Reading Medicine Label Instructions | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 약국에서 이 약을 받아 왔어요.

   I picked up this medicine at the pharmacy.

   약국

   pharmacy

   에서

   at; in

   이

   this

   약

   medicine

   받아 왔어요

   picked up

   More detail

   약국 means “pharmacy.” It is a noun; 약국 is the place noun, while 약 later names the medicine itself. Example: 약국에 가요. — “I go to the pharmacy.” 에서 marks the place where an action occurs. Here, receiving or picking up the medicine happens at the pharmacy. This differs from 에, which commonly marks a destination or the location of existence: 약국에 가요 means “I go to the pharmacy,” whereas 약국에서 받아요 means “I receive it at the pharmacy.” 이 is the demonstrative determiner “this,” placed before a noun. It identifies the medicine as the one meant by the speaker. Korean demonstrative determiners do not change for the noun’s number or gender. 그 means “that” in a context-linked sense, and 저 means “that over there.” 약 means “medicine” here. It is a noun and can combine with useful words such as 약을 먹다, “take medicine,” where 을 marks 약 as the object. Example: 이 약을 먹어요. — “I take this medicine.” 받아 왔어요 expresses getting or receiving something and coming back with it; in this sentence, the natural intended meaning is “picked up.” 받아 is the connective form of 받다 (“receive,” “get”), and 왔어요 is the polite past form of 오다 (“come”). The connective form links the receiving event with the coming event. The polite ending -어요 makes the statement courteous; the past form shows that the pickup has already happened. In another context, 받다 can mean “receive” more generally, but here the object and place support the pickup meaning. Together, 약국에서 identifies the pharmacy as the place of the action, 이 약을 means “this medicine” as the object, and 받아 왔어요 says that the speaker got it and came back with it. The whole utterance therefore means, “I picked up this medicine at the pharmacy.”

2. 약사님이 복용 방법을 설명해 주셨어요?

   Did the pharmacist explain the instructions?

   약사님

   pharmacist

   복용

   taking medicine

   방법

   method; way

   설명해 주셨어요

   explained helpfully

   More detail

   약사님 means “pharmacist” here. -님 is an honorific suffix used when respectfully referring to a person, so 약사님 is respectful. The following 이 is the subject marker: 약사님이 marks the pharmacist as the person who did the explaining. 복용 means taking medicine. It is commonly used for medicines rather than ordinary objects. In 복용 방법, it combines with 방법, “method” or “way,” to mean “the method of taking the medicine,” or naturally, “the instructions for taking it.” 방법 is a reusable noun; for example, 사용 방법 means “instructions for use.” 설명해 주셨어요 is built from 설명하다, “to explain,” the helpful-action pattern -아/어 주다, and the honorific past polite form. -아/어 주다 presents the action as being done as a favor or for someone’s benefit, without identifying that beneficiary here. -시- honors the subject, the pharmacist; it is not agreement with the object. The past polite ending shows that the explaining is viewed as completed. 설명했어요 means “explained” but lacks both this helpful-action nuance and the honorific subject marking. In this sentence, the question interpretation comes from the question mark and context; the ending itself is also used in polite statements. Putting the parts together, 약사님이 marks the pharmacist as the subject, 복용 방법을 marks the medicine-taking instructions as the object, and 설명해 주셨어요? asks whether that explanation was given helpfully. The whole utterance means, “Did the pharmacist explain the instructions?” The surrounding context supports understanding 복용 방법 as instructions for taking the medicine.

3. 라벨에는 식사 후에 복용하라고 쓰여 있어요.

   The label says to take it after meals.

   라벨에는

   on the label

   식사

   meal

   후에

   after

   복용하라고

   to take it

   쓰여 있어요

   is written; says

   More detail

   라벨에는 sets the label as the topic or reference point: “on the label.” 에 marks the place or source where something is written, and 는 adds topic or contrastive emphasis. The form 에는 is the combination of 에 and 는. 식사 means “meal” here. It is a noun that can be used in time expressions, as in 식사 전 “before a meal” and 식사 후 “after a meal.” The translation uses the plural sense “meals,” but the Korean noun itself has no separate plural marking here. 후에 means “after.” 후 is a noun meaning “afterwards” or “the period after,” and 에 marks the relevant time. The pattern N 후에 means “after N”; for example, 수업 후에 만나요 means “Let’s meet after class.” 복용하라고 contains 복용하다, “to take medicine,” rather than the more general 먹다, “to eat” or “to take.” Its ending -(으)라고 reports or quotes an instruction: 복용하라고 하다 means “to say/tell someone to take [it].” In this sentence, the object of taking is understood from the medication context and is rendered as “it” in the fixed translation. This form is different from 복용하라고요?, which could repeat an instruction as a question. 쓰여 있어요 is the polite present form of 쓰여 있다, “to be written.” 쓰이다 is the passive form related to 쓰다 “to write,” and 있다 describes the resulting written state. Together with an instruction such as 복용하라고, it means that the label has that instruction written on it, naturally rendered as “the label says.” -어요 makes the statement polite and informal in style. Putting the parts together, 라벨에는 identifies the source, 식사 후에 gives the timing, and 복용하라고 쓰여 있어요 says that an instruction to take the medicine is written there. The whole utterance therefore means: “The label says to take it after meals.”

4. 그럼 아침 식사 전에는 복용하지 마세요.

   Then do not take it before breakfast.

   그럼

   then

   아침 식사

   breakfast

   전에는

   before

   복용하지 마세요

   please do not take it

   More detail

   그럼 means “then” or “in that case.” Here it connects the instruction to the preceding information: the label says to take it after meals, so the speaker gives a related instruction. A reusable pattern is 그럼 + sentence, meaning “Then/in that case, …”. 아침 식사 means “breakfast.” 식사 is the noun “meal,” and 아침 specifies the morning meal. Korean commonly places a specifying noun before the main noun, as in 저녁 식사 (“dinner”) and 점심 식사 (“lunch”). 전에는 means “before” in this sentence. 전 is a noun meaning “before” or “the time before,” -에 marks the relevant time, and the final -는 makes the time phrase a topic or gives it contrastive emphasis. Thus 아침 식사 전에는 means “before breakfast” here, with attention drawn to that time period. Example: 잠자기 전에는 커피를 마시지 마세요. — “Please do not drink coffee before going to bed.” 복용하지 마세요 is a polite negative instruction meaning “please do not take it.” 복용하다 is the base verb for taking medicine, and -지 마세요 forms a polite prohibition: 복용하지 마세요 = “do not take [the medicine].” Example: 이 약을 두 번 복용하지 마세요. — “Please do not take this medicine twice.” Together, 그럼 + 아침 식사 전에는 + 복용하지 마세요 produces: “Then, do not take it before breakfast.” The object is understood from the medication-related context; the sentence gives a polite instruction not to take it during the time before breakfast.

5. 복용량을 잘 모르겠어요.

   I am not sure about the dose.

   복용량

   dose

   잘 모르겠어요

   I’m not sure

   More detail

   복용량 means the amount of medicine to take—the dose. It is a noun, so it can take the object marker 을 here: 복용량을. The ending -을 marks 복용량 as what is uncertain. Example: 복용량을 확인하세요. — “Please check the dose.” 잘 모르겠어요 literally presents the speaker as not knowing something well, and naturally means “I’m not sure.” 잘 is an adverb meaning “well” in this expression. 모르겠어요 is the polite form of 모르다 (“to not know”); -겠- here expresses the speaker’s judgment or uncertainty, rather than simply future time. Compare the more direct 몰라요 — “I don’t know.” Example: 이 표현은 잘 모르겠어요. — “I’m not sure about this expression.” Together, 복용량을 identifies the dose as the object of uncertainty, and 잘 모르겠어요 says that the speaker is not sure about it. The whole utterance therefore means: “I am not sure about the dose.”

6. 라벨이 이해하기 어려우면 약국에 전화하세요.

   Call the pharmacy if the label is unclear.

   라벨

   label

   이해하기

   understand

   어려우면

   if difficult

   약국

   pharmacy

   전화하세요

   please call

   More detail

   라벨 means “label.” It is a noun, and 라벨이 adds the subject marker 이, presenting the label as the thing described by the following predicate. The fixed translation identifies it as the label whose clarity is at issue. 이해하기 comes from the verb 이해하다, “to understand.” The ending -기 turns the verb into an activity or situation: 이해하기 어렵다 means “be difficult to understand.” This pattern is reusable with other verbs, for example 읽기 어렵다 means “be difficult to read.” 어려우면 is the conditional form of 어렵다, “to be difficult.” 어렵다 changes to 어려우면 before -면, giving “if it is difficult.” Here it combines with 이해하기 to mean “if it is difficult to understand,” rather than simply “if it is difficult” in an unspecified sense. The condition comes before the requested action. 약국 means “pharmacy.” It is a noun; 약국에 adds 에, marking the destination or place connected with the call. In this sentence, it identifies whom to call: the pharmacy. 전화하세요 comes from 전화하다, “to call by telephone.” -세요 makes a polite request or instruction, so this form means “please call” or, in this safety-related instruction, “call.” It is distinct from the plain form 전화하다; the polite ending makes the utterance suitable when giving advice or an instruction to the listener. Together, 라벨이 이해하기 어려우면 sets the condition “if the label is difficult to understand,” 약국에 specifies the pharmacy as the call’s destination, and 전화하세요 gives the polite instruction “call.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Call the pharmacy if the label is unclear.”

7. 추측하는 것보다 그게 더 안전해요.

   That is safer than guessing.

   추측하는 것보다

   than guessing

   그게

   that

   더

   more

   안전해요

   is safe

   More detail

   추측하는 것보다 means “than guessing.” 추측하다 means “to guess”; here its present modifier 추측하는 describes 것, literally “the act of guessing.” 것 turns an action into a noun-like expression, and 보다 marks the comparison standard: A보다 B means “B more than A” or “B rather than A” depending on the sentence. For example, 기다리는 것보다 물어보는 게 나아요 means “Asking is better than waiting.” 그게 means “that” as the subject. It is the shortened spoken form of 그것이: 그것 (“that thing”) plus the subject marker 이. The specific thing referred to is not identified within this single sentence, so the form teaches the demonstrative subject pattern without assigning it a particular noun. 더 means “more” or “to a greater degree.” In this sentence it strengthens the comparison by placing the safety of “that” above the safety of guessing. It commonly appears before a descriptive word: 더 빠르다 means “to be faster.” 안전해요 means “is safe.” Its base form is 안전하다 (“to be safe”), and 안전해요 is the polite present form in the 해요 style. The adjective 안전하다 describes a state or quality; it is not the verb “protect.” For example, 이 길은 안전해요 means “This road is safe.” Together, 추측하는 것보다 sets “guessing” as the comparison standard, while 그게 더 안전해요 says that “that” has a greater degree of safety. The whole utterance therefore means, “That is safer than guessing.”

8. 복용하기 전에 약사님이 정확한 복용량을 알려 주실 수 있어요.

   The pharmacist can tell you the correct dose before you take it.

   복용하기 전에

   before taking it

   약사님

   pharmacist

   정확한

   correct; accurate

   복용량

   dose

   알려

   tell; inform

   주실 수 있어요

   can do or give (honorific)

   More detail

   복용하기 전에 means “before taking it.” 복용하다 is the formal verb “to take medicine”; -기 turns the verb into an action noun, and 전에 means “before.” The form 복용하기 전에 therefore gives the time condition for the main clause. Here, “it” refers to the medicine in the fixed translation. 약사님 means “pharmacist.” 약사 is “pharmacist,” and the honorific suffix -님 respectfully refers to that person. In this sentence, the pharmacist is the subject who can provide the information. 정확한 means “correct” or “accurate” here. Its base form is 정확하다 (“to be accurate/correct”); before a noun, the descriptive form is 정확한, as in 정확한 정보 (“accurate information”). The ending belongs to 정확하다, not to the noun 복용량. 복용량 means “dose,” the amount of medicine to take. It is a noun used for the quantity of medicine taken. For example, 복용량을 확인하세요 means “Please check the dosage.” 알려 is the connective form of 알리다, “to tell” or “to inform.” In 알려 주다, it combines with 주다 to express doing the informing for someone: 알려 주세요 means “Please tell me/us.” 주실 수 있어요 expresses ability in a polite form. 주시다 is the honorific form of 주다, -ㄹ 수 있다 means “can” or “be able to,” and -어요 makes the sentence polite. Because the pharmacist is being addressed respectfully, the honorific appears in 주실. The recipient “you” is supplied by the fixed translation; Korean does not state that object with a separate pronoun here. Together, 정확한 복용량을 알려 주실 수 있어요 means “can tell you the correct dose”: the pharmacist can provide the information about the right amount to take. Adding the opening time phrase gives the complete meaning: “Before you take it, the pharmacist can tell you the correct dose.”