Checking the apartment before leaving | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 나가기 전에 아파트를 확인해야 해.

   Before we leave, we should check the apartment.

   나가기

   going out; leaving

   전에

   before

   아파트

   apartment

   확인해야 해

   should check; need to check

   More detail

   나가기 means “going out” or “leaving” here. It comes from 나가다 (“to go out, leave”) plus -기, a form that turns a verb into an activity or event for use in expressions such as -기 전에. 전에 means “before.” After a verb in -기 전에, it places the main action before that event: 자기 전에 means “before sleeping.” The complete pattern is 동사-기 전에 (“before doing something”). 아파트 is the noun “apartment.” It is a loanword used for an apartment or apartment building, depending on context. 확인해야 해 means “should check” or “need to check” here. The lexical verb is 확인하다, “to check” or “to confirm.” -아/어야 하다 expresses necessity or obligation; with 확인하다, it gives 확인해야 하다. In the informal spoken ending, 해야 하다 becomes 해야 해 in this sentence. For example, 문을 확인해야 해. means “I need to check the door.” Together, 나가기 전에 sets the time condition, 아파트를 marks the apartment as the object with 를, and 확인해야 해 says that checking it is necessary. Thus the whole utterance means: “Before we leave, we should check the apartment.” The subject is omitted in Korean; the fixed translation supplies “we” as the intended subject. -아/어야 해 is natural in everyday speech, while -아/어야 합니다 is more formal.

2. 나는 이미 가스레인지를 껐어.

   I already turned off the stove.

   나는

   I; as for me

   이미

   already

   가스레인지

   stove

   껐어

   turned off

   More detail

   나는 contains 나 (“I”) plus the topic particle 는. It presents the speaker as the topic: “as for me, …” or simply “I” in this sentence. 나 is a first-person singular pronoun; in more formal speech, 저 is commonly used instead. 이미 means “already.” It places the action before the relevant reference point. For example, 나는 이미 먹었어 means “I already ate.” 가스레인지 means “gas stove” or “gas range.” It is a noun. The compound refers specifically to a cooking stove that uses gas; the broader word 레인지 can refer to a range or stove more generally. 껐어 is the casual past form of 끄다, “to turn off” or “to switch off.” The verb 끄다 changes to 꺼 in the informal present-style form, and its past form is 껐어. The opposite verb is 켜다, “to turn on”; for example, 불을 켰어 means “I turned on the light.” Here, 껐어 is transitive, so the thing turned off is 가스레인지. Together, 나는 sets “I” as the topic, 이미 says the action has happened beforehand, 가스레인지를 marks the gas stove as the object, and 껐어 says “turned it off” in casual past speech. The complete meaning is: “I already turned off the stove.” The ending -어 is informal and conversational, suitable for speaking casually to someone with whom the speaker uses non-honorific speech.

3. 창문이 모두 닫혀 있어?

   Are all the windows closed?

   창문

   window

   모두

   all

   닫혀 있어

   be closed

   More detail

   창문 means “window.” Korean nouns do not obligatorily mark singular versus plural, so this form can mean “window” or “windows”; here, 모두 makes the intended meaning “all the windows.” A useful related word is 문, “door,” but it is a different noun. 모두 means “all” or “everyone/everything,” depending on what it modifies. Here it applies to 창문, giving the group reading “all the windows,” rather than identifying just one window. Example: 학생들이 모두 왔어요. — “All the students came.” 닫혀 있어 describes a continuing closed state. 닫히다 is the base form meaning “to become closed” or “to shut,” and 닫혀 is its connective form. It is followed by 있어, the informal form of 있다 in the construction -어 있다, which expresses that something remains in a resulting state. Thus 닫혀 있어 means “is/are closed” here. This differs from 닫다, “to close,” which describes the action of closing something. Example: 문이 닫혀 있어요. — “The door is closed.” The ending -어? in 있어? is attached to 있다 and, with question intonation, makes an informal question; it is not a separate word after 있어. Together, 창문 identifies the windows, 모두 applies the condition to the whole set, and 닫혀 있어? asks whether their current state is closed. The whole utterance means “Are all the windows closed?”

4. 침실 창문이 아직 열려 있어.

   The bedroom window is still open.

   침실

   bedroom

   창문

   window

   아직

   still

   열려 있어

   is open

   More detail

   침실 means “bedroom.” It is a noun that can directly modify another noun in a compound: 침실 창문 means “bedroom window.” This pattern is reusable with other place nouns, such as 거실 창문 (“living-room window”) in a new example. 창문 means “window.” It is the subject here, marked by 이. The phrase 침실 창문이 therefore means “the bedroom window” as the thing whose state is being described. 아직 means “still” in this sentence: the open state continues at the relevant time. With an action that has not happened yet, it can instead mean “yet,” as in the new example 아직 안 먹었어 (“I haven’t eaten yet”). 열려 있어 describes a continuing state of being open. 열리다 is the base form meaning “to open” or “to become open” in an intransitive/passive-style use; 열려 is its connective form. 있어, from 있다, indicates that this state is maintained or currently exists. Thus 열려 있어 is not simply an action of opening, but “is in an open state.” A useful contrast is 닫혀 있어 (“is closed”), as in the supplied question about the windows. The ending -어 is informal and suitable for a casual statement. Together, 침실 창문이 identifies the bedroom window, 아직 says that the state continues, and 열려 있어 says that the window is open. The complete utterance means: “The bedroom window is still open.”

5. 내가 창문을 닫고 발코니 문을 잠글게.

   I'll close it and lock the balcony door.

   내가

   I

   창문

   window

   닫고

   close, and

   발코니

   balcony

   문

   door

   잠글게

   I’ll lock it

   More detail

   내가 means “I” here and marks the speaker as the subject. It is formed from the pronoun 나 plus the subject marker 가, with the contraction 나가 → 내가; 내 in this form is not a separate base pronoun. 나는 instead marks “I” as the topic, while 내가 emphasizes or identifies the subject. 창문 means “window.” In 창문을, the particle 을 marks it as the object of the first action. 을 follows a consonant-ending noun; after a vowel-ending noun, the corresponding object marker is 를. 닫고 comes from 닫다, “to close.” The ending -고 links this action to the following one, producing a reusable “close … and …” pattern. It can allow a sequence reading in context, but -고 itself is a general connector, not an obligatory “then” marker. The stem remains 닫- before -고, giving 닫고. 발코니 means “balcony.” It modifies the following noun in 발코니 문, meaning “balcony door.” 문 means “door.” In 발코니 문을, it is the head noun, and 을 marks the whole noun phrase as the object of the second action. Here the object is stated explicitly rather than omitted. 잠글게 comes from 잠그다, “to lock.” The ending -ㄹ게 presents the speaker’s intention or commitment to carry out the action: “I’ll lock it.” With this verb, the vowel-final stem 잠그- loses 으 before the ending and takes -ㄹ게, producing 잠글게; this is not a form of 닫다. Together, 내가 창문을 닫고 means “I’ll close the window and,” with the subject applying to the linked actions. 발코니 문을 잠글게 means “I’ll lock the balcony door.” Thus the whole utterance means “I’ll close it and lock the balcony door,” where “it” in the fixed translation corresponds to the explicitly mentioned window. The final -ㄹ게 makes the second action a commitment or undertaking by the speaker, rather than merely describing a future event.

6. 복도 불이 아직 켜져 있어.

   The hallway lights are still on.

   복도

   hallway

   불

   light(s)

   아직

   still

   켜져 있어

   is on

   More detail

   복도 means “hallway” and is a noun. It combines directly with 불 to identify the lights associated with the hallway: 복도 불 = “hallway light(s).” Korean nouns do not require a singular/plural ending here; the fixed translation identifies the intended referent as the hallway lights. 불 means “light” in this sentence, specifically a light or lights that can be on or off. Its form does not itself mark number. Example: 불을 켜요. — “I turn on the light.” 아직 means “still” and indicates that the situation continues up to the reference time. It commonly appears with a continuing state, as here. Example: 아직 비가 와요. — “It is still raining.” 켜져 있어 is the informal present form of the state expression 켜져 있다, “to be on” or “to remain switched on.” 켜지다 expresses becoming or being turned on, while 있다 presents that resulting state as continuing. The ending -어 in 있어 is a casual sentence ending; a more polite version is 켜져 있어요. Example: 컴퓨터가 켜져 있어요. — “The computer is on.” Together, 복도 불이 marks the hallway lights as the subject, 아직 says their state continues, and 켜져 있어 says they are on. The whole utterance therefore means, “The hallway lights are still on.”

7. 그럼 내가 불을 끌게.

   So I'll turn them off.

   그럼

   so; then

   내가

   I

   불

   light; lights

   끌게

   I’ll turn off

   More detail

   그럼 sets up a consequence or next step: “then” or “in that case.” Here, after learning that the hallway lights are still on, it introduces the speaker’s proposed action. It can also connect ideas in other situations, as in 그럼 시작하자 — “Then let’s start.” 내가 means “I” as the subject of this action. It is 나 (“I”) plus the subject marker -가; the form 내가 is the irregular-looking but standard combination used in speech. Compare 나는, which presents “I” as the topic rather than specifically marking “I” as the subject. The form itself does not identify any additional participant. 불 means “light” here, referring to the light or lights that are on in the context. The same noun can also mean “fire” in a different context. The following object marker in the sentence, -을, marks 불 as what will be turned off. 끌게 comes from the verb 끄다, “to turn off” or “to extinguish.” The form -ㄹ게 presents a speaker’s intention or commitment to do something, often like “I’ll …” when offering to take responsibility for it. Thus 내가 ... 끌게 means “I’ll turn ... off,” rather than simply describing a future event. For comparison, 켜다 means “to turn on,” the opposite action. The verb’s stem changes from 끄- to 끌- before -ㄹ게. Together, 그럼 (“then”), 내가 (“I” as the actor), 불을 (“the light/lights” as the object), and 끌게 (“will turn off / will take care of turning off”) produce: “Then I’ll turn the lights off.”

8. 이제 다 된 것 같아.

   That should be everything.

   이제

   now

   다

   all; everything

   된

   done; completed

   것 같아

   seems to be

   More detail

   이제 means “now” and places the situation at the present point in time. For example, 이제 가자 means “Let’s go now.” 다 means “all” or “everything” here. It indicates completeness of the relevant task or set of things, rather than functioning as a separate count. For example, 다 했어 means “I did everything” or “It’s all done,” depending on context. 된 comes from 되다, “to become” or “to be completed.” In this sentence, 된 is the form of 되다 that modifies the following noun-like word 것; it gives the sense “completed” or “done.” The form is not an inflection of 것. For example, 준비된 방 means “a prepared room.” 것 같아 is an informal form meaning “seems to be” or “it looks like.” 것 is a noun-like form meaning “thing,” and 같아 is the informal present form of 같다, “to be similar” or “to seem.” In the pattern [clause] 것 같아, the speaker presents the clause as an impression or likely conclusion: 비가 오는 것 같아 means “It seems to be raining.” Together, 다 된 것 같아 means “it seems to be all done,” and 이제 다 된 것 같아 means “Now it seems that everything is done.” With the fixed translation, the natural intended meaning is “That should be everything.” The informal ending makes this suitable for casual conversation.

9. 너무 늦기 전에 가자.

   Let's go before it gets too late.

   너무

   too; so

   늦기

   being late

   전에

   before

   가자

   let’s go

   More detail

   너무 modifies the following idea and means “too” here: the lateness should not reach an excessive degree. It can also mean “very” in other contexts, so its exact force comes from what it modifies. Example: 너무 비싸요 means “It’s too expensive” or, depending on context, “It’s very expensive.” 늦기 is the verb 늦다 (“to be late”) with -기, a form that turns a verb into a noun-like expression. The resulting expression can be followed by particles or postpositions. Here, 늦기 전에 means “before [it] gets late.” The form 늦기 itself does not identify who or what becomes late; the fixed translation supplies the intended impersonal situation. 전에 means “before” when it follows a time expression or a noun-like expression. With a verb in -기, the reusable pattern is V-기 전에 = “before doing V” or “before V happens.” Example: 자기 전에 이를 닦아요 means “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” 가자 comes from 가다 (“to go”). The ending -자 makes an informal proposal, roughly “let’s …,” and normally includes the speaker and the addressee in the proposed action. It is distinct from a plain present form such as 가요, which does not itself make the same direct proposal. Example: 집에 가자 means “Let’s go home.” Together, 너무 늦기 전에 sets the time limit—before the situation becomes too late—and 가자 proposes going. The whole utterance therefore means “Let’s go before it gets too late.”