Asking to Move a Report Deadline | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 보고서를 위해 시간이 더 필요해요.

   I need more time for the report.

   보고서

   report

   위해

   for; for the purpose of

   시간

   time

   더

   more

   필요해요

   need; be needed

   More detail

   보고서 means “report.” It is a noun; the attached 를 in 보고서를 marks it as the object of the purpose expression. The phrase 보고서를 위해 means “for the report” here, expressing the purpose or intended relation. Example: 회의를 위해 자료를 준비해요. — “I prepare materials for the meeting.” 위해 means “for” or “for the purpose of.” It follows a noun or noun phrase and explains what the action or situation is intended for. In this sentence, it connects the report with the needed time; it does not itself mean “need.” 시간 means “time.” In 시간이, the particle 이 marks 시간 as the subject of the following predicate. Korean commonly uses 필요하다 (“to be needed / necessary”) with the needed thing as the subject, so 시간이 필요해요 literally has the structure “time is needed,” meaning “I need time” in this context. Example: 휴식이 필요해요. — “I need rest.” 더 means “more” and comes before the word it modifies. Here it increases the amount of 시간: 시간이 더 means “more time.” Example: 조금 더 기다려요. — “I wait a little longer.” 필요해요 is the polite present form of 필요하다, “to be needed” or “to be necessary.” The form is not an ordinary transitive verb meaning that its subject actively possesses or requests something; Korean presents the needed item as the subject: 시간이 필요해요 (“time is needed,” naturally “I need time”). The ending -해요 gives a polite, conversational style. A past form is 필요했어요, “was needed / needed.” Together, 보고서를 위해 sets the purpose, 시간이 identifies time as what is needed, 더 adds the meaning “more,” and 필요해요 states the polite present need. The complete utterance means, “I need more time for the report.”

2. 어떤 일 때문에 늦어지고 있나요?

   What's slowing things down?

   어떤

   what kind of

   일

   matter; thing

   때문에

   because of

   늦어지고 있나요

   is it getting delayed?

   More detail

   어떤 means “which/what kind of” and normally comes before the noun it describes. Here it asks the listener to identify the relevant kind of 일, rather than functioning as a standalone question word. Example: 어떤 문제가 있어요? means “What problem is there?” 일 means “matter,” “thing,” or “work,” depending on context. In 어떤 일, it refers generally to the matter or event connected with the delay; the sentence does not specify a more particular matter. Example: 어떤 일이 있었어요? means “What happened?” 때문에 follows a noun or noun-like expression and means “because of” or “due to.” Thus 어떤 일 때문에 asks “because of what matter?” or, naturally in this sentence, “because of what?” This differs from -아서/-어서, which attaches to a verb or adjective to express a reason, as in 늦어서 “because [someone or something] is late.” 늦어지고 있나요 is built from 늦어지다 “to become delayed” or “to get later,” -고 있다 “be in progress,” and the polite question ending -나요. 늦어지다 presents a developing delay, unlike 늦다, which describes being late or being later. Example: 일정이 늦어지고 있어요. means “The schedule is getting delayed.” In the complete utterance, 어떤 일 때문에 supplies the cause being requested, while 늦어지고 있나요 asks about the ongoing delay using a question form. Together they mean “What’s slowing things down?” or more literally, “Because of what is it getting delayed?” The omitted subject is not identified by the sentence itself.

3. 아직 빠진 정보가 있어요.

   Some information is still missing.

   아직

   still; yet

   빠진

   missing

   정보

   information

   있어요

   there is; exists

   More detail

   아직 means that the situation continues up to the relevant time: “still” or, in a suitable context, “not yet.” Here it says the missing-information situation remains unresolved. Example: 아직 안 왔어요. — “They haven’t come yet.” 빠진 comes from the verb 빠지다, “to fall out,” “to be left out,” or “to be missing.” The form 빠진 is the form used before a noun: 빠진 정보 means “information that is missing/has been left out.” It is not the plain present form 빠져요; the ending -ㄴ makes this descriptive form modify the following noun. Example: 빠진 이름이 있어요. — “There is a name missing.” 정보 means “information.” It is a noun and can be modified by a descriptive form such as 빠진: 빠진 정보 = “missing information.” 있어요 comes from 있다, “to exist” or “to be present,” in a polite present form. In this sentence, it presents the existence of something: 정보가 있어요 means “there is information.” Korean uses the subject marker 가 after 정보 here; the supplied phrase entry quotes only the verb form 있어요. Together, 아직 + 빠진 정보 + 있어요 gives “There is still missing information.” The natural fixed translation is “Some information is still missing.” The sentence states that the information is not yet complete, without specifying which information or how much is missing.

4. 시간이 얼마나 더 필요하세요?

   How much more time do you need?

   시간이

   time

   얼마나

   how much

   더

   more; additional

   필요하세요?

   do you need?

   More detail

   시간이 means “time” here. 시간 is the noun “time,” and 이 marks it as the grammatical subject: the time is what is needed. Korean subject markers include 이 after a consonant-ending noun and 가 after a vowel-ending noun; for example, 시간이 필요해요 means “I need time” or, more literally, “time is needed,” depending on context. 얼마나 asks about degree or amount: “how much” or “how far.” With a quantity such as time, it asks for the amount rather than identifying a specific amount. For example, 얼마나 걸려요? means “How long does it take?” 더 means “more” or “additional.” It adds an amount beyond time already available or already considered. The pattern 얼마나 더 is therefore “how much more.” For example, 얼마나 더 기다려야 해요? means “How much longer do we have to wait?” 필요하세요? is the polite, honorific question form of 필요하다, “to be needed” or “to need.” Korean commonly expresses “someone needs something” with the needed thing as the subject: 시간이 필요해요 is literally “time is needed.” Here, the honorific form indicates respect toward the person being addressed, and the fixed translation identifies that person as “you.” The ending -세요? makes the question polite; it should not be treated as a separate English verb meaning “need.” Together, 시간이 (“time”) + 얼마나 더 (“how much more”) + 필요하세요? (“do you need?”) gives “How much more time do you need?” The question asks for the additional amount of time the addressee requires, using a polite form suitable for a respectful request for information.

5. 마감일을 이번 주 후반으로 미뤄도 될까요?

   Could we move the deadline to later this week?

   마감일

   deadline

   이번 주

   this week

   후반

   later part

   미뤄도

   postpone

   될까요?

   would it be okay?

   More detail

   마감일 means “deadline.” It is a noun formed from 마감 (“closing” or “cutoff”) plus 일 (“day”), and it refers here to the due date. The object marker 을 shows that the deadline is what gets moved. Example: 마감일을 확인했어요. — “I checked the deadline.” 이번 주 means “this week”: 이번 is “this/current,” and 주 is “week.” Together they identify the week that includes the present time. Example: 이번 주에 만나요. — “Let’s meet this week.” 후반 means “the latter part” of a period. In 이번 주 후반, it means the later part of this week, rather than naming a specific day. Example: 회의는 주 후반에 있어요. — “The meeting is in the latter part of the week.” 미뤄도 comes from the verb 미루다, “to postpone” or “to put off.” The observed ending -어도 makes an “even if/if … is okay” condition: 미루다 → 미뤄도. Here it is not stating that the postponement has already happened; it proposes postponing the deadline. Example: 회의를 내일로 미뤄도 돼요. — “It’s okay to postpone the meeting until tomorrow.” 될까요? comes from 되다, “to become” or “to be acceptable,” with the polite question ending -(으)ㄹ까요?. In this sentence, 되다 means “be okay/acceptable,” so the ending politely asks whether the proposed action is permitted or possible. -(으)ㄹ까요? can also suggest “shall we…?” in other contexts, but the surrounding 미뤄도 gives it the permission meaning here. Example: 지금 시작할까요? — “Shall we start now?” Together, 마감일을 ... 미뤄도 될까요? asks whether it would be okay to postpone the deadline. The destination or new timing is 이번 주 후반으로: 으로 marks the point to which the deadline is moved. Thus the whole utterance means, “Could we move the deadline to later this week?”

6. 그렇게 해도 괜찮지만, 팀에 간단한 진행 상황을 알려 주세요.

   That works, but send the team a short update.

   그렇게

   that way; like that

   해도 괜찮지만

   it is okay to do that, but

   팀에

   to the team

   간단한

   brief; simple

   진행 상황을

   progress; current status

   알려 주세요

   please let [someone] know

   More detail

   그렇게 means “that way” or “like that.” 그렇다 is the base form for describing something as being so or like that; 그렇게 is its adverbial form, so it describes how the action is done. The specific way is understood from the surrounding situation rather than identified by this word alone. 해도 괜찮지만 contains 하다 (“to do”) and the pattern -아/어도 괜찮다, which says that doing something is acceptable or permitted. Here, 해도 is the form of 하다 used in that pattern. -지만 adds a contrast meaning “but,” so this chunk means that doing it that way is acceptable, while introducing a second point. Example: 지금 가도 괜찮아요. — “It’s okay to go now.” 팀에 uses 팀 (“team”) with -에, a particle that marks the recipient or destination of an action. In this sentence, it marks the team as the recipient of the update. -에 can also mark a place or time in other sentences, so its role comes from the relationship with the verb here. 간단한 means “brief” or “simple” here. Its base form is 간단하다; the -한 form lets this descriptive word modify a following noun. Thus, 간단한 describes 진행 상황, rather than being a form of that noun. Example: 간단한 설명 — “a brief explanation.” 진행 상황을 means “progress” or “current status” as the thing being communicated. 진행 relates to progress or proceeding, and 상황 means a situation or state; together, 진행 상황 is the current state of progress. -을 marks this noun phrase as the object of the verb. The object marker is attached to 상황 because that is the final noun in the phrase. 알려 주세요 is a polite request meaning “please let [someone] know” or “please tell [someone].” Its lexical verb is 알리다, “to inform” or “to let someone know,” not 알다 (“to know”). 알려 is the connected form of 알리다, and 주세요 comes from 주다 (“to give”) in a construction that politely asks the listener to perform the action for the speaker. The recipient is marked separately by 팀에, while 진행 상황을 marks what is communicated. Example: 주소를 알려 주세요. — “Please let me know the address.” Together, 그렇게 해도 괜찮지만 says “That way is okay, but,” and 팀에 간단한 진행 상황을 알려 주세요 says “please send the team a brief update on the progress.” The whole utterance therefore means: “That works, but send the team a short update.”

7. 무엇이 준비됐고 무엇이 아직 없는지 설명할게요.

   I'll explain what is ready and what is still missing.

   무엇이

   what

   준비됐고

   is ready, and

   아직

   still; yet

   없는지

   is missing; is absent

   설명할게요

   I’ll explain

   More detail

   무엇이 means “what” as the subject of the first and second things being identified. 무엇 is a question word meaning “what,” and -이 marks it as the subject here. The same form can be used when the speaker is asking a direct question, but in this sentence it appears inside an embedded description of what is ready and what is missing. 준비됐고 means “is ready, and.” It comes from 준비되다 (“to be prepared / to be ready”): 준비되었다 becomes the contracted form 준비됐다, and -고 connects it to the next coordinated part. The form does not itself specify who prepared something; it describes its state as ready. A reusable pattern is A가 준비됐고 B가 ... (“A is ready, and B ...”). 아직 means “still” or “yet.” Here it indicates that the absence continues at the relevant time, so 아직 없는지 refers to what is still missing. Its position before the predicate is natural in this use. For example, 아직 준비되지 않았어요 means “It is not ready yet.” 없는지 is 없다 (“to be absent / not exist / be missing”) plus -는지, an ending used inside an indirect question or uncertainty clause. In this sentence, the clause means “what is missing,” paired with 무엇이 준비됐고 (“what is ready”). The -는지 form does not mean that the speaker is asking the listener a direct question; it makes the question content part of the larger sentence. Here 없다 describes absence, not a general negative form attached to an arbitrary verb. 설명할게요 means “I’ll explain.” It is 설명하다 (“to explain”) plus -(으)ㄹ게요, a polite ending used when the speaker presents a willing commitment or intention, often oriented toward the listener. The stem 설명하- takes -ㄹ게요 because it ends in a vowel: 설명하 + ㄹ게요. This is different from simply treating -(으)ㄹ게요 as an automatic neutral future tense; it commonly conveys “I’ll do it” as a commitment. For example, 제가 다시 설명할게요 means “I’ll explain it again.” Together, 무엇이 준비됐고 무엇이 아직 없는지 forms one coordinated embedded question: “what is ready and what is still missing.” 설명할게요 then states the speaker’s commitment to explain that information. The whole utterance is therefore: “I’ll explain what is ready and what is still missing.”

8. 그럼 모두가 일이 늦어지는 상황에 맞춰 계획을 세우는 데 도움이 될 거예요.

   That will help everyone plan around the delay.

   그럼

   then; in that case

   모두가

   everyone

   일이

   work; a task

   늦어지는

   being delayed

   상황

   situation

   맞춰

   to fit; according to

   계획을

   plan

   세우는

   making; setting up

   도움이 될 거예요

   will be helpful

   More detail

   그럼 means “then” or “in that case.” It links this statement to the preceding situation and presents the result that follows. A reusable pattern is 그럼 + statement: “Then/in that case, …” 모두가 means “everyone” and is the subject-marker form of 모두 (“everyone/all”) plus 가. The subject marker identifies everyone as the participant who will plan. 모두 can also modify a noun, as in 모든 사람 (“everyone/all people”), but 모두가 itself functions as a subject expression. 일이 means “the work/task” here, with 이 marking it as the subject. 일 can refer to work in general or a particular task, and the sentence does not specify which kind beyond the surrounding context. 늦어지는 means “becoming delayed” or “being delayed.” It comes from 늦어지다, “to become late/delayed,” and the -는 form describes a noun: 늦어지는 상황 means “a situation in which [something] is becoming delayed.” This is different from 늦는, from 늦다, which more directly describes being late; 늦어지는 emphasizes a change into a delayed state. 상황 means “situation.” In 늦어지는 상황, it is the situation characterized by the work becoming delayed. In the full phrase, 상황에, the particle 에 marks this situation as the basis or target of the following adjustment expression. 맞춰 is the connective form of 맞추다, “to fit, adjust, or match.” In this sentence, 상황에 맞춰 means “adjusting to the situation” or “in accordance with the situation.” The pattern N에 맞춰 is reusable for acting in accordance with or adjusting to N. The 에 marks the situation used as the basis for adjustment. 계획을 means “a plan” as the object of the following verb. 계획 is “plan,” and 을 marks it as the object. The object particle shows that the plan is what everyone will make or set up. 세우는 means “making” or “setting up” here, from 세우다, “to set up, establish, or make” a plan. In 계획을 세우다, Korean uses 세우다 with 계획 for “to make a plan”; it does not mean physically standing the plan up. The -는 form connects this action to 데, producing 세우는 데, “in doing/making …” or “for …ing.” 도움이 될 거예요 means “will be helpful.” 도움 is “help,” 이 marks it as the subject of 되다 (“to become/be”), and 될 is the -(으)ㄹ form of 되다 used before 거예요. The construction -ㄹ 거예요 presents an expected or intended future result in a polite style. The pattern N에 도움이 되다 means “to be helpful for N”; here, the activity expressed by 계획을 세우는 데 is what the help is for. Putting the parts together: 그럼 (“then/in that case”) + 모두가 (“everyone”) + 일이 늦어지는 상황에 맞춰 (“adjusting to the situation in which the work is delayed”) + 계획을 세우는 데 (“in making a plan”) + 도움이 될 거예요 (“will be helpful”). The whole utterance means: “Then, it will help everyone plan around the delay.”