Building Small Healthy Habits | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 더 건강한 일상 습관을 만들고 싶어요.

   I want a healthier daily routine.

   더

   more

   건강한

   healthy

   일상

   daily life; routine

   습관

   habit

   만들고 싶어요

   want to make

   More detail

   더 comes before 건강한 and adds the comparison “more.” Here it helps 건강한 mean “healthier,” rather than simply “healthy.” It can also modify other descriptive words: 더 쉬워요 means “It is easier.” 건강한 means “healthy” here and directly modifies the following noun. Its base form is 건강하다 (“to be healthy”); 건강한 is the form used before a noun. For example, 건강한 음식 means “healthy food.” 일상 means “daily life” or “everyday life.” In 일상 습관, it specifies the kind of habits being discussed, giving the natural meaning “daily routine” in the fixed translation. The noun 습관 means “habit.” Together, 일상 습관 is a noun phrase meaning “daily routine” or, more literally, “everyday habits.” 만들고 싶어요 expresses “want to make.” The lexical verb is 만들다, “to make”; 만들고 uses the connective -고 before the desire expression 싶다. The pattern [verb stem]고 싶어요 means “want to [verb]” in a polite present statement. For example, 배우고 싶어요 means “I want to learn.” 싶어요 is the polite form of 싶다 in this construction. Putting the parts together, 더 건강한 means “healthier,” 일상 습관 means “daily routine,” and 만들고 싶어요 means “want to make.” The whole utterance therefore means “I want to make a healthier daily routine.”

2. 계속 지킬 수 있는 작은 변화부터 시작하세요.

   Start with small changes you can stick with.

   계속

   continuously; keep on

   지킬 수 있는

   can stick with

   작은

   small

   변화

   change

   시작하세요

   start

   More detail

   계속 means “continuously” or “keep on.” Here it contributes the idea that the action of keeping a change is sustained over time. A useful pattern is 계속 + verb, as in 계속 공부해요 (“I keep studying” or “I continue to study”). 지킬 수 있는 means “that one can keep” in this sentence. The base verb is 지키다, which can mean “keep,” “observe,” or “follow” a rule, promise, habit, or commitment. -을 수 있다 expresses possibility or ability; after the verb stem 지키-, it appears as 지킬 수 있다. The ending -는 turns this clause into a modifier before the noun: 지킬 수 있는 변화 means “a change that one can keep.” This form does not identify a particular person as the one who can keep it; the translation supports the general meaning “you can stick with.” 작은 is the modifier form of the descriptive verb 작다, “to be small.” The form 작은 comes before a noun: 작은 변화 (“a small change”). In a complete sentence, 작다 can appear as 작아요 (“is small”) in a polite statement. It describes the size or scale of 변화 here, not the duration of the change. 변화 means “change.” It is a noun and can refer to an alteration or improvement, such as a change in a routine. For example, 작은 변화를 만들어요 means “I make a small change.” 시작하세요 means “start” as a polite directive. Its base verb is 시작하다, “to start”; -세요 forms a polite request or command, so 시작하세요 can mean “Please start” or “Start.” The construction 명사부터 시작하세요 means “Start with the noun,” because 부터 marks the starting point. In this utterance, 변화부터 means “starting with changes,” and 작은 변화부터 means “starting with small changes.” Together, 계속 지킬 수 있는 modifies 작은 변화: these are small changes that the listener can continue to maintain. 작은 변화부터 marks those changes as the starting point, and 시작하세요 gives the polite instruction to begin there. The whole utterance means: “Start with small changes you can stick with.”

3. 직장에 있는 동안 물을 더 마실 수 있어요.

   I can drink more water while I'm at work.

   직장

   workplace

   있는 동안

   while being there

   물

   water

   더

   more

   마실 수 있어요

   can drink

   More detail

   직장 means “workplace” or “work.” In this sentence, 직장에 means “at work”: 에 marks the place where someone is. Example: 직장에 가요. — “I go to work.” 있는 동안 means “while being there” or “while at [that place].” 있는 is the form of 있다 (“to be; to exist”) used before 동안 (“during the time”). Together with 직장에, 직장에 있는 동안 means “while I’m at work.” Example: 집에 있는 동안 책을 읽어요. — “I read a book while I’m at home.” 물 means “water.” In the sentence, 물을 marks water as what is drunk: 을 is the object marker after a consonant-ending noun. Example: 물을 마셔요. — “I drink water.” 더 means “more” or “additionally.” Here it indicates drinking a greater amount of water than before or than the relevant amount. Example: 물을 더 주세요. — “Please give me more water.” 마실 수 있어요 expresses “can drink.” The lexical verb is 마시다 (“to drink”); 마실 is its form before 수, and -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 is the pattern for ability or possibility. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다. Example: 여기서 물을 마실 수 있어요. — “I can drink water here.” The parts combine as 직장에 있는 동안 (“while I’m at work”) + 물을 (“water,” as the object) + 더 (“more”) + 마실 수 있어요 (“can drink”). The whole utterance therefore means, “I can drink more water while I’m at work.”

4. 그러면 오후에 더 힘이 날 수도 있어요.

   That may help your energy in the afternoon.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   오후에

   in the afternoon

   더

   more

   힘이

   energy; strength

   날

   arise; come

   수도 있어요

   may; can

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links the utterance to a condition or situation already being discussed. A reusable pattern is 그러면 + result, as in 그러면 지금 시작해요. — “Then let’s start now.” 오후에 means “in the afternoon.” 오후 is “afternoon,” and the particle 에 marks a time when something happens. The same time pattern appears in 아침에 (“in the morning”) and 저녁에 (“in the evening”). Example: 오후에 만나요. — “Let’s meet in the afternoon.” 더 means “more” or “to a greater degree.” Here it indicates a greater amount or degree of energy. It commonly modifies a predicate or appears with a quantity expression: 물을 더 마셔요. — “I drink more water.” 힘이 is 힘 (“strength; energy”) with the subject particle 이. In 힘이 나다, the expression means that energy or strength comes back or that someone feels energized. The form 힘이 does not by itself identify whose energy it is; the fixed translation supports the intended reading of the learner’s energy here. Example: 쉬면 힘이 나요. — “If I rest, I feel energized.” 날 comes from the verb 나다, meaning “to arise, come out, or come back” in this expression. 나다 changes to 날 before 수, because the possibility pattern is -(으)ㄹ 수 있다. Thus 힘이 날 수 있다 literally presents “energy being able to arise,” while 힘이 날 수도 있어요 presents it as a possibility. This is the verb 나다, not a form of 힘. 수도 있어요 is the polite possibility pattern -(으)ㄹ 수도 있어요, meaning “may” or “could.” In this sentence it expresses a possible result, not someone’s ability to perform an action. 수 is part of the pattern, and 도 contributes the sense that this possibility is included among the possible outcomes. Example: 내일 비가 올 수도 있어요. — “It may rain tomorrow.” Together, 그러면 sets up “then/in that case,” 오후에 gives the time, and 더 modifies 힘이 나다 to indicate increased energy. 힘이 날 수도 있어요 says that this result is possible. The whole utterance therefore means: “That may help your energy in the afternoon.”

5. 저녁 식사 후에도 운동을 해야 할까요?

   Should I also exercise after dinner?

   저녁

   dinner

   식사

   meal

   후에도

   even after

   운동

   exercise

   해야 할까요

   should [someone] do ...?

   More detail

   저녁 means “dinner” here. In other contexts, the same word can mean “evening”; in this utterance, 저녁 식사 specifically means “dinner.” For example, 저녁에 만나요 means “Let’s meet in the evening.” 식사 means “meal” or “having a meal” and is a noun often used in polite or somewhat formal expressions. In 저녁 식사, it identifies the meal as dinner. A useful pattern is 식사를 하다, “to have a meal”: 식사 is the noun, and 하다 supplies the verb. 후에도 combines 후, “after,” with 에, marking the time, and 도, meaning “also/even.” Thus 식사 후 means “after the meal,” while 식사 후에도 means “even after the meal” or “after the meal too.” Here 도 presents this time as an additional condition. For example, 수업 후에도 공부해요 means “I study even after class.” 운동 means “exercise” or “physical activity.” It is a noun; the common verb pattern is 운동하다, “to exercise.” For example, 아침에 운동해요 means “I exercise in the morning.” 해야 할까요 asks politely whether the speaker should do something. The base verb is 하다, “to do.” In the obligation pattern -아/어야 하다, 해야 하다 means “must” or “need to do”: 해야 is the -어야 form of 하다. The final 하다 then takes the question ending -(으)ㄹ까요?, producing 할까요?, which asks for guidance about the action. Together, 해야 할까요? means “should I do it?” The subject is omitted in Korean, and the fixed translation identifies it as “I.” Putting the parts together, 저녁 식사 후에도 sets the additional time condition “even after dinner,” 운동을 marks exercise as the object of the action, and 해야 할까요? asks whether the speaker should do it. The complete utterance is: “Should I also exercise after dinner?”

6. 짧게 걷는 것부터 시작하면 무리 없이 할 수 있어요.

   A short walk would be a manageable start.

   짧게

   briefly; for a short time

   걷는 것

   walking

   부터

   starting with; from

   시작하면

   if you start

   무리 없이

   without overexertion

   할 수 있어요

   can do it

   More detail

   짧게 comes from 짧다 (“to be short”). Here it is an adverb, so it describes the duration or extent of the walking: “briefly” or “for a short time.” The adjective form is 짧은, as in 짧은 산책 (“a short walk”). 걷는 것 means “walking” as an activity. 걷는 is the present attributive form of 걷다 (“to walk”), and 것 turns the activity into a noun-like expression. Thus, 걷는 것 can be reused wherever English uses “walking” as a thing or activity. Example: 걷는 것이 좋아요. — “I like walking.” 부터 marks the starting point of an order, range, or action. 걷는 것부터 therefore means “starting with walking,” not simply “from walking” as a location. The particle attaches directly to the expression that is the starting point. 시작하면 comes from 시작하다 (“to start”) and has the conditional form -면: “if/when [someone] starts.” The subject is not stated in the sentence, so this form does not by itself identify who starts. Example: 작게 시작하면 돼요. — “It is fine if you start small.” 무리 없이 means “without overexertion” or “without straining yourself.” 무리 refers here to excessive effort or an unreasonable burden, and 없이 means “without.” Together they describe the manner in which the activity can be done. 할 수 있어요 expresses ability or feasibility: 하다 (“to do”) + -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 (“can do”) in a polite present form. In this sentence, 할 is the form of 하다 inside that construction; it is not an inflection of the nearby walking expression. 있어요 is the polite form of 있다. Example: 오늘 할 수 있어요. — “I can do it today.” Taken together, 짧게 걷는 것부터 sets short walks as the starting point, 시작하면 gives the condition “if you start,” and 무리 없이 할 수 있어요 says that it can be done without overexertion. The complete meaning is: “If you start with short walks, you can do it without overexertion,” which fits the fixed translation’s idea that a short walk is a manageable start.

7. 잊지 않고 나갈 수 있도록 신발을 문 옆에 놓아 둘 수 있어요.

   I can put my shoes by the door so I remember to go.

   잊지 않고

   without forgetting

   나갈 수 있도록

   so that I can go out

   신발

   shoes

   문

   door

   옆

   side; beside

   놓아 둘

   leave set out

   수 있어요

   can; be able to

   More detail

   잊지 않고 comes from 잊다 (“to forget”) plus -지 않고, meaning “without doing X.” Here it describes the condition intended for the implicit subject: going out without forgetting. The same pattern is reusable with other verbs, for example 말하지 않고 나갔어요 — “I left without speaking.” 나갈 수 있도록 expresses a purpose: “so that [someone] can go out.” 나갈 is the form of 나가다 (“to go out”) used before 수, and 수 있다 is the ability/possibility pattern. -도록 marks the intended result or purpose. In this sentence, the fixed translation presents that purpose as remembering to go out. 신발 means “shoes.” Korean commonly uses this noun for footwear in general; the form here has no visible number marking, so the sentence does not grammatically specify a particular count. 문 means “door.” It is the noun located in the phrase 문 옆에; it is not the thing being placed. 옆 means “side” or “beside.” With 문, 문 옆 means “beside the door,” and -에 marks that location: 문 옆에 — “by the door.” 놓아 둘 combines 놓다 (“to put/place”) with 두다 (“to leave/keep” as an auxiliary). This combination emphasizes placing something and leaving it there for later use or convenience. The form 놓아 is the connective form of 놓다, while 둘 is the form of 두다 used in this auxiliary construction. For example, 열쇠를 여기 놓아 두세요 means “Please leave the keys here.” 수 있어요 is the polite present form of 수 있다, expressing ability or possibility. Together with the preceding 놓아 둘, it means that the speaker can place and leave the shoes there. -을 수 있어요 is the pattern used after a verb form ending in a consonant, while -ㄹ 수 있어요 is used after a vowel; the sentence shows the latter in 나갈 수. As a whole, 잊지 않고 나갈 수 있도록 gives the purpose, 신발을 marks the shoes as the object, and 문 옆에 gives the location. 놓아 둘 수 있어요 says that the speaker can leave them set there. Thus the sentence means: “I can put my shoes by the door so I remember to go.”

8. 현실적이고 계속하기 쉬워 보여요.

   That sounds realistic and easy to keep up.

   현실적이고

   realistic and

   계속하기

   continuing; keeping it up

   쉬워 보여요

   looks easy

   More detail

   현실적이고 means “realistic and” here. The adjective 현실적이다 means “to be realistic,” and -고 links this description to the next one: A-고 B means “A and B.” The ending does not itself mark tense; the polite ending later in the sentence carries the utterance’s present-time feel. 계속하기 means “continuing” or “keeping it up.” It comes from the verb 계속하다, “to continue,” with -기, a form that turns a verb into a noun-like activity: 계속하기 is “continuing.” In 계속하기 쉽다, the pattern V-기 쉽다 means “it is easy to V.” For example, 배우기 쉬워요 means “It is easy to learn.” 쉬워 보여요 means “looks easy” or “seems easy.” The adjective is 쉽다, “easy”; its form changes to 쉬워 before 보이다 in the construction A-아/어 보이다, “seem/look A.” 보여요 is the polite present form of 보이다, “to look” or “seem.” Thus 계속하기 쉬워 보여요 presents continuing it as something that appears easy, rather than stating an absolute fact that it is easy. Together, 현실적이고 계속하기 쉬워 보여요 means “It sounds realistic and easy to keep up.” The first description says the idea seems realistic, and the second says continuing it seems easy. -고 joins the two descriptions, while 계속하기 쉽다 expresses ease of carrying on with an activity.