the original first.

   먼저

   first

   원본

   original

   봐야 합니다

   need to see

   More detail

   먼저 means “first” or “before anything else.” It sets the order of the action in this sentence. Example: 먼저 읽으세요. — “Please read it first.” 원본 means “the original,” especially an original document or file, contrasted with a copy. Here it refers to the original item that the speaker needs to see; the surrounding document-related context supports that reading. Example: 원본이 필요합니다. — “The original is needed.” 봐야 합니다 is the formal-polite form of 보다 (“to see” or “to look at”) in the pattern -아/어야 하다, which expresses necessity or obligation. 보다 changes to 봐 before -야 하다: 보다 → 봐야 하다. 합니다 is the formal-polite form of 하다. Thus, 봐야 합니다 means “must see” or, from the speaker’s perspective here, “need to see.” Example: 이 서류를 봐야 합니다. — “I need to look at this document.” Together, 먼저 + 원본을 + 봐야 합니다 means “I need to see the original first.” The object marker 를 shows that 원본 is what the speaker needs to see, while 먼저 places that action before a later step. The formal-polite ending makes the statement appropriate in a polite administrative exchange.

3. 신청서를 작성해야 하나요?

   Should I fill out a request form?

   신청서를

   an application/request form

   작성해야

   need to fill out

   하나요?

   do/is it?

   More detail

   신청서를 refers here to the object being completed: an application/request form. 신청서 is the noun “application form” or “request form,” and -를 marks it as the object of the action. In Korean, -를 follows a vowel-final noun, while -을 follows a consonant-final noun. Because 신청서 ends in the vowel sound ㅓ, it takes -를. Example: 신청서를 작성해요. — “I fill out an application form.” 작성해야 comes from 작성하다, “to fill out” or “to complete” a document. The form 작성해야 combines this verb with -아야/어야, which appears in the necessity pattern V-아야 하다: “must/need to V.” Thus, in this sentence, it contributes “need to fill out.” The following 하나요? completes that pattern; 작성해야 by itself is not the complete expression of necessity. Example: 이 양식을 작성해야 해요. — “I need to fill out this form.” 하나요? is the interrogative form of 하다 in the necessity construction -아야 하나요?. On its own, this quoted portion is the question form of 하다; together with the preceding 작성해야, it asks whether the action is necessary, giving “Do I need to …?” or “Should I …?” The subject is not stated overtly in Korean; the fixed translation supports “I” as the person who would fill out the form. The ending -나요? presents the question in a polite conversational style. Example: 지금 출발해야 하나요? — “Do I need to leave now?” Together, 신청서를 작성해야 하나요? asks whether the speaker needs to fill out an application/request form: “Should I fill out a request form?” The pattern N을/를 V-아야 하나요? is reusable for asking whether one must perform an action involving a particular object.

4. 신청서를 작성해 주세요.

   Please complete the form.

   신청서

   application form

   작성해

   complete / fill out

   주세요

   please

   More detail

   신청서 means an application or request form. It is a noun; in this sentence, it is the document being completed. The particle 를 marks it as the object of the action. 신청서 can be reused with other actions, for example: 신청서를 제출해요. — “I submit the application form.” 작성해 comes from the verb 작성하다, “to fill out” or “to complete” a document. The form 작성해 connects this action to the following request expression: 작성하다 → 작성해 in the -아/어 form. This form does not itself mean “please”; the polite request meaning comes from the combination with 주세요. 주세요 comes from 주다, “to give,” and is also used after an -아/어 form to make a polite request. The reusable pattern is 동사-아/어 주세요, meaning “please do [the verb].” For example: 기다려 주세요. — “Please wait.” Here, 작성해 주세요 means “please complete/fill out [it].” Together, 신청서를 작성해 주세요 forms a polite request: 신청서를 identifies the form as the object, and 작성해 주세요 asks the listener to complete it. Thus the whole utterance means “Please complete the form.”

5. 그러면 제가 복사해 드릴 수 있습니다.

   Then I can make the copy.

   그러면

   then

   제가

   I

   복사해 드릴

   make a copy for you

   수 있습니다

   be possible

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links the sentence to a situation already established: “If that is so, then …” Here, it connects the possibility of making a copy with the preceding request to complete the form. 제가 means “I” as the person carrying out the action. 저 is the humble first-person pronoun, and -가 marks the subject here. 제가 presents the speaker as the actor; 저는 instead marks “I” as the topic or contrast. 복사해 드릴 contains 복사하다, “to copy,” followed by the benefactive construction -아/어 드리다, which expresses doing something for someone while using the humble 드리다. 복사해 is the -아/어 form of 복사하다, and 드릴 is the prospective modifier form of 드리다 used before 수 있습니다. The reusable pattern is [verb stem]아/어 드리다: 도와 드리다 means “to help someone,” and 설명해 드리다 means “to explain something for someone.” Example: 제가 설명해 드릴게요. — “I’ll explain it for you.” This construction adds the idea that the action is done for another person. 수 있습니다 contributes possibility in the pattern -(으)ㄹ 수 있다. With a preceding prospective verb form, the complete pattern means “can” or “be able to.” Its negative counterpart is -(으)ㄹ 수 없습니다, “cannot.” 있습니다 is the formal-polite form of 있다; the ability meaning comes from the complete pattern with 수 and the preceding verb form, not from 있습니다 alone. Together, 복사해 드릴 수 있습니다 means “can make a copy for you”: the speaker is able to perform the copying as a service. Combined with 그러면 and 제가, the whole utterance means “Then I can make the copy.” It uses a formal-polite style.

6. 도장이 찍힌 페이지만 필요합니다.

   I only need the page with the stamp.

   도장

   stamp

   찍힌

   stamped

   페이지

   page

   만

   only

   필요합니다

   is needed

   More detail

   도장 means “stamp” here, specifically the stamp/seal placed on a document. It is a noun. In 도장이 찍힌, the subject marker 이 marks 도장 as the thing that is stamped onto the page. 찍힌 is the form of 찍히다, “to be stamped” or “to have a mark placed on it.” Its -힌 ending lets the clause modify a following noun: 찍힌 페이지 means “a page that has been stamped.” The form describes a completed event or resulting state. The active verb 찍다 means “to stamp” when the subject performs the stamping; 찍히다 presents the page or other surface as receiving the stamp. Example: 도장이 찍힌 서류를 보세요. — “Please look at the stamped document.” 페이지 means “page.” In this sentence it is the noun modified by 도장이 찍힌, so the phrase means “the page on which a stamp has been placed.” Example: 이 페이지를 복사하세요. — “Please copy this page.” 만 is an exclusivity particle meaning “only.” Attached to 페이지, as in 페이지만, it limits what is needed: “only the page.” It does not itself mean that there is one page; the sentence only excludes other pages from what is needed. Example: 첫 페이지만 보내 주세요. — “Please send only the first page.” 필요합니다 is the polite formal form of 필요하다, “to be needed” or “to be necessary.” Korean commonly expresses a need with the needed item as the subject: 페이지가 필요합니다 is literally structured as “a page is needed,” while the speaker’s English meaning is “I need a page.” Here, 페이지만 is that needed item, and 만 limits it to the stamped page. The ending -습니다 gives a formal-polite statement. Together, 도장이 찍힌 페이지 identifies “the page with the stamp,” and 페이지만 필요합니다 says that only this identified page is needed. The complete meaning is: “I only need the page with the stamp.”

7. 그 페이지만 복사하고 나머지 페이지는 함께 보관하겠습니다.

   I will copy that page and keep the other pages together.

   그

   that

   페이지

   page

   만

   only

   복사하고

   copy and

   나머지

   the rest

   페이지

   page

   함께

   together

   보관하겠습니다

   will keep

   More detail

   그 means “that” when it modifies a noun. It is a demonstrative determiner, so it comes before the noun: 그 페이지 = “that page.” The exact identity of “that” is not specified by the sentence itself. 페이지 means “page.” It is a noun and can be used with a demonstrative or a particle: 그 페이지 = “that page.” Korean does not require a separate plural ending here; the surrounding meaning can indicate whether 페이지 refers to one page or several. 만 is an “only” particle. It attaches directly to the element being limited: 그 페이지만 means “only that page.” The limitation applies to the page selected for copying. 복사하고 contains 복사하다 (“to copy”) plus -고, a connective meaning “and” here. The observed form 복사하고 links the copying action to the next action: A하고 B can mean “do A and B.” Example: 읽고 씁니다. = “I read and write.” 나머지 means “the rest” or “what remains.” It is a noun-like word that identifies the remaining portion after something has been selected or removed. Here, 나머지 페이지 means “the remaining pages,” contrasted with the page limited by 만. The second 페이지 again means “page.” In 나머지 페이지는, the noun is followed by 는, the topic particle. The phrase therefore sets “the remaining pages” as the topic of the second action. The noun itself does not show a separate plural ending; the context and 나머지 support the plural interpretation in the translation. 함께 means “together.” It describes the manner of keeping the remaining pages: they are kept as a group rather than separately. Example: 친구와 함께 갑니다. = “I go together with a friend.” 보관하겠습니다 is based on 보관하다, “to store” or “to keep,” with -겠- and the polite formal ending -습니다. In this sentence, -겠습니다 presents the speaker’s intended future action: “I will keep.” The form is not the past form; it refers to an action the speaker undertakes or intends to undertake. Together, 그 페이지만 복사하고 means “copy only that page and,” while 나머지 페이지는 함께 보관하겠습니다 means “I will keep the remaining pages together.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I will copy that page and keep the other pages together,” with 만 explicitly marking the copied selection as that page alone.

8. 원본을 조심해서 다뤄 주세요.

   Please handle the original carefully.

   원본

   the original

   조심해서

   carefully

   다뤄 주세요

   please handle

   More detail

   원본 means “the original,” commonly an original document, file, or other source item rather than a copy. It is a noun; the sentence does not specify a more particular kind of original. A useful contrast is 복사본 (“copy”). 조심해서 means “carefully” here. It comes from 조심하다, “to be careful,” with -아서/어서, which links the manner or circumstance to the following action. Thus, 조심해서 다루다 is “to handle carefully.” 다뤄 주세요 is a polite request meaning “please handle [it].” The lexical verb is 다루다, “to handle,” and 다뤄 is its contracted form from 다루어. -어 주세요 asks someone to perform the action for the speaker; it is not part of the verb’s dictionary form. For example, 문을 열어 주세요 means “Please open the door.” Together, 원본을 marks “the original” as the object, 조심해서 gives the manner, and 다뤄 주세요 politely requests the addressee to handle it. The complete meaning is “Please handle the original carefully.”

9. 모두 함께 돌려드리겠습니다.

   I will return everything together.

   모두

   everything; all

   함께

   together

   돌려드리겠습니다

   will return

   More detail

   모두 means “everything” here and refers to the complete set being returned. It can also mean “everyone” when the context is people, so its interpretation comes from what it modifies or stands for. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the meaning as “everything.” 함께 is an adverb meaning “together.” It describes the manner or grouping of the return: the items will be returned as one combined set or on the same occasion. Example: 함께 가요. — “Let’s go together.” 돌려드리겠습니다 is a formal-polite first-person form meaning “will return.” The useful base expression is 돌려드리다, “to return something to someone” in a respectful style. 돌려드리다 combines the return meaning of 돌리다 with 드리다, which presents the action respectfully toward the recipient; the recipient is not stated in this utterance. The ending -겠습니다 marks a formal, polite prospective statement, often expressing the speaker’s intention or commitment. Thus, 돌려드리겠습니다 is not merely a present-tense “return”; it presents the speaker’s future action. Together, 모두 함께 means “everything together,” and 돌려드리겠습니다 says that the speaker will return it respectfully. The complete utterance is therefore: “I will return everything together.”