Preparing for a Short Test | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 우리 곧 짧은 시험이 있죠?

   We have a short test coming up, right?

   우리

   we

   곧

   soon; coming up

   짧은

   short

   시험

   test

   있죠?

   there is/are, right?

   More detail

   우리 means “we” here, the group that has the test. Korean 우리 can also mean “our” before a noun, but its role in this sentence is the subject. Korean does not mark an exclusive “we” in this form, so the form itself does not specify whether the listener is included. 곧 means “soon” or “before long.” It places the event near the present or indicates that it is coming up. Example: 곧 시작해요. — “It starts soon.” 짧은 is the noun-modifying form of the adjective 짧다, “to be short.” The form 짧다 is used as a predicate, while 짧은 appears directly before a noun: 짧은 영화 — “a short movie.” This describes the test’s length or duration here; it is not a comparative form. A comparative meaning would normally be expressed with a separate comparison, such as 더 짧은 — “shorter.” 시험 means “test” or “exam.” It is a noun and can combine with other words, for example 시험을 보다 — “take a test.” In this sentence, 짧은 modifies it, producing “a short test.” 있죠? contains 있다, “to exist” or “to be present,” with the sentence ending -죠?. In this context, 있다 expresses that the test is scheduled or exists for the group; Korean commonly uses this construction where English uses “have.” The ending -죠? asks for confirmation of information presented as shared or expected knowledge, so it corresponds here to “right?” It is not the main verb 오다 (“to come”); the idea that the test is coming up comes from 곧 together with the situation. Together, 우리 marks the group, 곧 places the event in the near future, 짧은 시험 means “a short test,” and 있죠? asks the listener to confirm its existence or scheduled occurrence. The whole utterance therefore means, “We have a short test coming up, right?”

2. 이 단원의 주요 부분이 시험에 나와요.

   It covers the main sections from this unit.

   이

   this

   단원

   unit

   주요

   main

   부분

   section; part

   시험

   test; exam

   나와요

   appears; is included

   More detail

   이 points to something near the speaker or otherwise identified in the situation. Here it modifies 단원, giving the reusable pattern 이 + noun: “this noun.” It is a demonstrative determiner, not the noun’s article, and its form does not change for singular or plural. 단원 means a unit or chapter of organized study, such as a textbook unit. In 단원의, the particle 의 links 단원 to what follows: 단원의 주요 부분 means “the unit’s main sections” or “the main sections of the unit.” Example: 이 단원의 어휘 — “the vocabulary of this unit.” 주요 means “main” or “major” and normally comes before the noun it describes, as in 주요 부분. It is useful for identifying the most important items, rather than simply the first or largest ones. Example: 주요 내용 — “the main content.” 부분 means a part or section of something. In this sentence, it refers to sections of the unit, not to a separate physical object. The plural meaning is understood from context; Korean nouns generally do not require a plural ending when the number is clear or unimportant. Example: 이 부분을 읽어요. — “I read this section.” 시험 means a test or exam. With 시험에, the particle 에 marks the exam as the setting or target in which something appears: 시험에 나오다 is a common pattern meaning “to appear on a test” or “to be tested.” Example: 이 단어가 시험에 나와요. — “This word appears on the test.” 나와요 is the polite everyday form of 나오다, “to come out” or, in this pattern, “to appear/be included.” The ending -아요 makes the present-tense polite style; it does not by itself mean that the event is happening at this exact moment. 나오다 can have other meanings in other contexts, but with 시험에 it means that the material is tested. Together, 이 단원의 주요 부분이 시험에 나와요 has the structure “this unit’s main sections + subject marker 이 + on the test + appear.” Thus, the main sections of this unit are included on the test, matching the fixed translation “It covers the main sections from this unit.”

3. 어느 부분을 먼저 복습해야 해요?

   Which section should I review first?

   어느

   which

   부분을

   section

   먼저

   first

   복습해야 해요

   should review

   More detail

   어느 means “which” and is used before a noun when selecting one option from an understood set. In 어느 부분, it asks the listener to identify the relevant section; it does not itself state how many sections there are. 부분을 is 부분 (“part” or “section”) plus the object particle 을. The particle marks 부분 as what the reviewing action applies to. After a noun ending in a vowel, the corresponding object-particle form is 를, as in 책을 (“book” as the object) versus 학교를 (“school” as the object). 먼저 is an adverb meaning “first” or “before the others.” It indicates the order of reviewing: the speaker asks which section should be reviewed first. 복습해야 해요 is a polite form expressing necessity or what should be done. Its useful pattern is verb stem + 아/어야 하다; 복습하다 means “to review,” and 복습해야 하다 literally presents reviewing as something that must be done. Here, the polite ending 해요 gives the question a polite conversational style. The observed form is 복습해야 해요, not an imperative; it asks which action is required or advisable. Together, 어느 부분을 identifies the section serving as the object, 먼저 sets its priority, and 복습해야 해요 asks what should be reviewed. The whole utterance therefore means: “Which section should I review first?”

4. 듣기부터 시작하세요. 보통 점수에 영향을 줘요.

   Start with listening, since it usually affects your score.

   듣기

   listening

   시작하세요

   start

   보통

   usually

   점수

   score

   영향을 줘요

   affects

   More detail

   듣기 means “listening” here. It is a noun made from the verb 듣다 (“to listen; to hear”) and names the activity or skill. Korean often uses this form to turn an action into a topic: 읽기 “reading,” 쓰기 “writing.” Example: 듣기가 어려워요. — “Listening is difficult.” 시작하세요 means “start” as a polite request or instruction. The base verb is 시작하다 (“to start”), and -세요 gives a polite imperative or suggestion directed at the listener. The subject is understood from context, so the sentence does not explicitly say who should start. Example: 지금 시작하세요. — “Start now.” Together, 듣기부터 시작하세요 means “Start with listening.” -부터 marks the starting point, meaning “from” or “starting with.” The phrase does not merely say to start; it identifies listening as the first activity. 보통 means “usually” or “normally.” It is an adverb, so it describes how often or under what general pattern something happens. Example: 보통 아침에 공부해요. — “I usually study in the morning.” 점수 means “score” or “mark.” It is a noun used for a result or number assigned to performance, such as on a test. Example: 점수가 올랐어요. — “The score went up.” 영향을 줘요 means “affects” in this sentence. The noun 영향 means “influence” or “effect,” and 주다 means “to give”; together, 영향을 주다 is the reusable construction “to have an effect on” or “to influence.” 줘요 is the polite present form of 주다; the shortened form comes from 주어요. Example: 운동은 건강에 영향을 줘요. — “Exercise affects health.” The second sentence, 보통 점수에 영향을 줘요, literally presents something as usually giving an effect to the score. 점수에 marks the score as the thing affected, and the omitted subject is understood from the preceding topic: listening. Thus the complete utterance means “Start with listening, since it usually affects your score.” The first sentence gives a polite instruction, while the second gives its usual reason.

5. 우리 같이 연습 문제를 몇 개 풀어 볼까요?

   Can we try some practice questions together?

   우리

   we; us

   같이

   together

   연습

   practice

   문제

   question; problem

   몇 개

   several

   풀어

   solve

   볼까요?

   shall we try?

   More detail

   우리 means “we” or “us” here and identifies the speaker together with at least one other person. Korean 우리 can also mean “our,” but that possessive use is not the meaning in this sentence. Example: 우리 같이 가요. — “Let’s go together.” 같이 means “together” and shows that the participants do the activity jointly. It commonly follows the people involved or appears near the verb. Example: 친구와 같이 공부해요. — “I study together with a friend.” 연습 means “practice.” In 연습 문제, it modifies 문제 to form the common compound meaning “practice question(s)” or “practice exercise(s).” 연습 is a noun; the related verb is 연습하다, “to practice.” Example: 한국어를 연습해요. — “I practice Korean.” 문제 means “question” or “problem.” In this context, together with 연습, it refers to practice questions or exercises, not necessarily a problem in the sense of a difficulty. Example: 문제를 풀어요. — “I solve a question/problem.” 몇 개 means “some,” “a few,” or “how many,” depending on the sentence. 몇 asks about an unspecified number, and 개 is a counter for individual items. Here it indicates an unspecified small number of practice questions; it does not state an exact count. Example: 사과 몇 개를 샀어요. — “I bought a few apples.” 풀어 is the connective form of 풀다, “to solve.” 풀다 becomes 풀어 before a following auxiliary or ending in this pattern. On its own, 풀어 can also be an informal imperative, but here it is followed by 볼까요?, so it is part of the “try solving” construction. 볼까요? contains 보다, “to see,” in the form 볼까요?. After another verb’s connective form, -아/어 보다 means “try doing something.” The ending -(으)ㄹ까요? presents a suggestion or asks whether the participants should do it. Thus 풀어 볼까요? means “Shall we try solving [them]?” or “Can we try solving [them]?” The object is understood from 연습 문제를; it is not repeated inside 볼까요?. Putting the sentence together: 우리 sets up “we,” 같이 adds joint action, 연습 문제를 몇 개 means “a few practice questions,” and 풀어 볼까요? asks whether the group should try solving them. The whole utterance is therefore “Can we try some practice questions together?” It is a polite suggestion to do the activity jointly, rather than a statement that the questions have already been solved.

6. 짧은 문제 몇 개를 풀면서 답을 하나씩 확인할 수 있어요.

   We can use a few short questions and check each answer.

   짧은

   short

   문제

   question; problem

   몇 개

   a few

   풀면서

   while solving

   답

   answer

   하나씩

   one by one; each

   확인할 수 있어요

   can check

   More detail

   짧은 means “short” here and modifies the noun 문제. It is the attributive form of 짧다 (“to be short”): 짧다 → 짧은 before a noun. Example: 짧은 문장 means “a short sentence.” 문제 means “question” or “problem.” In this context, the surrounding practice context and the translation support “question” in the sense of an exercise item. Example: 문제를 풀어요 means “I solve a problem/question.” 몇 개 expresses an unspecified small number of countable items, here “a few.” 개 is a general counting unit, and 몇 asks “how many” or indicates an unspecified number when used this way. The phrase does not state an exact count. Example: 책 몇 개 means “a few books” or “several books,” depending on context. 풀면서 comes from 풀다, “to solve,” followed by -면서, which links an action to another simultaneous or accompanying action: “while solving” or “as [someone] solves.” The subject is understood from the sentence rather than stated in this form. Example: 음악을 들으면서 공부해요 means “I study while listening to music.” 답 means “answer.” In 답을, the particle 을 marks 답 as the object of the later action 확인하다, “to check.” Example: 답을 써요 means “I write the answer.” 하나씩 combines 하나 (“one”) with -씩, which distributes an action individually: “one at a time” or “each.” It indicates that the answers are checked individually, not all as one group. Example: 문을 하나씩 열어요 means “I open the doors one by one.” 확인할 수 있어요 is the ability construction 확인하다 (“to check, confirm”) + -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 (“can be able to”) in a polite present form. 확인할 is the form of 확인하다 used before 수, and 있어요 completes the expression. Together, this means “can check.” Example: 이름을 확인할 수 있어요 means “I can check the name.” Putting the parts together: 짧은 문제 몇 개 is “a few short questions,” 풀면서 adds the accompanying action “while solving,” and 답을 하나씩 확인할 수 있어요 means “can check each answer one by one.” The whole utterance therefore means: “We can use a few short questions and check each answer.”

7. 각 문제를 푼 뒤에 제 실수를 복습할게요.

   I will review my mistakes after each one.

   각

   each

   문제

   question; problem

   푼

   solved

   뒤에

   after

   제

   my

   실수

   mistake; error

   복습할게요

   I will review

   More detail

   각 문제를 means “each question/problem.” 각 is a determiner meaning “each” and comes before the noun it specifies. 문제 can mean a question or a problem; here the fixed translation supports “each one,” referring to each problem in the sequence. Example: 각 학생 means “each student.” 푼 comes from 풀다, “to solve” or “to work through.” It is the past attributive form used before a noun: 푼 문제 means “a problem that [someone] solved.” In this form, the stem-final ㄹ of 풀다 is dropped before the attributive ending -ㄴ, giving 푼; this is not the ordinary present form 풀어요. Example: 푼 문제를 확인해요 means “I check the problem I solved.” 뒤에 means “after” or “behind,” and in 푼 뒤에 it marks the action that follows completing the earlier action. The pattern 동사-(으)ㄴ 뒤에 means “after doing [the verb].” Example: 먹은 뒤에 출발해요 means “I leave after eating.” 제 is the shortened form of 저의, meaning “my.” 저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I,” and 의 marks possession; 제 is the commonly used possessive form. Example: 제 책 means “my book.” 실수 means “mistake” or “error.” In this sentence, 제 실수 means “my mistakes”; the plural meaning is supplied by the context, even though Korean nouns do not require an overt plural ending here. Example: 실수를 고쳐요 means “I correct a mistake.” 복습할게요 is based on 복습하다, “to review,” with -(으)ㄹ게요. This ending presents the speaker’s willing commitment or intention to do something, often with the listener in mind; it is not simply a neutral future-tense marker. 복습할게요 therefore means “I’ll review [them].” Example: 오늘 복습할게요 means “I’ll review today.” Together, 각 문제를 푼 뒤에 means “after solving each problem,” and 제 실수를 복습할게요 means “I’ll review my mistakes.” The complete utterance is: “I will review my mistakes after each one.” It states a repeated order: solve one problem, then review the relevant mistakes, and continue in that pattern.

8. 그게 준비하는 데 도움이 될 거예요.

   That should help you prepare.

   그게

   that

   준비하는 데

   in preparing

   도움

   help

   될 거예요

   will become / will be

   More detail

   그게 means “that” here. It is the conversational contraction of 그것이, and it can also be analyzed as 그거 plus the subject marker 가. The referent of “that” is not named in this sentence, so the form identifies it only as the subject. 준비하는 데 contains 준비하다, “to prepare.” 준비하는 is the form used before the dependent noun 데; the pattern 동사-는 데 도움이 되다 means “to help with doing something.” Example: 이 책은 공부하는 데 도움이 돼요. — “This book helps with studying.” The fixed translation supplies “you” as the person who prepares, although Korean does not state that pronoun here. 도움 means “help” or “assistance.” In the sentence it appears as 도움이, with the subject marker 이, in the useful expression 도움이 되다, meaning “to be helpful” or “to be of help.” Example: 이 조언이 도움이 돼요. — “This advice is helpful.” 될 거예요 comes from 되다, “to become” or, in 도움이 되다, “to be helpful.” 될 combines 되다 with -(으)ㄹ, and 거예요 is the conversational form of 것이에요; together, -(으)ㄹ 거예요 presents an expected or predicted situation. Here, with 도움이, it gives the meaning “will be helpful” or “should help,” not an instruction. Together, 그게 marks “that” as the subject, 준비하는 데 identifies preparing as the activity, and 도움이 될 거예요 predicts that it will be useful for that activity. The complete meaning is “That should help you prepare.”