Solving a Phone Battery Problem | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 휴대폰 배터리가 거의 다 됐어요.

   My phone battery is almost dead.

   휴대폰

   phone

   배터리가

   battery

   거의

   almost

   다 됐어요

   is used up / is dead

   More detail

   휴대폰 means “mobile phone” or “cell phone.” It is a noun that can be reused in compounds, such as 휴대폰 번호 (“phone number”). 배터리가 identifies the battery as the grammatical subject. 배터리 is “battery,” and 가 is the subject particle used here after a vowel-final noun. The particle marks what is in the state described by the predicate; it does not mean “my” by itself. The fixed translation supplies the intended context: this is the speaker’s phone battery. 거의 means “almost” or “nearly.” It indicates that the following state is close to being true but has not fully reached it. For example, 거의 끝났어요 means “It is almost finished.” 다 됐어요 is a polite form of 다 되다 in this usage. 다 means “completely” or “all,” while 되다 can describe something reaching a resulting state. With a battery, 다 되다 means that its usable power has been exhausted, so 다 됐어요 means “is used up” or “is dead” here. The ending -어요 makes the statement polite. The form 됐어요 is the observed form of 되다 in this expression; do not treat 됐어요 as a form of the nearby noun 배터리. Together, 배터리가 거의 다 됐어요 says that the battery has nearly reached the state of being fully used up. Thus the whole utterance means “My phone battery is almost dead.” It is a polite, ordinary way to report that the phone needs charging soon.

2. 충전기나 보조 배터리 가지고 있어요?

   Do you have a charger or power bank with you?

   충전기

   charger

   나

   or

   보조 배터리

   power bank

   가지고 있어요?

   have with you?

   More detail

   충전기 means “charger.” It is a noun; the form does not show whether there is one charger or more than one. Example: 충전기가 있어요. — “There is a charger.” 나 is attached to 충전기 as 충전기나. In this pattern, N이나 N means “N or N”: it presents alternatives. Here it is not the separate pronoun for “I,” and it does not mean “also.” Example: 물이나 주스 있어요? — “Do you have water or juice?” 보조 배터리 means “power bank.” It is a noun phrase, conventionally written with a space here. Together with the preceding alternative, 충전기나 보조 배터리 means “a charger or a power bank.” 가지고 있어요? is a polite question meaning “do you have [it] with you?” or “are you carrying [it]?” 가지고 comes from the verb 가지다 (“to have, possess, or carry”) with -고, and 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 (“to exist/be”). The combination 가지고 있다 expresses having or keeping something, including having it on one’s person. The person being asked is understood from the question; Korean does not need an explicit subject here. Example: 우산 가지고 있어요? — “Do you have an umbrella with you?” Combining the parts in order, 충전기나 보조 배터리 offers two possible items, and 가지고 있어요? asks whether the addressee has either item with them. The whole utterance therefore means, “Do you have a charger or power bank with you?”

3. 둘 다 집에 두고 왔어요.

   I left both at home.

   둘 다

   both

   집에

   at home

   두고 왔어요

   left behind and came

   More detail

   둘 다 means “both” here: 둘 is the native Korean number word for two, and 다 adds the sense “all of them,” so together they refer to the two items as a group. The expression can be reused with a known pair, for example, 둘 다 좋아요 means “I like both.” 집에 contains 집 (“home/house”) plus the location particle 에. In this sentence, 에 marks the place where the items were left, so the intended meaning is “at home.” The same particle can mark a destination in another context, but 두고 makes the location reading clear here. 두고 왔어요 is made from 두다 (“to put or leave something”), the connective form 두고, and the polite past form 왔어요 of 오다 (“to come”). 두고 오다 describes leaving something at a place and coming away without it; in the past, 두고 왔어요 means “left [it/them] and came.” The object is understood from the situation rather than stated in this utterance. 왔어요 is polite and past; the base form is 오다, not 두다. As a whole, 둘 다 identifies both items, 집에 gives the place, and 두고 왔어요 describes the completed action of leaving them there and coming away. Thus the utterance means “I left both at home.”

4. 급한 전화를 해야 해요.

   I need to make an urgent call.

   급한

   urgent

   전화를

   a phone call

   해야 해요

   need to

   More detail

   급한 means “urgent” here. It is the noun-modifying form of 급하다 (“to be urgent” / “to be pressing”): 급하다 → 급한 before a noun. For example, 급한 일이 있어요. means “I have an urgent matter.” 전화를 means “a phone call” as the object of the action. 전화 is the noun “phone call,” and 를 marks it as the object. The reusable expression 전화를 하다 means “to make a phone call”; in this sentence, 전화 appears with the object marker because it is the thing being done. 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 required. Here, 해야 is the form of 하다 used in that pattern, and 해요 is the polite present form of 하다 in the ending 해야 해요. For example, 지금 가야 해요. means “I need to go now.” Putting the parts together, 급한 전화를 identifies an urgent phone call, and 해야 해요 says that making it is necessary. The whole utterance therefore means “I need to make an urgent call.”

5. 창문 옆에 콘센트가 있어요.

   There is an outlet beside the window.

   창문

   window

   옆에

   beside; next to

   콘센트

   outlet

   있어요

   there is; is located

   More detail

   창문 means “window” here. It is a noun. A useful pattern is N 옆에, meaning “beside/next to N”; for example, 문 옆에 의자가 있어요. means “There is a chair next to the door.” 옆에 expresses a location beside something. 옆 means “side,” and -에 marks the place where something is located. The form 옆에 is therefore reusable with different nouns: 책상 옆에 means “beside the desk.” 콘센트 means “outlet” here. It is a noun referring to the electrical socket. In this sentence, the subject marker -가 is attached to it as 콘센트가; this marks the outlet as the thing whose existence or location is being stated. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다. It is used for something that exists or is located somewhere. In a location pattern, 장소에 N이/가 있어요 means “There is/are N in/at the place,” or “N is located in/at the place.” For example, 방에 책이 있어요. means “There is a book in the room.” The form 있어요 is polite and does not itself specify a past or future time. Together, 창문 옆에 sets the location, 콘센트가 identifies the thing located there, and 있어요 states its existence or location. The whole utterance means, “There is an outlet beside the window.”

6. 케이블을 몇 분 동안 써도 될까요?

   Could I use your cable for a few minutes?

   케이블

   cable

   몇

   a few

   분

   minute

   동안

   for; during

   써도 될까요?

   May I use it?

   More detail

   케이블 means “cable” here. It is a noun. The following 을 marks it as the object of the action: 케이블을 means “the cable” as the thing being used. Korean often omits a pronoun when the intended referent is clear; here, the fixed translation identifies the cable as the listener’s cable. 몇 asks for an unspecified small number in 몇 분, “a few minutes” here. It comes before a counting noun or counter: 몇 분 = “how many minutes” or, in a request like this, “a few minutes.” It does not itself identify an exact number. 분 is the counter for minutes. A useful pattern is [number]분: 오 분 means “five minutes,” while 몇 분 means “a few/how many minutes,” depending on context. The duration phrase 몇 분 동안 expresses how long the action lasts. 동안 marks a span of time, meaning “for” or “during.” In this sentence it follows 몇 분 and makes 몇 분 동안 mean “for a few minutes.” It can also follow a noun phrase for a period, such as 한 시간 동안, “for one hour.” 써도 될까요? is a polite way to ask permission: “May I use it?” The verb 쓰다 means “to use” in this context; its form before -어도 되다 is 써. The pattern V-아/어도 되다 means that doing V is permitted, and -ㄹ까요? turns the permission statement into a polite question. Thus 써도 될까요? literally follows the pattern “would it be okay if I use it?” The omitted subject is understood as the speaker, and the object is supplied by 케이블을. Together, 케이블을 몇 분 동안 써도 될까요? asks politely whether the speaker may use the cable for a few minutes. The time phrase limits the duration of the permitted use, while -어도 될까요? makes the whole utterance a request for permission.

7. 전화할 수 있을 때까지 써도 돼요.

   You can use it long enough to make the call.

   전화할 수

   be able to make a call

   때까지

   until

   써도 돼요

   may use it

   More detail

   전화할 수 expresses ability. 전화하다 means “to make a phone call,” and its form before 수 is 전화할. The pattern -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 means “can”; 전화할 수 있다 therefore means “can make a call.” In 전화할 수 있을 때까지, 있을 is the form of 있다 that modifies the following noun 때 (“time” or “point”). The ability construction is embedded before 때까지, so this means “until you can make a call.” The fixed translation identifies the understood subject as “you.” 때까지 marks the endpoint of an action or state. Example: 비가 그칠 때까지 기다려요. — “I wait until the rain stops.” 써도 돼요 uses 쓰다, here meaning “to use.” 써 is the relevant form of 쓰다 in this permission pattern. -아/어도 되다 expresses permission: 써도 돼요? means “May I use it?” and 써도 돼요. means “You may use it.” 돼요 is the polite present form of 되다 used in this pattern. The item is understood from the context as the cable. Together, 전화할 수 있을 때까지 sets the endpoint, and 써도 돼요 gives you permission to use the item up to that endpoint. Thus the utterance means, “You can use it long enough to make the call.” It is a polite permission statement and does not specify an exact number of minutes.

8. 휴대폰이 켜지면 바로 돌려드릴게요.

   I will return it as soon as my phone turns on.

   휴대폰

   mobile phone

   켜지면

   when it turns on

   바로

   right away

   돌려드릴게요

   I’ll return it to you

   More detail

   휴대폰 means “mobile phone.” It is a noun made up of 휴대 (“carrying/portable use”) and 폰 (“phone”), but it is used as one ordinary noun meaning “mobile phone.” 켜지면 means “when it turns on.” The base form is 켜지다, “to turn on” or “to become switched on,” with the subject understood as the thing that becomes on. The ending -면 attaches to a verb or adjective to mean “if/when.” Here it presents the phone turning on as the condition for what follows. Example: 비가 오면 집에 있어요. — “When it rains, I stay at home.” 바로 means “right away” or “immediately.” It modifies the following action, so the return will happen promptly after the stated condition is met. It is different from 곧, which often means “soon”; 바로 more strongly emphasizes immediacy or direct timing. 돌려드릴게요 means “I’ll return it to you.” The base verb is 돌리다, “to turn” or, in this use, “to return something.” With 드리다, it expresses doing the action for or toward someone respectfully; 돌려드리다 is the honorific-respectful expression “to return (something) to someone.” The ending -ㄹ게요 marks the speaker’s intention or commitment, often functioning as a promise to the listener. In this form, 돌려드릴게요 is polite and does not itself specify the object with a separate pronoun; the fixed translation identifies that object as “it.” Together, 휴대폰이 켜지면 sets the condition “when the mobile phone turns on.” 바로 places the return immediately after that condition, and 돌려드릴게요 expresses the speaker’s polite commitment to return it to the listener. Thus the whole utterance means, “I will return it as soon as my phone turns on.”

9. 배터리가 충분히 충전될 때까지 계속 꽂아 두세요.

   Keep it plugged in until you have enough battery.

   배터리

   battery

   충분히

   enough; sufficiently

   충전될

   be charged

   때까지

   until the time when

   계속

   continuously; keep on

   꽂아 두세요

   keep it plugged in

   More detail

   배터리 is the noun “battery.” Here it is the subject of the condition: the battery is what becomes sufficiently charged. A useful pattern is N이/가 ...되다, meaning that N reaches a resulting state. Example: 배터리가 다 됐어요. — “The battery is dead / has run out.” 충분히 is an adverb meaning “sufficiently” or “enough.” It modifies 충전될, so it says that the charging should reach a sufficient degree, not merely that charging happens. The related adjective 충분하다 means “to be sufficient”: 시간이 충분해요. — “There is enough time.” 충전될 comes from 충전되다, “to become/be charged.” The ending -ㄹ here is not a standalone future claim; it is the form used before 때까지 in this time-or-condition expression. 충전되다 describes the battery reaching the charged state, while 충전하다 means “to charge” something. Example: 배터리가 충전돼요. — “The battery is charging / becomes charged.” 때까지 means “until the time when” or “until the point at which.” It attaches to a clause or noun and sets the endpoint of the action in the main clause. Thus 충분히 충전될 때까지 means “until it is sufficiently charged.” Example: 비가 그칠 때까지 기다리세요. — “Please wait until the rain stops.” 계속 means “continuously” or “keep on.” It tells the listener to maintain the action rather than do it only briefly. It can modify many verbs: 계속 읽으세요. — “Keep reading.” 꽂아 두세요 combines 꽂다, “to plug in/insert,” with 두다, “to leave or keep something in a state,” followed by the polite request ending -세요. 꽂아 is the -아 connective form of 꽂다; 두다 adds the idea of leaving the object plugged in. Therefore this is more than a momentary “plug it in”: it requests maintaining that plugged-in state. Example: 문을 열어 두세요. — “Please leave the door open.” Together, 배터리가 충분히 충전될 때까지 gives the endpoint, “until the battery is sufficiently charged,” and 계속 꽂아 두세요 gives the requested continued state, “keep it plugged in.” The whole utterance is a polite instruction to leave the relevant device or object plugged in until the battery has reached a sufficient charge. In a reusable pattern, A이/가 [condition] 때까지 계속 V-아/어 두세요 means “Keep [something] V-ing/left in that state until A [reaches the condition].”