Making a Short Phone Call Before a Meeting | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 짧게 전화해야 해요.

   I need to make a short phone call.

   짧게

   briefly; in a short way

   전화

   phone call

   해야 해요

   need to; have to

   More detail

   짧게 means “briefly” or “in a short way” here. It is the adverbial form of 짧다, “to be short.” The adverb modifies the phone-call action, indicating that the call should be short in duration. Example: 짧게 말해 주세요. — “Please speak briefly.” 전화 is the noun “phone call” or “telephone.” In this sentence it combines with the following verb form to express making a phone call: 전화하다 means “to make a phone call” or “to call.” Example: 친구에게 전화해요. — “I call a friend.” 해야 해요 expresses necessity: “need to” or “have to.” It comes from 하다 (“to do”) in the pattern -아/어야 하다, which means that an action is necessary; 해요 is the polite present-style form of 하다 in this construction. Here, the understood subject is the speaker, as shown by the fixed translation. Example: 지금 가야 해요. — “I have to go now.” Together, 전화 and 해야 해요 form 전화해야 해요, “need to make a phone call.” Adding 짧게 specifies that the call should be brief, giving the whole meaning: “I need to make a short phone call.”

2. 혼자 통화하고 싶으면 복도를 이용해도 돼요.

   You can use the hallway if you need privacy.

   혼자

   alone; by yourself

   통화하고 싶으면

   if you want to make a call

   복도

   hallway

   이용해도 돼요

   may use; it is okay to use

   More detail

   혼자 means “alone” or “by oneself.” Here it describes the desired way of making the call: making it alone provides privacy. It is commonly used as an adverb before the action it modifies. Example: 혼자 가요. — “I go alone.” 통화하고 싶으면 contains the verb 통화하다 (“to have a phone call”), the desire form -고 싶다, and the conditional ending -으면. 통화하다 is a useful verb for speaking on the phone; it is different from 전화하다, which can mean “to call” or “to telephone.” With a first-person subject, 동사 stem + -고 싶다 expresses the speaker’s desire. When describing what another person wants, Korean commonly uses -고 싶어하다 instead. Here, -고 싶으면 means “if you want to …” and addresses the listener. Example: 쉬고 싶으면 말해요. — “If you want to rest, tell me.” 복도 is “hallway” or “corridor,” the place that can be used here for a private call. Example: 복도에 사람이 있어요. — “There is someone in the hallway.” 이용해도 돼요 contains 이용하다 (“to use”), the permissive pattern -아/어도 되다, and the polite ending -요. 이용하다 is a somewhat formal or service-oriented “use”; 쓰다 is a common broader alternative for “use,” but the observed verb here is 이용하다. The pattern 동사 stem + -아/어도 되다 asks or states whether an action is allowed: 이용해도 돼요? means “May I use it?” and 이용해도 돼요. means “You may use it” or “It is okay to use it.” The final -요 makes the statement polite without changing the permission itself. Example: 이 의자를 써도 돼요? — “May I use this chair?” Together, 혼자 통화하고 싶으면 sets the condition “if you want to make a call alone,” 복도 identifies the hallway, and 이용해도 돼요 grants permission to use it. Thus the utterance means, “You can use the hallway if you need privacy.”

3. 모두를 방해하고 싶지 않아요.

   I don't want to disturb everyone.

   모두를

   everyone

   방해하고 싶지 않아요

   don’t want to disturb

   More detail

   모두를 means “everyone” as the object of the action. 모두 is a noun-like word meaning “everyone” or “all,” and -를 marks the object that the verb acts on. The object marker is attached directly to the word here. Example: 모두를 초대했어요. — “I invited everyone.” 방해하고 싶지 않아요 expresses “don’t want to disturb.” The base verb is 방해하다, “to disturb” or “to bother.” Its -고 form, 방해하고, connects the verb to the desire pattern -고 싶다, literally expressing “want to do.” The negative form here is -고 싶지 않아요: “do not want to do.” 싶다 is the form that carries the desire meaning, while 않아요 negates it. This is a polite present-style ending. Example: 쉬고 싶지 않아요. — “I don’t want to rest.” Together, 모두를 identifies everyone as the object, and 방해하고 싶지 않아요 says that the speaker does not want to carry out the action of disturbing them. The whole utterance therefore means, “I don’t want to disturb everyone.”

4. 지금은 저쪽이 조용할 거예요.

   It should be quiet out there right now.

   지금은

   for now; right now

   저쪽이

   that side; over there

   조용할 거예요

   should be quiet

   More detail

   지금은 means “right now” or “for now.” 지금 is the noun meaning “now,” and 은 marks it as the topic. The topic marking can frame the time being discussed; it does not by itself mean that the situation will change later. 저쪽이 refers to “that direction/side over there.” 저쪽 is a demonstrative location noun used for a place relatively distant from the speaker and listener, and 이 marks it as the subject. A useful contrast is 이쪽 “this way/side” and 그쪽 “that way/side,” with the exact referent determined by the situation. 조용할 거예요 means “should be quiet” in this sentence. The descriptive verb 조용하다 means “to be quiet.” Its form before -ㄹ 거예요 is 조용할; the final 거예요 construction commonly expresses a prediction or expectation about a future or current situation. Here, because the sentence is anchored by 지금은, it presents the speaker’s expectation that the place will be quiet at this time, rather than making a simple timeless statement. For example, 내일은 바쁠 거예요 means “It will probably be busy tomorrow.” Together, 지금은 sets the time, 저쪽이 identifies the place as the subject, and 조용할 거예요 gives the expected state. The whole utterance therefore means: “It should be quiet out there right now.”

5. 회의가 시작되기 전에 돌아올게요.

   I'll return before the meeting starts.

   회의

   meeting

   시작되기

   starting

   전에

   before

   돌아올게요

   I’ll return

   More detail

   회의 means “meeting.” It is a noun and can combine with particles such as 회의가 (“the meeting” as the subject) or 회의를 (“the meeting” as the object). In this sentence, 회의가 identifies the meeting as the thing that starts. 시작되기 comes from 시작되다, “to begin” or “to be started,” plus -기, which turns the verb into the form used in the pattern -기 전에, “before ….” Here, 시작되기 전에 means “before it starts.” 시작하다 is a related verb meaning “to start something,” while 시작되다 presents the event as beginning or being started. Example: 수업이 시작되기 전에 와요. — “I come before class starts.” 전에 means “before” when it follows a noun or the nominalized form of a verb. Compare 회의 전에 (“before the meeting”) with 회의가 시작되기 전에 (“before the meeting starts”). The first gives only the event as a time reference; the second states what happens before that event. 돌아올게요 means “I’ll return” here. It is based on 돌아오다, “to return” or “come back,” with -ㄹ게요, a polite ending commonly used when the speaker expresses a decision, willingness, or promise concerning their own action. With a vowel-ending stem, this ending is -ㄹ게요; with most consonant-ending stems, it is -을게요. A stem ending in ㄹ is an important exception and also uses -ㄹ게요, as in 살게요 (“I’ll live” or “I’ll buy it,” depending on context). Example: 내일 다시 연락할게요. — “I’ll contact you again tomorrow.” This ending presents the action as the speaker’s commitment, rather than merely a neutral prediction. Together, 회의가 시작되기 전에 sets the deadline “before the meeting starts,” and 돌아올게요 states the speaker’s committed action: “I’ll return before the meeting starts.”

6. 좋아요. 아직 시간이 충분해요.

   That works. We still have enough time.

   좋아요

   That works; okay

   아직

   still; yet

   시간

   time

   충분해요

   is enough

   More detail

   좋아요 is the polite present form of 좋다 (“to be good”). Here it means “That works” or “Okay,” expressing acceptance of the situation, not necessarily describing an object as good. The same form can mean “It is good” in a different context. 아직 means “still” when a situation continues, as it does here. It commonly appears with a statement about something remaining or continuing. For example, 아직 있어요 means “It is still there” or “There is still some.” 시간 means “time.” It is a noun and can refer to available time as well as time in general. In 시간이, the subject marker 이 follows the noun because 시간 ends in a consonant. The sentence does not specify a person’s ownership of the time; it simply presents time as the subject of the following description. 충분해요 is the polite present form of the descriptive verb 충분하다, “to be sufficient” or “to be enough.” The form 충분해요 is made with the polite 해요 style; the adjective itself is 충분하다, not the noun 시간. For example, 물이 충분해요 means “There is enough water.” Together, 아직 시간이 충분해요 literally describes the time as still sufficient: “There is still enough time.” Korean commonly leaves the relevant subject or situation implicit when it is understood. Preceded by 좋아요, the full utterance is therefore: “That works. We still have enough time.”

7. 제가 통화하는 동안 제 자리를 맡아 주세요.

   Please save my seat while I call.

   제가

   I

   통화하는 동안

   while calling

   자리

   seat

   맡아 주세요

   please save it

   More detail

   제가 means “I” as the subject of the subordinate clause. It is 저 (“I,” in the humble/polite form) plus the subject particle 가; 저 + 가 becomes 제가. The particle marks the person who will be making the call. 통화하는 동안 means “while [someone] is on the phone.” 통화하다 is the base verb “to talk on the phone / make a phone call.” Its -는 form, 통화하는, modifies 동안 (“period; while”), giving the reusable pattern V-는 동안 for “while doing V.” Example: 기다리는 동안 책을 읽어요. — “I read a book while waiting.” 자리 means “seat” here. It can also mean a place or spot, so the surrounding context selects the seat meaning. In the sentence, 제 자리 is “my seat”: 제 is the possessive form meaning “my,” and 자리 is the noun. The object particle 를 appears after it as 자리를. 맡아 주세요 is a polite request meaning “please hold” or “please save.” 맡다 is the base verb “to take care of, hold, or be responsible for something”; 맡아 is its connective/request form, followed by 주세요 (“please do/give”). The pattern V-아/어 주세요 makes a polite request: 도와 주세요. — “Please help me.” Together, 제가 통화하는 동안 sets the time: “while I am on the phone.” 제 자리를 identifies the object being held, and 맡아 주세요 asks the listener to keep it available. The whole utterance is therefore: “Please save my seat while I call.”

8. 네 메모는 여기 두고 있을게요.

   I'll keep your notes here.

   네

   your

   메모

   notes

   여기

   here

   두고 있을게요

   I’ll leave it

   More detail

   네 means “your” here because it comes before 메모 and modifies that noun. In Korean, 네 can have other functions in other contexts, but this sentence uses it as a possessive form: “your notes.” 메모 means “notes” here. It is a noun referring to the notes belonging to the listener. The topic marker 는 is attached to it in 메모는, presenting those notes as what the speaker will keep in the stated place. Korean nouns do not require a plural ending here, so the translation’s “notes” is supplied by the fixed meaning rather than by a visible plural form. 여기 means “here,” pointing to the place relevant to the conversation. It is a location word and can be reused before or with a predicate to identify where something is or will be kept. For example: 책은 여기 있어요. — “The book is here.” 두고 있을게요 expresses the speaker’s intention to leave or keep something in place. The lexical verb is 두다, “to put” or “to leave,” and 두고 is its connective form. It combines with 있다 to form 두고 있다, describing something being left or kept in a state or location. The ending -을게요 is attached to 있다 as 있을게요; it presents the speaker’s voluntary commitment or intention, corresponding here to “I’ll.” The omitted subject is understood as the speaker, as confirmed by the fixed translation. The object is understood from 메모는, so Korean does not repeat “the notes” inside this verb phrase. Together, 네 메모는 sets “your notes” as the topic, 여기 gives their location, and 두고 있을게요 says that the speaker will leave or keep them there. The whole utterance therefore means: “I’ll keep your notes here.”