Solving a Phone Battery Problem | Learn Korean in English

About This Lesson

Use Solving a Phone Battery Problem to practice Korean conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

휴대폰 배터리가 거의 다 됐어요.

hyoo-deh-PON BEH-tuh-ree-gah GUH-ee dah DWEH-suh-yoh My phone battery is almost dead.

충전기나 보조 배터리 가지고 있어요?

CHOONG-jun-gee-nah BOH-joh BEH-tuh-ree gah-jee-goh ee-SUH-yoh Do you have a charger or power bank with you?

둘 다 집에 두고 왔어요.

tool dah JEE-beh doo-goh WAH-suh-yoh I left both at home.

급한 전화를 해야 해요.

guh-PAN juhn-HWA-rul HAE-yah HAE-yoh I need to make an urgent call.

창문 옆에 콘센트가 있어요.

chang-MOON yuh-PEH kon-SEN-tuh-gah ee-SUH-yoh There is an outlet beside the window.

케이블을 몇 분 동안 써도 될까요?

keh-ee-buh-rul myut-ppoon dong-an SSUH-doh DWEHL-kkah-yoh Could I use your cable for a few minutes?

전화할 수 있을 때까지 써도 돼요.

juhn-hwah-hal soo ee-SSUL TTAE-kkah-jee SSUH-doh DWEH-yoh You can use it long enough to make the call.

휴대폰이 켜지면 바로 돌려드릴게요.

hyoo-deh-POH-nee KYUH-jee-myuhn BAH-roh dohl-lyuh-duh-RIL-geh-yoh I will return it as soon as my phone turns on.

배터리가 충분히 충전될 때까지 계속 꽂아 두세요.

BEH-tuh-ree-gah CHOONG-boon-hee CHOONG-jun-DWEHL TTAE-kkah-jee geh-SOHK KOH-jah doo-SEH-yoh Keep it plugged in until you have enough battery.

Word by Word

휴대폰 휴대폰 means “mobile phone” here, naming the device whose battery is nearly dead. It appears in the reusable phrase “휴대폰 배터리가” when talking about a phone’s battery.

배터리가 배터리가 means “the battery” and marks the battery as the subject in “휴대폰 배터리가 거의 다 됐어요.” It also appears as the subject in “배터리가 충분히 충전될 때까지,” describing the battery’s charging state.

거의 거의 means “almost,” showing that the battery is close to being completely used up in “거의 다 됐어요.” A reusable pattern is “거의 다 됐어요” for a state that is nearly complete or used up.

다 다 means “completely” or “all” in “거의 다 됐어요,” indicating that the battery’s available charge is nearly at its endpoint. The meaning “almost dead” comes from the whole expression, not from 다 alone.

됐어요 됐어요 is a polite form of 되다. In “다 됐어요,” it describes the battery as having reached the used-up state, so the whole phrase means that the battery is almost dead.

충전기나 충전기나 means “a charger or,” presenting a charger as one alternative in “충전기나 보조 배터리 가지고 있어요?” The ending 나 is useful when asking whether someone has one item or another.

보조 보조 means “auxiliary” or “backup” and modifies 배터리 in “보조 배터리,” meaning a backup battery. It is used before the noun it describes in this expression.

배터리 배터리 means “battery” in “보조 배터리,” naming the backup power device. The same word also appears in “휴대폰 배터리가” for the phone’s own battery.

가지고 가지고 means “having” or “carrying” here and combines with 있어요 in “가지고 있어요” to ask whether someone has something with them. The object comes before this expression, as in “보조 배터리 가지고 있어요?”.

있어요 있어요 means “have” in “가지고 있어요,” but it means “there is” in “콘센트가 있어요.” The surrounding construction determines whether it expresses possession or existence.

둘 둘 means “two,” and with 다 in “둘 다” it means “both.” In “둘 다 집에 두고 왔어요,” it refers to the charger and the power bank together.

집에 집에 means “at home,” with 에 marking the location in “집에 두고 왔어요.” It identifies where the two items were left before the speaker came.

두고 두고 means “leaving” or “putting” and connects to 왔어요 in “두고 왔어요.” The whole expression describes leaving the items at home and then coming away.

왔어요 왔어요 means “came” and is the polite past form of 오다. In “두고 왔어요,” it completes the meaning that the speaker left something behind and came here.

급한 급한 means “urgent” and modifies 전화를 in “급한 전화를 해야 해요.” It is placed before the noun to describe the call as needing immediate attention.

전화를 전화를 means “a phone call” with the object marker 를. In “전화를 해야 해요,” the phone call is the action that the speaker needs to make.

해야 해야 is the required-action form used in “해야 해요.” Together with the following 해요, it presents making the call as necessary.

해요 해요 is the polite form that completes the obligation expression “해야 해요.” In this dialogue, the full expression says that the speaker needs to make an urgent call.

창문 창문 means “window” in “창문 옆에 콘센트가 있어요.” It names the object used as a reference point for locating the outlet.

옆에 옆에 means “beside” or “next to” and places the outlet beside the window in “창문 옆에 콘센트가 있어요.” It follows the reference noun 창문 in this location phrase.

콘센트가 콘센트가 means “an outlet” with 가 marking it as the subject of an existence statement. In “콘센트가 있어요,” it identifies the outlet that is available beside the window.

케이블을 케이블을 means “the cable” with 를 marking it as the object of use. In “케이블을 몇 분 동안 써도 될까요?”, the speaker politely asks permission to use the cable.

몇 몇 means “a few” here and modifies 분 in “몇 분 동안.” It gives an unspecified small number of minutes rather than an exact amount.

분 분 means “minutes” in “몇 분 동안,” naming the unit of time for the requested use. Together with 몇, it refers to a short, unspecified duration.

동안 동안 means “for” or “during” and marks the duration in “몇 분 동안.” It follows the time expression to show how long the cable would be used.

써도 써도 is the permission-seeking form used in “써도 될까요?” and relates to using the cable. The complete expression asks whether using it for a few minutes would be acceptable.

될까요 될까요 means “would it be okay?” in “써도 될까요?” and completes a polite request for permission. It is used here after the proposed action, 써도.

전화할 전화할 means “to make the call” in “전화할 수 있을 때까지.” It comes before 수 to form the possibility expression describing when the speaker can make the call.

수 수 expresses ability or possibility in “전화할 수 있을 때까지.” With the surrounding words, it helps mean “be able to make the call.”

있을 있을 is the form of 있다 used in “전화할 수 있을 때까지.” Here it completes the possibility expression before the time limit, meaning that the speaker can make the call.

때까지 때까지 means “until” and sets the endpoint in “전화할 수 있을 때까지.” It also appears in “충전될 때까지,” marking the point until the battery is sufficiently charged.

켜지면 켜지면 means “when it turns on” in “휴대폰이 켜지면 바로 돌려드릴게요.” It links the phone turning on to the action that will follow.

바로 바로 means “right away” in “켜지면 바로 돌려드릴게요.” It shows that the cable will be returned immediately after the phone turns on.

돌려드릴게요 돌려드릴게요 means “I will return it to you” as a polite promise. In “바로 돌려드릴게요,” it promises to return the cable immediately, with 드리다 showing respectful action toward the recipient.

충분히 충분히 means “sufficiently” or “enough” and modifies 충전될 in “충분히 충전될 때까지.” It specifies that the battery should reach an adequate level of charge.

충전될 충전될 means “be charged” in “충전될 때까지.” It is the form of 충전되다 that describes the battery reaching the charging state used as the endpoint.

계속 계속 means “continuously” or “keep” in “계속 꽂아 두세요.” It tells the listener to maintain the plugged-in state rather than removing the cable.

꽂아 꽂아 means “plug in” as the first action in “꽂아 두세요.” Together with 두세요, it asks the listener to leave the cable plugged in.

두세요 두세요 means “keep it” or “leave it” as a polite request. In “꽂아 두세요,” it tells the listener to keep the cable in the plugged-in position until the battery is sufficiently charged.

Grammar Points

V-아/어도 될까요?

케이블을 몇 분 동안 써도 될까요?

keh-ee-buh-rul myut-ppoon dong-an SSUH-doh DWEHL-kkah-yoh

Could I use the cable for a few minutes?

This polite pattern asks for permission. It is softer than simply saying “써요?”

V-(으)ㄹ 때까지

충전될 때까지 계속 꽂아 두세요.

CHOONG-jun-DWEHL TTAE-kkah-jee geh-SOHK KOH-jah doo-SEH-yoh

Keep it plugged in until it is charged.

This pattern means “until.” The verb before 때까지 shows the event that marks the endpoint.

Korean Vocabulary

가지고 있어요 phrase

gah-jee-goh ee-SUH-yoh have; have with you

거의 adv

GUH-ee almost

급한 adj

guh-PAN urgent

다 됐어요 phrase

dah DWEH-suh-yoh is almost dead; has run out

두고 왔어요 phrase

doo-goh WAH-suh-yoh left behind and came

둘 다 pron

tool dah both

배터리 noun

BEH-tuh-ree battery

보조 배터리 noun

BOH-joh BEH-tuh-ree power bank

전화 noun

juhn-HWA call; telephone

충전기 noun

CHOONG-jun-gee charger

해야 해요 phrase

HAE-yah HAE-yoh need to; have to

휴대폰 noun

hyoo-DEH-pon phone

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

My phone battery is almost dead.

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휴대폰 배터리가 거의 다 됐어요.

Do you have a charger or power bank with you?

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충전기나 보조 배터리 가지고 있어요?

I left both at home.

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둘 다 집에 두고 왔어요.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

almost

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거의

battery

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배터리

charger

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충전기

call; telephone

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전화