Writing a clear repair message to the landlord | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 어제 제가 조였는데도 욕실 수도꼭지가 또 새고 있어요.

   The bathroom tap is leaking again, even after I tightened it yesterday.

   어제

   yesterday

   제가

   I (subject)

   조였는데도

   even after tightening it

   욕실

   bathroom

   수도꼭지가

   tap

   또

   again

   새고

   leaking

   있어요

   is

   More detail

   어제 means “yesterday” and places the tightening in the past. It is a time adverb, so it does not itself mark the verb’s tense. 제가 is 저 (“I,” the humble/polite form of 나) plus the subject marker 가. In this clause, it marks the speaker as the subject of 조였는데도, so the speaker is the person who tightened the relevant object. The choice of 가 marks the grammatical subject; it does not by itself mean that “I” is emphatic. A topic-marked form such as 저는 would have a different discourse function. 조였는데도 comes from 조이다, “to tighten.” 조였- is its past form, and -는데도 adds the meaning “even though” or “despite.” The object is omitted in Korean; here, the fixed translation identifies it as the bathroom tap. A reusable pattern is V-았/었는데도 = “even though [someone] V-ed.” For example, 약을 먹었는데도 아파요 means “It hurts even though I took medicine.” 욕실 is the noun “bathroom.” It modifies the following noun directly, as in 욕실 수도꼭지, “bathroom tap.” 수도꼭지가 consists of 수도꼭지, “tap/faucet,” plus the subject marker 가. This marks the tap as the thing that is leaking. Korean commonly uses N이/가 to mark the subject; 이 follows a consonant-ending noun and 가 follows a vowel-ending noun. 또 means “again.” It shows that the leaking is recurring, without by itself specifying how many previous times it happened. 새고 comes from 새다, “to leak,” with -고, which links it to the following part of the progressive construction. The verb describes liquid escaping through an unwanted opening. It is different from 세다, which can mean “to be strong” or “to count,” depending on its use. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 in the construction V-고 있다. After 새고, it makes 새고 있어요, “is leaking” or “continues to be leaking.” Here 있다 does not mean that the tap simply exists; together with -고 it marks an ongoing situation. The polite ending -어요 makes the statement suitable for ordinary polite conversation. Together, 어제 제가 조였는데도 means “even though I tightened it yesterday,” and 욕실 수도꼭지가 또 새고 있어요 means “the bathroom tap is leaking again.” The complete utterance is therefore: “The bathroom tap is leaking again, even after I tightened it yesterday.”

2. 계속 이런 일이 생기니까 아무래도 집주인에게 연락해야 할 것 같아요.

   Since it keeps happening, we should probably contact the landlord.

   계속

   continuously; keeps

   이런

   such; like this

   일이

   thing; matter

   생기니까

   because it happens

   아무래도

   probably; it seems

   집주인

   landlord

   연락해야

   must contact

   할 것 같아요

   seems likely to do

   More detail

   계속 means “continuously” or “again and again.” It commonly describes an action or situation that does not stop or keeps recurring. Example: 비가 계속 와요. — “It keeps raining.” 이런 is the form used before a noun for “this kind of” or “such.” It points to a type or quality understood from the situation. Here, 이런 일 means “such a thing” or “this kind of problem,” without independently naming the event. 일 means “thing,” “matter,” or “event.” In 이런 일이, the particle 이 marks it as the subject of 생기다. Example: 좋은 일이 생겼어요. — “Something good happened.” 생기니까 comes from 생기다, “to occur,” “arise,” or “happen.” The ending -니까 connects a reason or cause: 생기니까 means “because it happens” here. The form also has a “when it happens” use in other contexts, so the fixed translation establishes the causal reading in this sentence. 계속 이런 일이 생기니까 therefore means “since this keeps happening.” 아무래도 signals a conclusion that seems likely after considering the situation: “probably,” “it seems,” or “in all likelihood.” It does not express certainty by itself. Example: 아무래도 늦을 것 같아요. — “I think I’ll probably be late.” 집주인 means “landlord,” literally the owner of the house or residence. It is a noun; 에게 after it marks the person who receives the contact: 집주인에게 means “to the landlord.” 연락해야 is based on 연락하다, “to contact” or “to get in touch.” The ending -아/어야 expresses that something is necessary or required. In the complete construction 연락해야 할 것 같아요, it contributes “need to contact” or “should contact.” Example: 친구에게 연락해야 해요. — “I need to contact my friend.” 할 것 같아요 is the polite form of the pattern -(으)ㄹ 것 같다, which presents an expectation or judgment as seeming likely. 할 comes from 하다 and is the prospective form used before 것; 것 is a nominalizer meaning roughly “thing” in the pattern. After 연락해야, this gives 연락해야 할 것 같아요: “I think I need to contact [someone]” or “it seems I should contact [someone].” Together, 집주인에게 연락해야 할 것 같아요 means “I think we should contact the landlord” in the fixed translation. The subject is not overtly stated in the Korean sentence; the supplied translation establishes the intended “we.” The full utterance combines the reason 계속 이런 일이 생기니까 (“since this keeps happening”) with the cautious conclusion 아무래도 집주인에게 연락해야 할 것 같아요 (“we should probably contact the landlord”).

3. 사진을 보내고 임시 수리로는 해결되지 않았다고 설명할 수 있어요.

   I can send a photo and explain that a temporary repair did not work.

   사진

   photo

   보내고

   send and

   임시

   temporary

   수리

   repair

   해결되지 않았다고

   that it did not work

   설명할 수 있어요

   can explain

   More detail

   사진 means “photo.” It is a noun and can be used with 보내다 (“send”) in the reusable pattern 사진을 보내다, “send a photo.” The object marker 을 appears after 사진 because the photo is what is sent. 보내고 comes from 보내다, “to send.” The ending -고 links this action to the next one: A-고 B means “do A and B” or “A, and then B,” without necessarily stating which action happens first. Here, the speaker can send a photo and explain something. 임시 means “temporary” and commonly modifies a noun directly, as in 임시 수리, “temporary repair.” It describes the type or purpose of the repair; it is not the noun being repaired. 수리 means “repair” or “repair work.” In 임시 수리, it is the head noun, while 임시 specifies what kind of repair it is. A useful related contrast is 영구 수리, “permanent repair,” when that meaning is intended. 해결되지 않았다고 expresses “that it was not resolved” in this sentence, matching the intended meaning “that it did not work.” 해결되다 means “to be resolved,” and 해결되지 않다 is its negative form, “not be resolved.” The past form 않았다 places the failure before the speaking point. The ending -다고 quotes the content of a statement after a descriptive or verb phrase, so 해결되지 않았다고 설명하다 means “explain that it was not resolved.” The subject of that quoted clause is not stated here; the sentence only asserts that the temporary repair did not solve the problem. 설명할 수 있어요 comes from 설명하다, “to explain,” plus -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, the pattern for ability or possibility. 설명할 수 있어요 therefore means “can explain.” The polite ending -어요 makes the statement suitable for ordinary polite conversation. In this sentence, 설명하다 takes the quoted content marked by -다고; it is not simply followed by an ordinary object noun. Together, 사진을 보내고 means “send a photo and,” and 임시 수리로는 해결되지 않았다고 설명할 수 있어요 means “can explain that the problem was not resolved by the temporary repair.” The whole utterance is: “I can send a photo and explain that a temporary repair did not work.”

4. 물이 낭비되고 있고 욕실 카운터가 젖고 있다는 말도 덧붙이세요.

   Mention that water is being wasted and the counter is getting wet.

   물이

   water

   낭비되고 있고

   is being wasted, and

   욕실

   bathroom

   카운터

   counter

   젖고 있다는

   is getting wet, that

   말도 덧붙이세요

   also add that

   More detail

   물이 identifies 물 (“water”) as the subject with the subject marker 이. The sentence therefore presents water as what is undergoing the situation; 이 does not itself mean “the.” 낭비되고 있고 comes from 낭비되다 (“be wasted”) plus -고 있다, which presents an ongoing process or situation, and a further -고 (“and”). The observed passive form is 낭비되다; it is not the active verb “waste.” Example: 물이 계속 낭비되고 있어요. — “Water is continuing to be wasted.” 욕실 means “bathroom.” As a noun placed before another noun, it specifies the setting or type of the following item: 욕실 카운터 means “the bathroom counter,” or “the counter in the bathroom.” 카운터 is the noun “counter.” Here it is the subject of the following condition, marked by 가 in the full sentence. Example: 카운터가 넓어요. — “The counter is spacious.” 젖고 있다는 is based on 젖다, “become wet” or “get wet,” with -고 있다 showing the ongoing state or change. The ending -다는 packages the proposition as content that can be described by a following noun such as 말 (“words” or “statement”). Thus, in this sentence, it contributes “that [the counter] is getting wet.” Example: 바닥이 젖고 있다는 걸 알았어요. — “I realized that the floor was getting wet.” 말도 덧붙이세요 combines 말 (“words” or “statement”), 도 (“also/too”), and 덧붙이다 (“add” or “append”). The polite ending -세요 makes this a polite directive: “please add.” 말도 means that this statement is to be added as well, rather than describing the manner of adding it. Example: 사진도 덧붙이세요. — “Please add a photo too.” Together, 물이 낭비되고 있고 gives the first content clause, and 욕실 카운터가 젖고 있다는 말 gives the second content clause as a statement. 도 덧붙이세요 asks the listener to add this information as well: “Please also mention that water is being wasted and that the bathroom counter is getting wet.”

5. 저희가 직접 이 문제를 일으킨 게 아니라고 말할까요?

   Should we say that we did not cause the problem ourselves?

   저희가

   we

   직접

   ourselves; directly

   이

   this

   문제

   problem

   일으킨

   caused

   게 아니라고

   that it was not the case

   말할까요?

   shall we say?

   More detail

   저희가 means “we” here. 저희 is a humble form of “we/our,” presenting the speaker’s group modestly; it often refers to a group that does not include the listener, while the exact membership comes from context. 가 marks this group as the subject. The form is not simply a plural marker. 직접 means “directly” or “personally.” Here it emphasizes that the speaker’s group itself caused the problem, so the phrase can be understood as “we ourselves.” It is an adverb and does not inflect for the subject. 이 is the demonstrative “this,” placed before the noun it modifies. 문제 means “problem.” Together, 이 문제 is “this problem”; the demonstrative points to a problem identifiable in the situation. 일으킨 comes from 일으키다, “to cause” or “to bring about.” It is the past attributive form, used here before 것 in the expression 일으킨 것, “the thing/event that [someone] caused.” The understood subject of 일으킨 is 저희가, so this part means “that we caused this problem.” For example, 그가 사고를 일으킨 사실 means “the fact that he caused an accident.” 게 아니라고 expresses “that it is not the case that ...” in this sentence. 게 is the spoken contraction of 것이; 것 nominalizes the preceding clause, and 아니다 negates that nominalized statement. -라고 marks the content being quoted or reported. Thus 일으킨 게 아니라고 means “that [we] did not cause it,” not simply “not caused” as an isolated adjective. The subject of the embedded clause remains 저희가 from earlier in the sentence. 말할까요? comes from 말하다, “to say” or “to tell.” The ending -(으)ㄹ까요? makes a question about a possible action or a suggestion. With 말하다, 말할까요? means “shall we say it?” or “should we say it?” The subject is understood from 저희가, so this is a proposal involving the speaker’s group, not a statement that someone else will say it. As a whole, 저희가 직접 identifies the speaker’s group and emphasizes their own involvement; 이 문제를 일으킨 게 아니라고 gives the negative content to be said; and 말할까요? asks whether they should express that content. The complete meaning is: “Should we say that we did not cause this problem ourselves?”

6. 그 내용도 분명히 넣되, 말투는 차분하게 유지하세요.

   Include that clearly, but keep the tone calm.

   그

   that

   내용

   content

   도

   also / too

   분명히

   clearly

   넣되

   include, but

   말투

   tone of speech

   차분하게

   calmly

   유지하세요

   keep / maintain

   More detail

   그 appears before 내용 and means “that” in this sentence. As a demonstrative determiner, it points to a specific noun understood from the situation; it is not the noun itself. For example, 그 사람 means “that person.” 내용 means “content” or “the substance of something.” It is a noun and can combine with particles: 내용이 중요해요 means “The content is important.” 도 is attached to 내용 and adds the meaning “also” or “too”: the content should be included in addition to whatever else is being discussed. Korean particles are attached directly to the word they mark. For example, 저도 가요 means “I am going too.” 분명히 is an adverb meaning “clearly.” It describes how the inclusion should be done here. The related adjective 분명하다 means “to be clear” or “to be definite”; 분명히 is its adverbial form. Example: 분명히 말해 주세요 means “Please say it clearly.” 넣되 comes from the verb 넣다, “to put in” or, in this context, “to include,” followed by the connective ending -되. Here -되 sets up a contrast or condition, like “include it, but…” or “include it while…”. The following instruction supplies the contrasting requirement. Example: 정보를 넣되 짧게 쓰세요 means “Include the information, but write it briefly.” 말투 is a noun meaning “speech style” or “tone of speech.” It refers to how someone’s words sound, rather than to the content itself. Example: 말투가 부드러워요 means “The tone of speech is gentle.” 차분하게 comes from the adjective 차분하다, “to be calm” or “composed,” with the adverbial ending -게. It describes the manner in which the tone should be maintained. Example: 차분하게 말하세요 means “Speak calmly.” 유지하세요 comes from 유지하다, “to maintain” or “to keep,” plus the polite request/command ending -(으)세요. It asks the listener to maintain something. The observed form is polite and directive; it does not itself specify who will maintain it beyond the understood addressee. Example: 간격을 유지하세요 means “Keep your distance.” Together, 그 내용도 means “that content too,” and 분명히 넣되 means “include it clearly, but.” Then 말투는 차분하게 유지하세요 means “keep the tone of speech calm.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Include that clearly, but keep the tone calm.”

7. 메시지는 예의 바르면서도 구체적이어야 혼란이 없을 거예요.

   The message should be polite but specific, so there is no confusion.

   메시지는

   the message

   예의 바르면서도

   polite yet

   구체적이어야

   must be specific

   혼란이

   confusion

   없을 거예요

   there will be none

   More detail

   메시지는 means “as for the message.” 메시지 is “message,” and -는 marks it as the topic. This topic marking is reusable when setting the item being discussed: 이메일은 짧아요. — “The email is short.” 예의 바르면서도 describes the message as polite while adding a contrast or additional requirement. 예의 바르다 means “to be polite”; -면서도 connects a description with the meaning “while also” or “even though.” The 도 contributes the “also/even” contrast. Example: 작으면서도 편리해요. — “It is small but convenient.” 구체적이어야 means “must be specific.” 구체적이다 is “to be specific,” and -어야 expresses a necessary condition: “must be” or “needs to be.” Because 구체적 ends in a consonant, the linking form here is 구체적이어야. Example: 설명은 간단해야 해요. — “The explanation must be simple.” 혼란이 presents “confusion” as the subject of the following existence expression. 혼란 is a noun meaning “confusion,” and -이 marks it as the subject. The phrase does not identify a particular kind of confusion beyond the fixed translation’s general meaning. 없을 거예요 means “there will be none” or, in this sentence, “there will not be [any].” 없다 means “not exist” or “be absent”; 없을 is its future or predicted form before 거예요. -을 거예요 commonly expresses a prediction or expectation, and here it presents the absence of confusion as the expected result. Example: 문제는 없을 거예요. — “There probably won’t be a problem.” Together, the structure is A-(으)면서도 B-어야 C이/가 없을 거예요: “It must be B while also being A, so C will not exist.” In the fixed utterance, the message is required to satisfy both qualities—being polite and being specific—and the expected result is no confusion. The whole meaning is: “The message should be polite but specific, so there is no confusion.”

8. 배관공이 언제 방문할 수 있는지 물어보세요. 평일 아침에는 저희가 집에 있기 어려우니까요.

   Ask when a plumber could visit, because weekday mornings are difficult for us.

   배관공이

   a plumber

   언제

   when

   방문할

   visit

   수 있는지

   whether one can

   물어보세요

   please ask

   평일

   weekday

   아침에는

   on mornings

   저희가

   we; us

   집에

   at home

   있기

   being; staying

   어려우니까요

   because it is difficult

   More detail

   배관공이 means “a plumber” here. 배관공 is the noun “plumber,” and -이 marks it as the subject of the following question content. The indefinite article in the English translation does not mean that Korean -이 itself expresses a numeric count. 언제 is the question word “when.” It asks for a time, as in 언제 와요? — “When are you coming?” 방문할 comes from 방문하다, “to visit.” The ending -ㄹ makes the verb modify the following noun 수, giving a prospective or possible-action form: 방문할 수 있다 means “can visit” or “be able to visit.” The form is not the completed-past form of the visit. 수 있는지 completes the embedded question pattern. 수 is used in -(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 for ability or possibility, and -는지 turns the clause into an indirect question meaning “whether.” Thus 방문할 수 있는지 means “whether [the plumber] can visit.” In this sentence, 언제 specifies the time being asked about: “when [the plumber] can visit.” 물어보세요 means “please ask.” It is a polite request form of 물어보다, “to ask” or “to inquire.” The form combines 물어보- with the polite request ending -세요; it is not the same verb as 말하다, “to say.” 평일 means “weekday” or “weekdays,” referring to non-weekend days. In 평일 아침, it modifies 아침, producing “weekday morning(s).” 아침에는 means “on weekday mornings” in this context. 아침 is “morning,” -에 marks the relevant time, and -는 gives that time phrase a topic or contrastive focus. Korean can use a time noun with -에 for when a situation occurs; -에는 adds the sense of “as for at that time.” 저희가 means “we” as the subject. 저희 is the humble form corresponding to “we/us” when referring to the speaker’s group in relation to someone outside that group; -가 marks the subject. It does not by itself specify how many people are included. 집에 means “at home” here. 집 is “home/house,” and -에 marks the location where the state described by 있다 holds. The same particle can mark a destination with a movement verb, but here the surrounding verb is 있다, so the meaning is locative. 있기 means “being/staying.” It is the verb 있다, “to be present, exist, or stay,” with -기, which nominalizes the action or state. In 집에 있기가 어렵다, the whole state “being at home” is what is difficult. -기 here does not mean that the action occurred in the past. 어려우니까요 means “because it is difficult.” 어렵다 is “to be difficult,” and its form before -니까 is 어려우니까; the adjective’s stem changes from 어렵- to 어려우- in this environment. -니까 gives a reason, and the final -요 makes the explanation polite. The adjective describes the situation 집에 있기, not the house itself. Together, 배관공이 언제 방문할 수 있는지 물어보세요 means “Please ask when a plumber can visit.” The second sentence, 평일 아침에는 저희가 집에 있기 어려우니까요, supplies the reason: “because it is difficult for us to be at home on weekday mornings.” The full utterance therefore asks someone to check a plumber’s possible visiting time, giving the household’s weekday-morning availability difficulty as the reason.

9. 누군가 집에 있을 수 있는 조정 가능한 시간대를 제안할 수 있어요.

   We can suggest a flexible time window when someone can be home.

   누군가

   someone

   집에

   at home

   있을 수 있는

   that can be present

   조정 가능한

   adjustable; flexible

   시간대

   time window

   제안할

   to suggest

   수 있어요

   can; is able to

   More detail

   누군가 means “someone.” It is an indefinite pronoun, so it identifies an unspecified person rather than a particular person. Example: 누군가 전화했어요. — “Someone called.” 집에 means “at home.” The particle -에 marks a location in this use. 집 means “home/house,” while 집에 is the form used for being at that location. 있을 수 있는 describes something “where someone can be home/present.” 있다 means “to exist” or “to be located/present”; here it is used for being at home. The pattern V-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 expresses possibility or ability, and 있는 is the modifier that lets the whole clause describe the following noun. Example: 여기에서 만날 수 있는 장소 — “a place where we can meet.” 조정 가능한 means “adjustable” or “flexible.” 가능한 is the modifier form of 가능하다, “to be possible,” and 조정 means “adjustment.” Together, 조정 가능한 시간대 means a time window whose timing can be adjusted. This is different from simply saying that someone is available: it describes the flexibility of the time window itself. 시간대 means “time window” or “time slot.” It refers to a span or period of time, not one exact moment. The word contains 시간 (“time”) and 대, which can mark a range or category such as a time period. Example: 가능한 시간대를 알려 주세요. — “Please let me know the available time slots.” 제안할 comes from 제안하다, “to suggest” or “propose.” The ending -할 is the modifier form used before 수 in 제안할 수 있다; it does not by itself assert that the suggesting will happen in the future. Example: 다른 방법을 제안할 수 있어요. — “I can suggest another method.” 수 있어요 completes the pattern V-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요, meaning “can” or “is possible.” 수 is part of this possibility/ability construction, and 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다. The omitted subject is supplied as “we” by the fixed translation; the Korean sentence itself does not state that subject explicitly. Together, 누군가 집에 있을 수 있는 modifies 시간대: it is a time window in which someone can be at home. 조정 가능한 also modifies 시간대, adding that the window is flexible or adjustable. Finally, 제안할 수 있어요 says “can suggest.” The complete meaning is: “We can suggest a flexible time window when someone can be home.”

10. 그러면 집주인이 수리 일정을 잡기 더 쉬울 거예요.

    That should make it easier for the landlord to arrange the repair.

    그러면

    then; in that case

    집주인

    landlord

    수리

    repair

    일정

    schedule

    잡기

    arranging; setting

    더

    more

    쉬울 거예요

    should be easy

    More detail

    그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” Here it connects the sentence to the preceding proposal: if that arrangement is possible, the result is the one described next. It is a useful consequence marker, not part of the repair vocabulary. 집주인 means “landlord.” The final 이 is a subject marker. In this sentence, 집주인이 identifies the landlord as the person who will arrange the schedule; it does not mean that the landlord is the thing being repaired. 수리 means “repair” and is a noun. It appears before 일정 to specify the type of schedule: a repair schedule. A related noun such as 수리비 means “repair cost,” but that is a different compound and is not what this sentence says. 일정 means “schedule.” The common reusable expression 일정을 잡다 means “to set or arrange a schedule.” In that expression, 잡다 literally has the basic meaning “to grasp/catch,” but here its established meaning is “to set” a time or schedule. 잡기 is the verb 잡다 with the nominalizing ending -기, so it means “setting/arranging.” This turns the action into something that can be described as easier or harder. For example, 시간을 잡기 어려워요 means “It is difficult to arrange a time.” The observed form is 잡기; it is not a separate verb meaning “arranging” in every context. 더 means “more.” It marks a comparison with an understood earlier situation: arranging the repair schedule will be easier under the condition just mentioned. It does not itself specify how much easier. 쉬울 거예요 comes from 쉽다, “to be easy.” 쉬울 is the prospective form used before 거예요, and 거예요 presents the result as an expectation or prediction, giving “should be easy” or “will probably be easy.” The adjective 쉽다 has the irregular form 쉬워요 in the present polite style, while 쉬울 거예요 is used for the expected future situation. Together, 집주인이 수리 일정을 잡기 means “for the landlord to arrange the repair schedule.” The nominalized action is followed by 더 쉬울 거예요, “should be easier,” and 그러면 links that result to the preceding suggested flexible time window. The complete meaning is: “That should make it easier for the landlord to arrange the repair.”