Talking about caring for a room plant | Learn Korean in English

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Use Talking about caring for a room plant to practice Korean conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

제 방에 놓을 작은 식물을 샀어요.

jeh bahng-eh noh-uhl JAH-guhn SHING-moo-ruhl SAH-suh-yoh I bought a small plant for my room.

햇빛이 많이 필요한가요?

het-PPIT-chee MAH-nee pee-RYOH-hahn-gah-yoh Does it need much sunlight?

라벨에 직접 햇빛이 들지 않는 곳을 좋아한다고 쓰여 있어요.

rah-BEHL-eh chik-JJUP het-PPIT-chee duhl-jee ahn-neun goh-suhl joh-ah-hahn-dah-goh sseuh-YUH ee-SUH-yoh The label says it likes indirect light.

그러면 밖이 아니라 창문 가까이에 두세요.

guh-ruh-myuhn BAH-kkee ah-nee-rah chahng-moon gah-KKAH-ee-eh DOO-seh-yoh Then keep it near the window, not outside.

흙에 얼마나 자주 물을 줘야 해요?

huhl-keh uhl-MAH-nah JAH-joo moo-ruhl JWOH-yah HEH-yoh How often should I water the soil?

물을 주기 전에 일주일에 두 번 확인하세요.

moo-ruhl JOO-gee juhn-eh eel-joo-eel-eh DOO buhn hwa-GEEN-hah-seh-yoh Check it twice a week before watering.

여기서 잘 자라면 좋겠어요.

yuh-gee-suh jahl JAH-rah-myuhn joh-GET-suh-yoh I hope it grows well here.

물을 너무 많이 주지 않으면 잘 자랄 거예요.

moo-ruhl NUH-moo MAH-nee JOO-jee ah-nuh-myuhn jahl JAH-ral guh-YEH-yoh It should, as long as you do not water it too much.

Word by Word

제 “제” means “my” in “제 방에 놓을 작은 식물을 샀어요.” It is the polite possessive form related to “저의,” and it is used before a noun such as “제 방.” You can use “제” before another noun when referring politely to something that belongs to you.

방에 “방에” means “in or to the room” and shows the place connected with putting the plant. “방” means “room,” and “에” marks a location or destination. A reusable pattern is “장소에 놓다,” meaning to put something in a place.

놓을 “놓을” means “to put or place” in “제 방에 놓을 작은 식물,” describing a plant intended to be placed in the room. It is the form of “놓다” used before a noun. A reusable pattern is “여기에 놓을 물건,” meaning an item to put here.

작은 “작은” means “small” and directly describes “식물” in “작은 식물.” It is the noun-modifying form related to “작다.” Use “작은” before a noun when describing its small size, such as “작은 방.”

식물을 “식물을” means “the plant” as the object of “샀어요” in “작은 식물을 샀어요.” “식물” means “plant,” and “을” marks it as the object. A reusable pattern is “식물을 키우다,” meaning to grow or raise a plant.

샀어요 “샀어요” means “bought” in “작은 식물을 샀어요.” It is the polite past form of “사다,” meaning “to buy.” You can use it with an object, as in “책을 샀어요,” a new example meaning “I bought a book.”

햇빛이 “햇빛이” means “sunlight” as the thing being asked about in “햇빛이 많이 필요한가요?” “햇빛” means sunlight, and “이” marks it as the subject. A reusable pattern is “햇빛이 필요하다,” meaning sunlight is needed.

많이 “많이” means “much” or “a lot” in “햇빛이 많이 필요한가요?” It shows the amount of sunlight that is needed. Use “많이” before a verb or descriptive expression when describing a large amount, such as “물을 많이 마셔요,” a new example meaning “I drink a lot of water.”

필요한가요 “필요한가요?” asks whether something is needed, here asking whether the plant needs a lot of sunlight. It is the polite question form related to “필요하다,” meaning “to be needed.” A reusable pattern is “시간이 필요한가요?” meaning “Is time needed?”

라벨에 “라벨에” means “on the label” in “라벨에 ... 쓰여 있어요.” “라벨” means label, and “에” marks the place where the information is written. A reusable pattern is “라벨에 쓰여 있어요,” meaning something is written on the label.

직접 “직접” means “directly” in “직접 햇빛이 들지 않는 곳,” describing sunlight that does not enter directly. It helps distinguish direct light from light that reaches a place indirectly. You can use “직접” before an action, such as “직접 확인하다,” a new example meaning “to check directly.”

들지 “들지” contributes the meaning “comes in” or “enters” in “햇빛이 들지 않는 곳.” With “햇빛이 들다,” it describes sunlight entering or reaching a place, and “지” connects it to the following negation. A reusable pattern is “빛이 들다,” meaning light comes in.

않는 “않는” means “not” in “직접 햇빛이 들지 않는 곳,” making the description “a place where direct sunlight does not come in.” It is used before “곳” to form a negative description. A reusable pattern is “하지 않는 방법,” a new example meaning “a method that does not do something.”

곳을 “곳을” means “the place” as the object of “좋아한다고” in “직접 햇빛이 들지 않는 곳을 좋아한다고.” “곳” means place, and “을” marks it as the object. Use “곳을 좋아하다” when saying that someone or something likes a place.

좋아한다고 “좋아한다고” means “that it likes” as the reported content in “곳을 좋아한다고 쓰여 있어요.” It reports what the label says the plant likes, followed by “쓰여 있어요.” A reusable pattern is “좋아한다고 말하다,” a new example meaning “to say that someone likes something.”

쓰여 “쓰여” means “is written” in “좋아한다고 쓰여 있어요.” It appears before “있어요” to describe written information that is present on the label. A reusable pattern is “여기에 쓰여 있어요,” meaning something is written here.

있어요 “있어요” means “is” or “exists” and completes “쓰여 있어요,” meaning the information is written there. With “쓰여,” it describes the continuing presence of written words rather than simple existence alone. A reusable pattern is “책상 위에 있어요,” a new example meaning “It is on the desk.”

그러면 “그러면” means “then” or “in that case” and connects the advice to the information about indirect light. It signals a result or next step based on what was just said. Use “그러면” when responding to a condition or explanation with a consequence.

밖이 “밖이” means “outside” in the contrast “밖이 아니라 창문 가까이에,” meaning not outside but near the window. “밖” means outside, and “이” marks the contrasted place in this expression. A reusable pattern is “집 밖이 아니라 집 안,” a new example meaning “inside the house, not outside the house.”

아니라 “아니라” means “not but rather” in “밖이 아니라 창문 가까이에.” It contrasts one option with the preferred option that follows. A reusable pattern is “A가 아니라 B,” meaning “not A but B.”

창문 “창문” means “window” in “창문 가까이에 두세요.” It identifies the object used as the reference point for the plant’s location. A reusable pattern is “창문 옆,” meaning beside the window.

가까이에 “가까이에” means “near” in “창문 가까이에 두세요.” It describes a location close to the window, with “에” marking where the plant should be placed. Use “명사 가까이에” to say that something is near a noun, such as “문 가까이에,” a new example meaning “near the door.”

두세요 “두세요” means “please put” or “please keep” in “창문 가까이에 두세요.” It is a polite request using “두다,” meaning to place or keep something in a location. A reusable pattern is “여기에 두세요,” a new example meaning “Please put it here.”

흙에 “흙에” means “in or on the soil” in “흙에 물을 줘야 해요.” It marks the soil as the place or target receiving water. A reusable pattern is “흙에 물을 주다,” meaning to water the soil.

얼마나 “얼마나” means “how much” or “how often” here because it is used with “자주” in “얼마나 자주.” Together, “얼마나 자주” asks about frequency. Use this pattern when asking how frequently an action should happen.

자주 “자주” means “often” in “얼마나 자주,” asking how frequently the soil should be watered. With “얼마나,” it forms the reusable question “얼마나 자주 ...?” meaning “how often ...?” It can also describe regular frequency in a statement, such as “자주 확인해요,” a new example meaning “I check often.”

물을 “물을” means “water” as the object in “물을 줘야 해요.” “물” means water, and “을” marks what is given. In plant-care language, a reusable pattern is “물을 주다,” meaning to water a plant or soil.

줘야 “줘야” means “must give” as part of “물을 줘야 해요,” which means “have to water.” It comes from “주다,” meaning to give, and connects with “해요” to express necessity. A reusable pattern is “물을 줘야 하다,” meaning to have to give water.

해요 “해요” completes the expression “줘야 해요,” meaning “have to” or “must.” In this dialogue, the whole expression says that watering the soil is necessary. A reusable pattern is “확인해야 해요,” a new example meaning “You have to check.”

주기 “주기” means “giving” or, in this context, “watering” in “물을 주기 전에.” It turns “주다” into a noun-like action before “전에.” A reusable pattern is “물을 주기 전에,” meaning “before watering.”

전에 “전에” means “before” in “물을 주기 전에,” referring to the time before watering. It follows the noun-like action “주기.” A reusable pattern is “자기 전에,” meaning “before going to sleep.”

일주일에 “일주일에” means “per week” in “일주일에 두 번.” It gives the time period used to measure how often the soil is checked. A reusable pattern is “일주일에 한 번,” meaning once a week.

번 “번” is the counter for the number of times an action occurs, as in “일주일에 두 번.” It is used after a number to express frequency. A reusable pattern is “세 번 확인하다,” a new example meaning to check three times.

확인하세요 “확인하세요” means “please check” in the advice “물을 주기 전에 ... 확인하세요.” It is a polite request to inspect the soil before watering. A reusable pattern is “먼저 확인하세요,” a new example meaning “Please check first.”

여기서 “여기서” means “here” in “여기서 잘 자라면 좋겠어요,” referring to the current place where the plant will be kept. “여기” means here, and “서” marks the location of an action or state. Use “여기서” when describing something happening or growing in this place.

잘 “잘” means “well” in “잘 자라면,” describing healthy or successful growth. It modifies the expression “자라다,” meaning to grow. A reusable pattern is “잘 지내다,” meaning to be doing well.

자라면 “자라면” means “if it grows” in “여기서 잘 자라면 좋겠어요.” It is the conditional form related to “자라다,” meaning to grow. A reusable pattern is “잘 자라면,” meaning “if it grows well,” when discussing a plant’s future condition.

좋겠어요 “좋겠어요” means “it would be nice” or “I hope” in “잘 자라면 좋겠어요.” The whole pattern “-면 좋겠어요” expresses a wish about a possible situation. You can use it for a hope such as “시간이 있으면 좋겠어요,” a new example meaning “I hope there is time.”

너무 “너무” means “too” or “excessively” in “너무 많이 주지 않으면,” warning against giving an excessive amount of water. It modifies “많이” to strengthen the idea of excess. A reusable pattern is “너무 늦다,” a new example meaning “to be too late.”

주지 “주지” means “give” or, here, “water” in the negative expression “너무 많이 주지 않으면.” It is the form of “주다” used before the following negation. A reusable pattern is “물을 주지 않다,” meaning not to water.

않으면 “않으면” means “if not” or “unless” in “너무 많이 주지 않으면,” giving the condition for the plant to grow well. It forms a negative condition together with “주지.” A reusable pattern is “늦지 않으면,” a new example meaning “if it is not late.”

자랄 “자랄” means “will grow” or “is expected to grow” in “잘 자랄 거예요.” It is the form of “자라다” used before “거예요” to express an expected future result. A reusable pattern is “잘 자랄 거예요,” meaning “it will grow well.”

거예요 “거예요” completes “자랄 거예요,” meaning “will grow” or “is expected to grow.” The construction “동사-(으)ㄹ 거예요” expresses a future expectation or prediction. Use it after another verb form when making a polite prediction about what will happen.

Grammar Points

동사-지 않는 + 명사

햇빛이 들지 않는 곳

het-PPIT-chee duhl-jee ahn-neun goht

a place where sunlight does not shine in

-지 않는 comes before a noun to describe an action that does not happen.

동사-아/어 있다

라벨에 쓰여 있어요.

rah-BEHL-eh sseuh-YUH ee-SUH-yoh

It is written on the label.

-아/어 있다 describes a resulting state, such as something remaining written or placed.

Korean Vocabulary

놓다 verb

noh-tah to place; to put 놓을

들다 verb

duhl-dah to enter; to shine in 들지 않는

라벨 noun

rah-BEHL label

많이 adv

MAH-nee a lot; much

방 noun

bahng room

제 방

사다 verb

sah-dah to buy 샀어요

식물 noun

SHING-mool plant

작다 adj

jahk-ttah to be small 작은

제 det

jeh my

제 방

직접 adv

jik-JJUP directly

필요하다 adj

pee-RYOH-hah-dah to be necessary; to need 필요한가요

햇빛 noun

haet-PPIT sunlight

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I bought a small plant for my room.

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제 방에 놓을 작은 식물을 샀어요.

Does it need much sunlight?

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햇빛이 많이 필요한가요?

Then keep it near the window, not outside.

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그러면 밖이 아니라 창문 가까이에 두세요.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to be necessary; to need

Show Answer

필요한가요

to be small

Show Answer

작은

to buy

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샀어요

a lot; much

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많이