Taking a Break During Study | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 저는 오래 공부했어요.

   I've been studying for a long time.

   저는

   I / as for me

   오래

   for a long time

   공부했어요

   studied

   More detail

   저는 presents the speaker as the topic: 저 is the polite/humble first-person pronoun “I,” and 는 is a topic marker. A useful contrast is 나는, which also means “I” but uses the less honorific/familiar form 나. The form 저는 does not by itself say how many people are involved or identify any other participant. 오래 is an adverb meaning “for a long time” or “long.” It describes the duration of the studying. For example, 오래 기다렸어요 means “I waited for a long time.” 공부했어요 comes from the verb 공부하다, “to study.” The observed form uses 했어요, the polite past form of 하다, so its basic form-level meaning is “studied.” Korean past marking here does not by itself encode the English distinction between simple past, present perfect, and present perfect progressive. With 오래 and the fixed translation, the sentence is understood as “I’ve been studying for a long time.” Together, 저는 (“as for me”), 오래 (“for a long time”), and 공부했어요 (“studied”) produce the complete meaning: “I’ve been studying for a long time.”

2. 하던 일을 잠시 내려놓으세요.

   Put your work aside.

   하던

   were doing

   일을

   work

   잠시

   for a moment

   내려놓으세요

   put aside

   More detail

   하던 comes from 하다 (“to do”) with -던, which presents a past activity as something that was in progress or was habitually being done. Here it modifies 일, so 하던 일 means “the work/task you were doing.” This form does not by itself identify a particular person; the polite ending later makes the sentence a request to the listener. 일 means “work” or “task.” In 일을, -을 marks 일 as the object of the following verb. The object marker is used after a noun ending in a consonant; after a vowel, Korean uses -를 instead. Example: 책을 읽어요 means “I read a book.” 잠시 is an adverb meaning “for a short time” or “briefly.” It limits the duration of setting the work aside; it does not itself say exactly how many minutes. 잠깐 is a common nearby word with a similar meaning, often emphasizing an even shorter moment. 내려놓으세요 comes from 내려놓다, literally “to put down,” and here means “to put aside” or “set down.” The ending -(으)세요 makes a polite request or instruction. Because the verb stem ends in a consonant, 놓다 takes 으세요 in this form: 내려놓다 → 내려놓으세요. Compare 가다 → 가세요 (“please go”), where the stem ends in a vowel. Together, 하던 일을 identifies the work the listener was doing, 잠시 adds the meaning “for a short time,” and 내려놓으세요 requests that the listener set it aside. The complete utterance means “Put your work aside for a moment.”

3. 잠깐 쉬세요.

   Rest for a moment.

   잠깐

   for a moment

   쉬세요

   please rest

   More detail

   잠깐 means “for a moment” here. It is an adverb that limits the duration of the action. A related form, 잠시, has a very similar meaning and appears in the preceding sentence. Example: 잠깐 기다리세요. — “Please wait a moment.” 쉬세요 means “please rest.” Its base form is 쉬다 (“to rest”). The ending -세요 makes a polite request or instruction; it is not part of the base verb. The subject is understood from the situation rather than stated. Example: 여기서 쉬세요. — “Please rest here.” Together, 잠깐 modifies 쉬세요: 잠깐 쉬세요 means “Rest for a moment.” The sentence is a polite instruction to take a short rest.

4. 이제 집중하기 힘들어요.

   It's hard to concentrate now.

   이제

   now

   집중하기

   to concentrate

   힘들어요

   is difficult

   More detail

   이제 means “now” in this sentence. It marks the current point in time, contrasting with an earlier time or situation. Example: 이제 시작해요. — “We’re starting now.” 집중하기 means “concentrating” here. Its base verb is 집중하다, “to concentrate.” The ending -기 turns a verb into a noun-like form, so 집중하기 can function as “concentrating” or “to concentrate” in a larger construction. Example: 음악을 들으며 집중하기 어려워요. — “It is difficult to concentrate while listening to music.” 힘들어요 comes from 힘들다, “to be difficult” or “to be hard.” The -어요 ending makes the statement polite in the 해요 style. In this sentence, 힘들어요 describes the activity 집중하기 as difficult; it does not itself mean “now” or “to concentrate.” Example: 오늘은 일이 힘들어요. — “Work is difficult today.” Together, 집중하기 힘들어요 uses a verb-noun form plus 힘들어요 to say that doing the activity is difficult. With 이제 placed at the beginning, the complete utterance means “It’s hard to concentrate now.”

5. 그건 보통 뇌가 쉬어야 한다는 뜻이에요.

   That usually means your brain needs a break.

   그건

   as for that

   보통

   usually

   뇌

   brain

   쉬어야 한다는

   that [someone] needs to rest

   뜻이에요

   means

   More detail

   그건 is the shortened form of 그것은: 그것 (“that”) plus the topic marker 은. Here, “that” refers to the situation being discussed, such as finding it hard to concentrate; the form itself does not identify a person. The topic marker presents it as the thing being explained. 보통 means “usually” or “normally.” It modifies the whole explanation that follows, so the sentence presents this as the usual interpretation, not an absolute rule. Example: 보통 아침에 일어나요. — “I usually get up in the morning.” 뇌 means “brain.” Korean nouns do not mark possession by themselves, so 뇌 can be understood as “the brain” here; the translation’s “your” comes from the intended context, not from a possessive ending on this noun. 쉬어야 한다는 contains the reusable pattern -어야 하다, expressing that someone needs to or must do something. 쉬다 is the base form “to rest,” and it becomes 쉬어야 before 하다: “needs to rest.” The subject of this embedded action is understood from the sentence as the brain, while Korean does not state a separate pronoun for “your.” The final -다는 presents the preceding proposition as content: 쉬어야 한다는 뜻 is literally “the meaning that [it] needs to rest.” 뜻이에요 is the polite form of 뜻이다, meaning “is the meaning” or, in this construction, “means.” 뜻 is “meaning,” and 이에요 is the polite present form of 이다 after a noun ending in a consonant. Compare 뜻이에요 (“it means...”) with 뜻이 아니에요 (“it does not mean...”); the negative form changes the whole claim. Together, 그건 sets the topic, 보통 limits the claim to the usual interpretation, and 뇌가 쉬어야 한다는 뜻이에요 says that the meaning is “the brain needs to rest.” Thus the whole utterance means: “That usually means your brain needs a break.”

6. 나중에 단어를 복습할까요?

   Should I review vocabulary later?

   나중에

   later

   단어

   word; vocabulary

   복습할까요?

   should review?

   More detail

   나중에 means “later” and is an adverb, so it tells when the reviewing is proposed. It can be placed in other sentences, for example: 나중에 만나요. — “See you later.” 단어 means “word” and can also mean “vocabulary” when discussing words as a learning subject. In this sentence it is the object of reviewing. The object marker 를 follows it: 단어를. 복습할까요? contains 복습하다, “to review,” plus -ㄹ까요?, a question ending used to ask whether the speaker should do something or to suggest doing it. The observed form is 복습할까요?; 복습하다 loses 다, and 하다 changes to 할까요 before this ending. For example: 지금 시작할까요? — “Shall I start now?” Together, 나중에 + 단어를 + 복습할까요? means “Should I review vocabulary later?” The omitted subject is understood here as the speaker because that is the meaning fixed by the translation. The sentence uses a polite question rather than a plain statement or command.

7. 돌아오면 더 쉬운 단어부터 시작하세요.

   Start with the easier words when you come back.

   돌아오면

   when you come back

   더 쉬운

   easier

   단어

   word

   부터

   starting with

   시작하세요

   please start

   More detail

   돌아오면 comes from 돌아오다 (“to come back/return”) plus -(으)면, a condition or time clause meaning “if/when.” Here it is temporal: “when you come back.” For example, 집에 오면 전화하세요. means “Call me when you come home.” 더 쉬운 means “easier.” 더 marks comparison (“more”), while 쉬운 is the form of 쉽다 (“to be easy”) used before a noun. 쉽다 changes to 쉬운 in this position; the noun it describes is 단어, not the adjective’s base form. The basic comparison chain is 쉽다 (“be easy”) → 더 쉽다 (“be easier”) → 가장 쉽다 (“be the easiest”). 단어 means “word” or “vocabulary item.” In this sentence it refers to the words to be studied, without specifying a particular number. A useful example is 새 단어를 배워요.—“I learn new words.” 부터 marks the starting point: “starting with” or “from.” The pattern 명사부터 means to begin with that noun before moving to other items. For example, 쉬운 문제부터 풀어요. means “I solve the easy problems first.” 시작하세요 comes from 시작하다 (“to start/begin”). 시작하세요 is the polite -세요 form used here as a courteous instruction: “start.” The lexical verb is 시작하다; -세요 adds the polite directive form. 여기서 시작하세요. means “Please start here.” Together, 돌아오면 sets the time, 더 쉬운 단어부터 identifies the first items to choose, and 시작하세요 gives the instruction. The whole utterance means: “Start with the easier words when you come back.”

8. 쉬는 동안 공책을 덮어 둘게요.

   I'll close the notebook while I rest.

   쉬는

   resting

   동안

   while; during

   공책

   notebook

   덮어

   close; cover

   둘게요

   will leave it that way

   More detail

   쉬는 comes from 쉬다, “to rest.” The ending -는 makes a present-related modifier, so 쉬는 동안 means “during the time of resting” or, here, “while I rest.” Korean does not mark the subject in 쉬는 itself; the fixed translation identifies the speaker as the one resting. 동안 is a noun meaning a span or period of time. In the pattern [clause] 동안, it means “while [the clause]” or “during [the period].” For example, 기다리는 동안 읽어요 means “I read while waiting.” 공책 means “notebook.” It is the object affected by the action that follows. A useful related word is 책, “book,” but 공책 specifically refers to a notebook for writing. 덮어 is the connective form of 덮다, “to cover” or, with something such as a book or notebook, “to close.” The -어 ending connects this verb to the following 두다; it is not the final tense ending here. For example, 문을 덮어요 is not a natural general translation because doors are usually 닫다, while a book or notebook can be 덮다. 둘게요 is 두다 combined with -ㄹ게요. In 덮어 두다, 두다 works after another verb to show that someone performs the action and leaves the result in place. Thus 덮어 둘게요 means “I’ll close it and leave it closed.” The ending -ㄹ게요 presents the speaker’s intention or commitment, politely; it is not simply a neutral future marker. 둘게요 itself has no separately stated object here—the notebook is understood from 공책을. Together, 쉬는 동안 sets the time, 공책을 marks the notebook as the object, and 덮어 둘게요 says that the speaker will close it and leave it that way. The complete utterance means: “I’ll close the notebook while I rest.”

9. 그러면 우리는 좀 더 편하게 계속할 수 있어요.

   Then we can continue more calmly.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   우리는

   we

   좀 더

   a little more

   편하게

   comfortably; calmly

   계속할

   continue

   수 있어요

   can

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links the current statement to a condition or situation just mentioned. A useful pattern is 그러면 + clause: “Then, …” 우리는 is 우리 (“we” or “our”) with the topic marker 는. In this sentence it marks “we” as the people who can continue. 우리 can refer to the speaker together with at least one other person; the form itself does not identify the exact number. 좀 더 means “a little more” or “somewhat more.” 더 marks an increase in degree, while 좀 softens or limits that increase. For example, 좀 더 천천히 means “a little more slowly.” 편하게 is the adverbial form of 편하다, “to be comfortable” or “to feel at ease.” It describes how the continuing can happen here: in a more comfortable, relaxed, or calm way. 편하다 → 편하게 changes the descriptive word into an adverb. For example, 편하게 앉으세요 means “Please sit comfortably.” 계속할 comes from the verb 계속하다, “to continue.” The ending -ㄹ makes this form modify the following 수 in the possibility construction -ㄹ 수 있다. It is not the finite form “continues”; the complete expression with 수 있어요 gives the meaning “can continue.” 수 있어요 is the polite present form of the pattern -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, “can” or “be able to.” Here, 계속할 수 있어요 means “can continue.” The pattern expresses possibility or ability, and 있어요 is the polite form of 있다 in this construction. Together, 그러면 우리는 좀 더 편하게 계속할 수 있어요 means “Then we can continue more calmly.” 그러면 connects to the situation already under discussion, 우리는 identifies the participants, 좀 더 편하게 describes an increased degree of comfort or calm, and 계속할 수 있어요 states that continuing is possible. The sentence is polite and suitable for ordinary conversation.