Making a clinic appointment when unwell | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 오늘 기침이 나고 피곤해요.

   I have a cough and feel tired today.

   오늘

   today

   기침이 나고

   have a cough and

   피곤해요

   feel tired

   More detail

   오늘 means “today” and sets the time for the whole statement. Korean time expressions can appear at the beginning without a separate preposition. Example: 오늘 바빠요. — “I’m busy today.” 기침이 나고 combines 기침 (“cough”) with 이, the subject marker, and 나다 (“come out; occur”), followed by -고 (“and”). In this expression, 기침이 나다 means “to have a cough” or literally “for a cough to occur.” The -고 ending links this condition to the next one without marking the second clause as a result. Example: 기침이 나고 목이 아파요. — “I have a cough and my throat hurts.” 피곤해요 means “feel tired” here. Its base form is 피곤하다 (“to be tired”); 피곤해요 is the polite present form in the 해요 style. Korean descriptive predicates such as 피곤하다 can function as the main predicate of a sentence. Example: 저는 오늘 피곤해요. — “I’m tired today.” Together, 오늘 identifies the time, 기침이 나고 states the first condition, and 피곤해요 states the second: “I have a cough and feel tired today.”

2. 병원에 전화해서 진료 예약을 해 보세요.

   You should call the clinic and ask for an appointment.

   병원

   clinic; hospital

   전화해서

   call and then

   진료

   medical consultation

   예약

   appointment; reservation

   해 보세요

   please try doing it

   More detail

   병원 means “hospital” or “clinic”; here the fixed translation supports “clinic.” In 병원에, -에 marks the target of the call, so the phrase means “call the clinic.” 전화해서 comes from 전화하다 (“to call”). The connective ending -해서 links this action to the following one; here the natural sequence is “call and then …”. For example, 친구에게 전화해서 물어보세요 means “Call your friend and ask.” 진료 refers to medical consultation or treatment. In 진료 예약, it specifies what is being reserved: a medical appointment. 예약 means “appointment” or “reservation” here. Korean commonly forms an action with 예약하다 (“to make a reservation” or “book”), but this sentence uses the noun-plus-하다 pattern: 진료 예약을 하다, “to make a medical appointment.” The object particle -을 marks 진료 예약 as the object of 하다. 해 보세요 combines 하다 (“do/make”) with 보다 in the auxiliary construction -아/어 보다, which expresses trying an action. -세요 makes the expression a polite suggestion or instruction. Thus 진료 예약을 해 보세요 means “try making a medical appointment,” which fits the fixed translation “ask for an appointment.” Putting the parts together, 병원에 전화해서 means “call the clinic and then,” and 진료 예약을 해 보세요 means “try to make a medical appointment.” The complete utterance is: “You should call the clinic and ask for an appointment.” It is a polite recommendation, not a statement that the appointment has already been made.

3. 전화하면 뭐라고 말해야 해요?

   What should I say when I call?

   전화하면

   when you call

   뭐라고

   what; what words

   말해야 해요

   should say

   More detail

   전화하면 comes from 전화하다 “to call” plus -면, a form that can express “when” or “if.” Here the fixed translation selects the temporal reading: “when you call.” The subject is not stated in Korean. Example: 집에 도착하면 전화하세요. — “When you arrive home, call me.” 뭐라고 combines 뭐 “what” with -라고, which marks quoted words or the content of an utterance. By itself here, it asks “what?” or “what words?”; together with 말하다, it forms 뭐라고 말하다, “to say what” or “what to say.” 뭐 is the question word; 무엇 is a more formal or complete form with the same basic meaning. Example: 뭐라고 대답했어요? — “What did you answer?” 말해야 해요 is based on 말하다 “to say/speak.” 말해야 uses -아/어야 하다 to express necessity or what someone should do: 말하다 → 말해야 하다. The final 해요 is the polite present form of 하다 in this construction. Thus, 말해야 해요 means “should say” or “have to say,” with the exact strength supplied by context. Example: 지금 가야 해요. — “I have to go now.” Together, 전화하면 sets the situation, 뭐라고 asks for the content of the speech, and 말해야 해요 expresses the needed action. The whole utterance is therefore “What should I say when I call?” It is a polite question; the subject “I” is understood from the intended translation rather than spoken explicitly in the Korean sentence.

4. 몸이 안 좋고 의사를 만나고 싶다고 말하세요.

   Tell them you feel unwell and would like to see a doctor.

   몸이

   body; physical condition

   안 좋고

   not well, and

   의사를

   doctor (object-marked)

   만나고 싶다고

   wanting to meet, as quoted content

   말하세요

   please say / tell

   More detail

   몸이 means “the body” and, in this expression, points to one’s physical condition. 몸 is the noun, and 이 marks it as the subject of the following description. The reusable pattern is 몸이 좋다 for being in good physical condition and 몸이 안 좋다 for feeling unwell. The person whose body it is is omitted in Korean; the fixed translation supplies “you” here. 안 좋고 combines 안, the usual short negator, with 좋다, “to be good,” and adds -고 to connect this description to the next clause. Thus, with 몸이, it means “feel unwell, and.” Example: 오늘은 몸이 안 좋아요. — “I don’t feel well today.” 의사를 is 의사, “doctor,” with the object marker 를. In 의사를 만나다, 만나다 means “to meet” or, with a doctor, “to see.” The object marker does not itself assert a numerical count; the indefinite English article reflects the intended unspecific doctor in the fixed translation. 만나고 싶다고 contains 만나다, “to meet,” -고 싶다, “want to meet,” and the quoted-content marker -다고. The pattern 동사-고 싶다 expresses the subject’s desire to do the verb: 친구를 만나고 싶어요. — “I want to meet a friend.” Here, 싶다고 presents that desire as the content that is to be said; the fixed translation identifies the desiring person as “you.” 말하세요 comes from 말하다, “to say” or “to tell,” with the polite request/command ending -세요. It instructs the listener to say the preceding content. The Korean form does not contain a separate word meaning “them”; that recipient is supplied by the fixed translation and context. Example: 천천히 말하세요. — “Please speak slowly.” Together, 몸이 안 좋고 means “you feel unwell and,” while 의사를 만나고 싶다고 supplies the quoted content “you would like to see a doctor.” 말하세요 turns the complete utterance into the instruction: “Tell them you feel unwell and would like to see a doctor.”

5. 또 어떤 시간이 가능한지 물어보고 싶어요.

   I also want to ask what times are available.

   또

   also

   어떤

   what kind of; which

   시간

   time

   가능한지

   whether it is available

   물어보고 싶어요

   want to ask

   More detail

   또 adds another item or action: “also” here. It can also mean “again” in other contexts, so the surrounding verb determines the reading. Example: 또 만나요. — “See you again.” 어떤 is a determiner meaning “which” or “what kind of.” It comes before the noun it specifies. In 어떤 시간, it asks which time or what kind of time is suitable, rather than functioning as a standalone pronoun. 시간 means “time.” In this sentence, the translation makes the intended meaning the possible appointment times or time slots. Korean does not need a plural marker here, so the form 시간 can correspond to “times” in context. 가능한지 is built from 가능하다 (“to be possible; to be available”) and the question-content ending -ㄴ지. The form 가능한 is the present attributive form of 가능하다, and 가능한지 means “whether it is possible/available.” The ending turns the question into information that can be asked about; it does not make the whole sentence a direct question. For example, 예약이 가능한지 확인해 주세요. means “Please check whether a reservation is available.” 물어보고 싶어요 means “want to ask.” 물어보다 is a common verb meaning “to ask” or “to inquire”; its 물어 form reflects the form used before 보다. -고 싶다 expresses the subject’s desire to do the preceding action, and 싶어요 is its polite present form. The subject is omitted in Korean; the fixed translation identifies it here as “I.” Example: 직원에게 물어보고 싶어요. — “I want to ask a staff member.” Together, 또 + 어떤 시간 gives “also, which times,” and 가능한지 packages the question “are available” as the information being asked about. 물어보고 싶어요 adds the speaker’s desire to ask. Thus the complete utterance means: “I also want to ask what times are available.”

6. 그러면 맞는 진료 시간을 찾는 데 도움이 될 거예요.

   That will help them find an appointment that works for you.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   맞는

   suitable; right

   진료

   medical consultation

   시간

   time

   찾는 데

   in finding

   도움이 될 거예요

   will be helpful

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links this sentence to a preceding situation or proposal. The form itself does not identify who the subject is; here the following result is that something will be helpful. 맞는 comes from 맞다, “to fit, be right, or be suitable.” In this sentence it describes 진료 시간 as a time that suits the intended person, so “suitable” is more useful than “correct.” The ending -는 is the form used when a present or generally valid action/state modifies a noun: 맞는 시간 = “a suitable time.” 진료 refers to medical care or a medical consultation. Combined with 시간, it means a time for a consultation or appointment. 시간 means “time” and can also mean an available time slot in scheduling contexts. For example, 진료 시간이 있어요 means “There is an appointment time available.” 찾는 데 comes from 찾다, “to look for” or “to find.” 찾는 is the form of 찾다 used before a noun-like expression for an ongoing or general action. Here 데 forms the pattern -는 데, meaning “in doing” or “for doing”: 시간을 찾는 데 = “in finding a time.” This is different from treating 찾는 as the completed result; it presents the finding process as the activity that receives help. 도움이 될 거예요 uses 도움, “help,” with 이 marking it as the subject, followed by 되다, “to become” or “to serve as.” Together, 도움이 되다 is the reusable expression “to be helpful” or “to help.” 될 is the future form of 되다, and -ㄹ 거예요 gives a polite expectation or prediction: 도움이 될 거예요 = “will be helpful.” The subject of this expression is omitted in the Korean sentence and is understood from the situation; the fixed translation presents it as “That.” Putting the parts together, 그러면 sets up the consequence: “Then/in that case,” something will be helpful 진료 시간을 찾는 데, “in finding a suitable medical-consultation time.” The complete meaning is “Then, that will help find an appointment that works for you.” The Korean sentence does not explicitly state the English participants “them” or “you”; those roles come from the fixed translation’s intended reading rather than from separate Korean pronouns in this sentence.

7. 지금 병원에 전화할게요.

   I will call the clinic now.

   지금

   now

   병원

   clinic

   전화할게요

   I will call

   More detail

   지금 means “now,” placing the action at the present time. It can also appear elsewhere in a sentence when the timing is clear. Example: 지금 시작해요. — “We start now.” 병원 means “hospital” or, as in the fixed translation, “clinic.” It is a noun for a medical facility; here it is the facility being called. 전화할게요 is a polite form of 전화하다, “to call” or “to telephone.” The ending -ㄹ게요 presents the speaker’s intention or commitment to do something, often in response to the situation or for the listener. It is not simply a neutral future form. Compare 전화할 거예요, which more neutrally says “I will call” or “I am going to call.” The reusable pattern is 동사 어간 + ㄹ게요/을게요. After a vowel-ending stem, use -ㄹ게요; after most consonant-ending stems, use -을게요. A stem ending in ㄹ is a special case: its final ㄹ is retained in the surface form and -게요 follows, as in 살다 → 살게요 (“I’ll live” or “I’ll stay,” depending on context). In 전화할게요, 전화하- combines with -ㄹ게요 to produce 전화할게요. Together, 지금 병원에 전화할게요. means “I will call the clinic now.” 지금 sets the time, 병원에 marks the target of the calling action with 에, and 전화할게요 expresses the speaker’s commitment to make the call.

8. 증상을 적어 두면 분명하게 설명할 수 있어요.

   Write your symptoms down so you can explain them clearly.

   증상

   symptom

   적어 두면

   if you write down

   분명하게

   clearly

   설명할

   explain

   수 있어요

   can

   More detail

   증상 means “symptom,” and here it is the thing being written down and later explained. Its plural meaning can be understood from context; Korean nouns do not require a separate plural ending when the number is clear or unimportant. A useful related form is 증상이 있다, “to have symptoms.” Example: 증상을 말해 주세요. — “Please tell me your symptoms.” 적어 두면 combines 적다, “to write,” with 두다, “to put/leave,” and the conditional ending -면. 적어 두다 means to write something down and leave it recorded for later use, rather than merely writing at that moment. -면 gives an “if/when” condition. Example: 주소를 적어 두면 편해요. — “If you write down the address, it is convenient.” 분명하게 means “clearly.” It is the adverbial form of 분명하다, “to be clear,” formed with -게; it describes how the explaining is done. The form 분명한 is used before a noun: 분명한 설명 — “a clear explanation.” 설명할 comes from the verb 설명하다, “to explain.” The ending -(으)ㄹ makes an adnominal form that can modify what follows: 설명할 수 is part of the pattern meaning “can explain.” In this sentence, the object of 설명하다 is understood from the fixed translation as the symptoms. 수 있어요 completes the pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있다, meaning “can” or “be able to.” 수 is a dependent noun meaning a possibility or way, and 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, “to exist.” With a verb stem ending in a vowel or ㄹ, use -ㄹ 수; with a stem ending in another consonant, use -을 수. Example: 오늘 설명할 수 있어요. — “I can explain it today.” The negative pattern is -(으)ㄹ 수 없어요, “cannot.” Together, 증상을 적어 두면 sets the condition “if you write down your symptoms,” and 분명하게 설명할 수 있어요 says that this makes it possible to explain them clearly. Thus the full utterance means: “Write your symptoms down so you can explain them clearly.” The polite ending -어요 makes the sentence suitable for a respectful everyday interaction, such as speaking with clinic staff.