Letting Someone Go First in Line | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 실례합니다, 저보다 먼저 가셔도 돼요.

   Excuse me, you can go ahead of me.

   실례합니다

   Excuse me

   저보다

   than me

   먼저

   first; ahead

   가셔도 돼요

   you may go

   More detail

   실례합니다 is a polite fixed expression meaning “Excuse me.” It is commonly used to get someone’s attention or to begin a polite interruption. The ending -합니다 gives it a formal-polite style. 저보다 consists of 저 (“I/me” in a humble or polite form) and 보다, a particle meaning “than” in a comparison. The form 보다 follows the comparison standard: A보다 B means “B more/earlier/etc. than A,” depending on the adjective or adverb. Here, 저보다 먼저 means “ahead of me,” literally “earlier than me.” 먼저 is an adverb meaning “first,” “before [someone/something],” or “ahead.” In this sentence it describes going before the speaker, not performing a general first step. For example, 제가 먼저 갈게요 means “I’ll go first.” 가셔도 돼요 combines the honorific form 가시다 (“go,” used respectfully for the person going) with -어도 되다, a pattern expressing permission: “may/can do.” 가셔도 is the honorific 가시- plus -어도; 돼요 is the polite present form of 되다 in this permission pattern. Thus 가셔도 돼요 respectfully tells the addressee that going is permitted. A non-honorific version for a person who does not require honorific treatment is 가도 돼요 (“you may go”). Together, 저보다 먼저 sets the comparison and order, while 가셔도 돼요 grants the addressee permission to go. The whole utterance means: “Excuse me, you can go ahead of me.”

2. 정말 괜찮아요? 자리를 뺏고 싶지 않아요.

   Are you sure? I don't want to take your place.

   정말

   really

   괜찮아요

   be okay; be all right

   자리

   place; seat

   뺏고

   take; seize

   싶지 않아요

   do not want to

   More detail

   정말 intensifies what follows. Here it makes the question closer to “Are you really okay?” or, in the fixed translation, “Are you sure?” It can also intensify statements: 정말 맛있어요. means “It is really delicious.” 괜찮아요 comes from 괜찮다, “to be okay / all right.” The ending -아요 is a polite present-style ending; with question intonation or a question mark, 괜찮아요? asks whether someone or something is okay. In this utterance, the subject is understood from the situation rather than stated explicitly. 자리 is a noun meaning “place” or “seat.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as the other person’s place. Example: 자리가 있어요. — “There is a seat/place.” 뺏고 is the connective form of 뺏다, “to take away” or “to seize.” The ending -고 links this verb to the following desire construction: 뺏고 싶다, “want to take away.” Example: 친구의 자리를 뺏었어요. — “I took my friend’s seat.” 싶지 않아요 is the negative form of 싶다 in the pattern 동사 어간 + 고 싶다, “want to do [the verb].” Adding -지 않다 negates that desire: 뺏고 싶지 않아요 means “do not want to take away.” Here the first-person subject is understood, matching “I” in the fixed translation. Compare 가고 싶어요 — “I want to go” — with 가고 싶지 않아요 — “I do not want to go.” Together, 정말 괜찮아요? asks whether the other person is truly all right, and 자리를 뺏고 싶지 않아요 says that the speaker does not want to take away the other person’s place. Thus the complete utterance means: “Are you sure? I don’t want to take your place.”

3. 괜찮아요. 가방이 무거워 보여요.

   It's all right, your bags look heavy.

   괜찮아요

   It's all right

   가방

   bag

   무거워

   heavy

   보여요

   look; seem

   More detail

   괜찮아요 means “It’s all right” here. It is the polite present form of 괜찮다, commonly used to say that something is okay or acceptable. The ending -아요 makes the statement polite; the form does not itself specify who or what is okay. 가방 means “bag.” Korean nouns do not generally show singular versus plural by changing their form, so 가방 can refer to one bag or more than one when context supplies that meaning. In this fixed translation, it refers to the listener’s bags. The particle 이 marks 가방 as the subject of the following description. 무거워 comes from 무겁다, “to be heavy.” Before another predicate such as 보여요, the adjective uses the connective form 무거워, rather than the polite sentence-ending form 무거워요. For example, 책이 무거워요 means “The book is heavy,” while 책이 무거워 보여요 means “The book looks heavy.” 보여요 is the polite present form of 보이다, “to look” or “to seem” in this construction. Do not treat it as the ordinary verb 보다, “to see”; 보이다 presents an appearance or impression. The reusable pattern A-아/어 보이다 means “look/seem A,” as in 피곤해 보여요 — “You look tired.” Together, 가방이 무거워 보여요 says that the bags appear heavy. The Korean sentence does not separately express the possessive word “your,” but the fixed translation identifies the bags as the listener’s. With the opening 괜찮아요, the complete utterance means “It’s all right. Your bags look heavy.”

4. 고마워요.

   I appreciate it.

   고마워요

   Thank you; I appreciate it.

   More detail

   고마워요 means “I appreciate it” here and is the polite everyday way to express thanks. Its base form is 고맙다, meaning “to be thankful” or “to appreciate.” The form 고마워요 uses the polite -어요 ending; in this expression, the speaker is politely thanking the other person without specifying the object of thanks. The ending -요 marks a polite conversational style. It does not by itself identify a particular person or thing being thanked. For example, 도와줘서 고마워요. means “Thank you for helping.” Together, 고마워요. is a complete polite expression of appreciation: “I appreciate it.”

5. 카운터에서 1분밖에 안 걸릴 거예요.

   I'll only be a minute at the counter.

   카운터

   counter

   에서

   at; at a place where an action occurs

   1분

   one minute

   밖에

   only; nothing more than

   안

   not

   걸릴

   take (time)

   거예요

   will; is expected to

   More detail

   카운터 means “counter” here, the place where the speaker will be. It is a loanword used as a noun. For example, 카운터에 가요. means “I go to the counter.” 에서 marks the place where an action or event occurs. Thus 카운터에서 means “at the counter,” rather than merely identifying a destination; 에 is commonly used for a destination or static location. The exact distinction depends on the verb, so learn the pattern with the event being located: 집에서 공부해요. means “I study at home.” 1분 is “one minute”: 1 is the numeral and 분 is the counting unit for minutes. In this sentence it measures the time expected to be needed, not a separate statement about how many people or objects there are. 십 분 means “ten minutes.” 밖에 marks a limited amount, meaning “only” or “nothing more than.” It normally occurs with a negative form, so 1분밖에 안 expresses “only one minute” through the combination of limitation and negation. The relevant reusable pattern is [amount]밖에 안 + verb, as in 두 명밖에 안 와요. — “Only two people come.” 안 is the ordinary short negator, “not.” Here it negates 걸리다: 안 걸리다 means “not take [time].” In the fixed sentence, 밖에 안 걸리다 is the combined pattern “take no more than …”; 안 by itself does not mean “only.” 걸릴 is the future-oriented modifier form of 걸리다, whose base meaning in this construction is “take time.” The form 걸릴 modifies the following 거, giving the idea “will take.” This is a different use from 걸리다 meaning that something is caught or hung. For example, 시간이 많이 걸려요. means “It takes a lot of time.” 거예요 is a conversational form of 것이에요, used here to present an expectation or prediction. After the future modifier 걸릴, 걸릴 거예요 means “will take” or “is expected to take.” The ending is not itself the source of the one-minute amount; it presents the time estimate as expected. For example, 곧 도착할 거예요. means “I’ll arrive soon.” Together, 카운터에서 sets the location, and 1분밖에 안 걸릴 거예요 says that the time needed there will be no more than one minute. With the understood speaker supplied by the fixed translation, the whole utterance means “I’ll only be a minute at the counter.”

6. 조금 더 기다릴 수 있어요.

   I can wait a little longer.

   조금

   a little

   더

   more; longer

   기다릴 수 있어요

   can wait

   More detail

   조금 means “a little” here and softens the amount of additional waiting. It is an adverb, so it modifies the following idea rather than changing form for number or gender. Example: 조금 쉬어요. — “I rest a little.” 더 means “more” or “further.” With a time-related verb such as 기다리다 (“to wait”), it gives the meaning “longer”: 더 기다리다 — “to wait longer.” Example: 조금 더 앉아 있어요. — “I stay seated a little longer.” 기다릴 수 있어요 expresses ability or possibility: “can wait.” The base form is 기다리다 (“to wait”). Its verb stem 기다리- combines with -ㄹ 수 있다, a pattern meaning that someone is able or permitted to do something; here the form is 기다릴 수 있다. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 in this pattern. Example: 여기서 기다릴 수 있어요. — “I can wait here.” Together, 조금 + 더 specifies a small additional amount, and 기다릴 수 있어요 says that the speaker is able to wait. The complete utterance therefore means, “I can wait a little longer.”

7. 오래 기다리게 하지 않을게요.

   I'll make sure I don't hold you up.

   오래

   for a long time

   기다리게

   so that someone waits

   하지 않을게요

   will not do it

   More detail

   오래 means “for a long time” here and describes the duration of the waiting. It is an adverb, so it modifies the event rather than naming a long object or person. Example: 오래 기다렸어요. — “I waited for a long time.” 기다리게 comes from 기다리다, “to wait,” plus -게. In the pattern -게 하다, this form combines with 하다 to mean “make or let someone do something.” Thus, 기다리게 하다 means “make someone wait.” The person being made to wait is not expressed by a separate Korean pronoun in the sentence; the fixed English translation identifies that person as “you.” 하지 않을게요 contains 하다 (“do”), the negative pattern -지 않다 (“not do”), and -을게요, which presents the speaker’s commitment or intention. Here, 하지 is the 하- stem of 하다 followed by -지; it is not derived from 기다리다. Within 기다리게 하지 않다, it is the form of 하다 that negates the causative construction. 하지 않을게요 therefore completes the meaning “I will not do [that].” Together, 오래 + 기다리게 하다 means “make someone wait for a long time.” Negating that construction with -지 않다 and adding -을게요 gives 오래 기다리게 하지 않을게요: “I’ll make sure I don’t hold you up.” The sentence is a polite commitment by the speaker not to cause the addressee to wait for a long time.