Planning balanced meals for a busy week | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 다음 주는 바빠 보이니까, 미리 음식을 좀 준비해 두면 도움이 될 거예요.

   Next week looks busy, so preparing some meals in advance would help.

   다음 주

   next week

   바빠

   busy

   보이니까

   because it looks/seems

   미리

   in advance

   음식

   food; meal

   좀

   some; a little

   준비해

   prepare

   두면

   if left ready

   도움

   help

   될 거예요

   will be/become

   More detail

   다음 주 means “next week.” 주 is the noun “week,” and 다음 means “next” in relation to an understood time reference. A similar reusable expression is 다음 달 (“next month”); this is an example, not information from the supplied sentence. 바빠 is the connected form of 바쁘다, “to be busy.” The final -아/어 form connects this description to the following expression; it is not the polite sentence ending here. For example, 오늘은 바빠요 means “I’m busy today.” 보이니까 combines 보이다 (“to look/seem”) with -(으)니까, a connective commonly used for a reason or basis: “because it looks/seems …” Here, 바빠 보이다 means “to look busy,” so 바빠 보이니까 means “because it looks busy.” In this sentence, 다음 주 is the topic and the understood subject of “looks busy,” so the meaning is “because next week looks busy.” 미리 means “in advance” or “ahead of time.” It modifies an action that happens before the relevant time. For example, 미리 예약하세요 means “Please make a reservation in advance.” 음식 is the noun “food.” In this sentence, the fixed translation presents it naturally as “meals” in the context of preparing food ahead of time. The related noun 식사 more specifically means “a meal” or “eating,” as in 식사 준비 (“meal preparation”); that expression appears in the following context. 좀 literally relates to “a little” or “some,” but in this sentence it makes the amount of food sound limited or modest: “some food.” It can also soften a request, but that is not its function here. 준비해 is the connected form of 준비하다, “to prepare.” The base verb is 준비하다; its stem 준비하- connects with the -여 form of -하다, producing the contracted form 준비해 before the next part. For example, 자료를 준비해요 means “I prepare the materials” or “I’m preparing the materials,” depending on context. 두면 is 두다 used after another verb, in the construction -아/어 두다, plus -(으)면. 준비해 두다 means to prepare something and leave it ready for later use, while 준비해 두면 means “if one prepares it and leaves it ready” or, naturally here, “preparing it in advance.” The conditional ending -(으)면 presents this action as the condition connected to the result. 도움 is the noun “help” or “assistance.” In the pattern 도움이 되다, it means “to be helpful” or literally “to become help,” with 이 marking 도움 as the subject of 되다. For example, 이 정보가 도움이 돼요 means “This information is helpful.” 될 거예요 is the future-looking polite prediction form of 되다, “to become” or “to be/become effective,” with -ㄹ 거예요. On its own, this chunk means “will be/become”; in 도움이 될 거예요, the surrounding noun phrase gives the result “will be helpful.” The form 될 is the future/modifying form of 되다, and 거예요 completes this common prediction pattern. Together, 다음 주는 바빠 보이니까 gives the reason: “because next week looks busy.” 미리 음식을 좀 준비해 두면 presents the condition and the advance preparation: “if some food is prepared and left ready in advance.” Finally, 도움이 될 거예요 predicts the result: “it will help.” The complete meaning is: “Next week looks busy, so preparing some meals in advance would help.”

2. 식사 준비가 도움이 되겠지만, 매일 같은 음식만 먹지는 마세요.

   Meal prep will help, but avoid eating the same thing every day.

   식사

   meal; eating

   준비

   preparation

   도움이 되겠지만

   would be helpful, but

   매일

   every day

   같은

   same

   음식

   food; dish

   만

   only; just

   먹지는 마세요

   please don’t eat

   More detail

   식사 means a meal or the act of eating. It is a noun; in 식사 준비, it specifies what is being prepared. 식사하다 is a common related verb meaning “to eat / have a meal,” but the observed form here is the noun. 준비 is “preparation.” In 식사 준비, the two nouns combine as “meal preparation.” The particle 가 marks this phrase as the subject of the following expression. 도움이 되겠지만 uses the reusable pattern 도움이 되다 (“to be helpful,” literally “to become help”). 되겠지만 combines 되다 with -겠- and -지만: here it presents a likely or considered assessment, “would be helpful,” followed by “but.” The subject is the preceding 식사 준비. 매일 means “every day” and functions as a time adverb. Example: 매일 운동해요. — “I exercise every day.” 같은 is the attributive form of 같다, “to be the same.” It comes before a noun: 같은 음식 means “the same food/dish.” Its useful contrast is 다른, “different,” as in 다른 음식 (“different food”). 음식 means “food” or “dish.” In this sentence it is the noun modified by 같은, and it is the object of 먹다 within the final construction. 만 is a particle meaning “only” or “just.” It attaches directly to 음식 in 음식만, so the restriction is “only the same food,” rather than every possible kind of food. The exact scope is understood together with 같은: 같은 음식만 means “only the same food.” 먹지는 마세요 is a polite negative request built from 먹다 (“to eat”) and -지 말다 (“not to do”), with -세요 giving a polite request. The inserted 는 in 먹지는 마세요 adds contrast or emphasis: “as for eating it, please don’t” / “please don’t eat it.” The simpler prohibition 먹지 마세요 also means “please don’t eat,” but lacks that contrastive emphasis. Example: 너무 많이 먹지는 마세요. — “Please don’t eat too much.” Together, 식사 준비가 도움이 되겠지만 means “meal preparation would be helpful, but.” Then 매일 같은 음식만 먹지는 마세요 means “please don’t eat only the same food every day.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Meal prep will help, but avoid eating the same thing every day.”

3. 채소 카레를 많이 만들어 두려고 했어요.

   I was thinking of making a big batch of vegetable curry.

   채소 카레

   vegetable curry

   많이

   a lot

   만들어 두려고 했어요

   was planning to prepare in advance

   More detail

   채소 카레 means vegetable curry here. 채소 means “vegetables” and can modify a following noun, as in 채소 수프 (“vegetable soup”). 카레 is the noun “curry”; together, the two nouns identify the dish. 많이 means “a lot” or “in a large amount” here. It is the adverbial form related to 많다 (“to be many” or “to be much”), and it describes the amount of curry being made. It does not by itself state a precise quantity. Example: 물을 많이 마셔요. — “I drink a lot of water.” 만들어 두려고 했어요 expresses a past intention to make something in advance. 만들어 comes from the verb 만들다 (“to make”); its -어 form connects it to 두다. In 만들어 두다, 두다 adds the idea of completing an action and leaving the result ready for later use, so 만들어 두다 means “make and set aside” or “prepare in advance.” Example: 도시락을 만들어 뒀어요. — “I prepared a packed meal in advance.” The pattern -려고 하다 presents an intention or plan to do something. Here, -려고 follows 만들어 두-, and the past polite form 했어요 makes the intention something the speaker had at that time: 만들어 두려고 했어요 means “was planning to prepare it in advance” or “was thinking of making it ahead.” This form reports the plan; by itself, it does not confirm whether the preparation was completed. Putting the parts together, 채소 카레를 marks vegetable curry as what is acted on, 많이 indicates a large amount, and 만들어 두려고 했어요 says that the speaker had the intention of making and setting that amount aside for later. The whole utterance therefore means: “I was thinking of making a big batch of vegetable curry.”

4. 양을 제대로 나누고 안전하게 보관하면 괜찮겠어요.

   That works if you portion it properly and store it safely.

   양

   amount; quantity

   제대로

   properly

   나누고

   portion and

   안전하게

   safely

   보관하면

   if you store it

   괜찮겠어요

   should be okay

   More detail

   양 means the amount or quantity of something. Here, with the surrounding context, it refers to the amount of curry being portioned; it does not itself specify a numerical quantity. A useful related noun is 부분, “part” or “portion,” but the two are not interchangeable in every context. 제대로 means “properly” or “as it should be.” It describes the following action, so 제대로 나누다 means “to divide or portion something properly.” 나누고 comes from 나누다, “to divide, share, or portion.” The ending -고 connects this action to the next action: 나누고 보관하다 means “divide it and store it.” In this sentence, the intended sense is portioning the food, not sharing it with people. Example: 음식을 작은 용기에 나눠요. means “I divide the food into small containers.” 안전하게 is the adverbial form of 안전하다, “to be safe.” It describes how the storing is done: “safely.” Before a noun, the related form is 안전한, as in 안전한 방법, “a safe method”; 안전하게 modifies a verb. 보관하면 comes from 보관하다, “to store or keep,” plus -(으)면, a conditional ending meaning “if” or “when.” Thus 안전하게 보관하면 means “if you store it safely.” The subject and object can be left unspoken when the context makes them clear; here, the translation identifies the stored item as the portioned food. 보관하다 is more specific than the general verb 두다 when the idea is keeping something in storage. 괜찮겠어요 is based on 괜찮다, “to be okay,” with -겠- and the polite ending -어요. In this context, -겠- presents a tentative assessment or expectation, so the phrase means “should be okay” or “would be okay,” rather than simply stating an unqualified fact. With the period and the fixed translation, it functions here as a polite assessment, not necessarily as a question. Together, 제대로 나누고 and 안전하게 보관하면 describe two coordinated actions within the conditional situation: if the food is portioned properly and stored safely, 괜찮겠어요 expresses that the result should be okay. The complete utterance means: “That works if you portion it properly and store it safely.”

5. 일부는 얼리고 나머지는 냉장고에 보관할까요?

   Should I freeze some and keep the rest in the fridge?

   일부는

   some

   얼리고

   freeze and

   나머지는

   the rest

   냉장고

   fridge

   보관할까요?

   shall I store it?

   More detail

   일부는 means “some” or “as for part of it.” 일부 is a noun meaning a part or portion, and -는 marks it as the topic, contrasting it with what follows. The sentence does not state a numerical amount. Example: 일부는 남겨 두세요. — “Leave some of it.” 얼리고 comes from 얼리다, “to freeze.” The ending -고 connects this action to the next one in the pattern A-고 B, “do A and B.” It is not the final question form; the question force appears at the end of the sentence. Example: 고기를 얼리고 날짜를 적으세요. — “Freeze the meat and write down the date.” 나머지는 means “as for the rest.” 나머지 is a noun meaning what remains after part has been separated or used, and -는 marks it as the contrasting topic. This form does not specify how many items remain. Example: 나머지는 내일 드세요. — “Eat the rest tomorrow.” 냉장고 means “refrigerator” or “fridge.” It is a noun naming the storage place here. With the location particle, 냉장고에 means “in the fridge.” Example: 우유를 냉장고에 넣으세요. — “Put the milk in the fridge.” 보관할까요? comes from 보관하다, “to store or keep,” combined with the polite question ending -(으)ㄹ까요?. Here that ending asks whether the speaker should carry out the action. The object is understood from the situation, while 냉장고에 separately expresses the location. Example: 이 음식은 냉장고에 보관할까요? — “Shall I store this food in the fridge?” Together, 일부는 얼리고 means “freeze some,” while 나머지는 냉장고에 보관할까요? asks whether to keep the remainder in the refrigerator. The connecting -고 links the two actions, and the final -(으)ㄹ까요? makes the whole utterance a polite “Should I ...?” question: “Should I freeze some and keep the rest in the fridge?”

6. 몇 인분은 얼려 두세요.

   Freeze a few portions.

   몇

   a few; several

   인분

   portion(s)

   얼려 두세요

   please freeze and keep

   More detail

   몇 means an unspecified small number here: “a few.” It is a determiner used before a countable noun or counter. Its meaning can depend on context; for example, 몇 개 means “a few items,” while 몇 시 asks “what time,” so the following word helps determine its function. 인분 is a counter meaning a serving or portion measured for one person. In 몇 인분, it counts portions, so the phrase means “a few portions.” Example: 두 인분을 주문했어요. — “I ordered two servings.” 얼려 두세요 contains the verb 얼리다, “to freeze something,” and 두다, “to put or leave something.” 얼려 is the connective form of 얼리다; with -아/어 두다, it expresses doing something in advance and leaving the result in place. 두세요 is the polite request form of 두다. Thus, 얼려 두세요 asks someone to freeze something and keep it frozen for later. Example: 남은 빵은 얼려 두세요. — “Please freeze the leftover bread.” Together, 몇 인분 identifies the amount as a few portions, and 얼려 두세요 gives the polite instruction to freeze and retain them. The complete meaning is “Freeze a few portions.” This is a polite, practical instruction.

7. 고르기 쉽도록 각 용기에 표시를 붙이세요.

   Label each container so it is easy to choose.

   고르기

   choosing

   쉽도록

   so that it is easy

   각

   each

   용기

   container

   표시

   label

   붙이세요

   attach it

   More detail

   고르기 comes from 고르다, “to choose.” Here -기 makes the verb noun-like, so 고르기 names the activity “choosing.” This pattern is reusable: 읽기 means “reading,” and 쓰기 means “writing.” 쉽도록 combines 쉽다, “to be easy,” with -도록, which can express a purpose or intended result. Here, 고르기 쉽도록 means “so that choosing is easy.” The pattern V-도록 can also express a purpose involving someone’s action: 잊지 않도록 적으세요 means “Write it down so that you do not forget.” 각 means “each” or “every” and comes before the noun it specifies. 각 용기 means “each container,” treating the containers individually rather than as one group. 각 does not itself state how many containers there are. 용기 means “container.” It can refer to a receptacle such as a food container. A useful pattern is 용기에 넣다, “put [something] in a container,” where -에 marks the destination or location. 표시 means a “label” or “mark.” Here it refers to the label or marking to be attached to a container. It can occur in 표시를 하다, “make a mark or indication,” and 표시를 붙이다, “attach a label or marking.” 붙이세요 comes from 붙이다, “to attach” or “stick [something] on.” The ending -세요 makes it a polite request or instruction. 붙이다 is different from 붙다, “to be attached” or “to stick”: 붙이다 makes something become attached, while 붙다 describes attachment or sticking without making that distinction transitive. For example, 이름표를 붙이세요 means “Attach a name tag.” Together, 각 용기에 means “to each container,” 표시를 붙이세요 means “attach a label,” and 고르기 쉽도록 gives the purpose “so that choosing is easy.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Label each container so it is easy to choose.”

8. 저는 점심에 밥만 먹는 게 아니라 균형 잡힌 식사가 필요해요.

   I also need something balanced for lunch, not just rice.

   저는

   I; as for me

   점심에

   at lunch

   밥만

   only rice

   먹는 게 아니라

   not eating, but rather

   균형 잡힌

   balanced

   식사가

   a meal

   필요해요

   is needed; need

   More detail

   저는 sets the speaker as the topic: “as for me, I…”. 저 is the humble or polite first-person pronoun used here for the speaker, and 는 marks the topic. 저 itself is not a plural form; 저희 is a common first-person plural counterpart. For example, 저는 학생이에요 means “I am a student.” 점심에 means “at/for lunch.” 점심 is “lunch,” and 에 marks the relevant time or occasion. For example, 아침에 먹어요 means “I eat in the morning.” 밥만 means “only rice” in this sentence. 밥 can refer to cooked rice and, in other contexts, to a meal; here the fixed translation identifies rice as the intended meaning. 만 is an exclusive particle: it limits the food to rice. It contrasts with 도, which can add a meaning such as “also.” 먹는 게 아니라 is part of the reusable contrast pattern A/V-는 게 아니라 B, meaning “not A, but rather B.” 먹는 comes from 먹다, “to eat,” and modifies 것, which is contracted here as 게 in 것이. 아니라 means “not being/not the case, but rather” in this contrast. Together with 밥만, the phrase rejects the idea that eating only rice is enough; it does not by itself mean simply “not eating.” 균형 잡힌 means “balanced” and describes the following noun. It comes from 균형이 잡히다, “to become balanced”; 잡힌 is the attributive form of 잡히다 used before 식사. Thus 균형 잡힌 식사 means “a balanced meal.” 식사가 means “a meal,” with 가 marking it as the subject of the following predicate. 식사 is the noun “meal.” In this sentence, the balanced meal is presented as what is needed, while 저는 identifies the speaker who needs it. 필요해요 means “is needed” and, with the speaker as the topic, corresponds to “need.” It is the polite present form of the descriptive predicate 필요하다, “to be necessary/needed.” In this form, 하 changes to 해요 in the polite ending. The predicate does not have a special first-person form; the “I” reading comes from 저는 and the sentence structure. Putting the parts together: 저는 identifies the speaker, 점심에 sets lunch as the occasion, and 밥만 먹는 게 아니라 contrasts eating only rice with the needed alternative. 균형 잡힌 식사가 필요해요 presents a balanced meal as what is needed. The whole utterance means: “I also need something balanced for lunch, not just rice.”

9. 먹고 싶은 것에 따라 달걀이나 콩 또는 닭고기를 추가하세요.

   Add eggs, beans, or chicken, depending on what you feel like eating.

   먹고 싶은 것에 따라

   depending on what you feel like eating

   달걀

   egg

   이나

   or

   콩

   bean

   또는

   or

   닭고기

   chicken

   추가하세요

   add

   More detail

   먹고 싶은 것에 따라 means “depending on what you feel like eating.” 먹고 싶은 comes from 먹다 (“to eat”) plus -고 싶다 (“want to do”); here 싶은 modifies 것 (“thing”), so the phrase literally refers to “the thing one wants to eat.” 것 is a noun meaning “thing” and can turn a description into a noun phrase. -에 따라 is a reusable pattern meaning “depending on” or “according to”: 상황에 따라 means “depending on the situation.” 달걀이나 means “eggs” followed by an alternative marker. 달걀 means “egg”; in this food-list context, the English translation naturally uses the plural “eggs,” although the Korean noun itself does not mark English-style singular versus plural here. -이나 can mean “or” after a noun ending in a consonant. In this sentence it presents 달걀 as one possible choice. 콩 means “bean” or “beans.” As with 달걀, the form does not itself specify an English-style singular or plural count here. A useful related food word is 두부, “tofu,” but it is a different noun, not another form of 콩. 또는 means “or” and explicitly links alternatives. It is somewhat more formal or written than the particle -이나, though both can express alternatives. Here it links 콩 with 닭고기. 닭고기 means “chicken” as food: 닭 is “chicken,” and 고기 is “meat.” This compound refers to chicken meat rather than a live chicken. It is a noun, so it is the item selected as another possible addition. 추가하세요 means “add.” Its base verb is 추가하다, “to add.” The ending -세요 makes a polite request or instruction addressed to the listener; it does not itself state who performs the action beyond addressing that listener. Compare the plain dictionary form 추가하다 with the polite request 추가하세요. Together, 먹고 싶은 것에 따라 sets the condition for the choice: the addition depends on what the person wants to eat. 달걀이나 콩 또는 닭고기 lists the possible additions—eggs, beans, or chicken—and 추가하세요 gives the polite instruction to add them. The whole utterance therefore means: “Add eggs, beans, or chicken, depending on what you feel like eating.”

10. 남은 음식이 지루하게 느껴지면 저는 곁들임 요리를 바꿀 수 있어요.

    If the leftovers feel boring, I can change the side dish.

    남은 음식

    leftovers

    지루하게

    boringly

    느껴지면

    if it feels

    저는

    as for me

    곁들임 요리

    side dish

    바꿀 수 있어요

    can change

    More detail

    남은 음식 means “leftovers” here. 남은 is the form of 남다 (“to remain”) used before a noun, so it describes food that remains. 음식 means “food.” In 남은 음식이, the particle 이 marks this noun phrase as the subject of the following description. 지루하게 comes from 지루하다, “to be boring.” The ending -하게 makes this adjective function adverbially, describing how something is experienced: “in a boring way.” For example, 영화가 지루하게 느껴져요 means “The movie feels boring.” 느껴지면 is based on 느껴지다, “to feel” or “seem” from the experiencer’s perspective. The ending -면 forms a condition, “if/when.” Thus 음식이 지루하게 느껴지면 means “if the food feels boring.” This is different from simply saying that someone intentionally feels something; 느껴지다 presents the impression as being experienced. 저는 means “as for me” or “I” as the topic. 저 is the humble first-person pronoun, and 는 marks the topic. It identifies the person who has the ability described later, without changing the meaning of the conditional clause’s subject. 곁들임 요리 means “side dish.” 요리 is a dish or cooked preparation, while 곁들임 is a noun used to describe something served alongside a main food. Together they form a reusable noun phrase for a dish accompanying another dish. 바꿀 수 있어요 expresses “can change.” 바꾸다 means “to change” or “to replace,” and 바꿀 is its form before 수 in the ability pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있다. 수 있다 literally presents a possibility, so the pattern means “can [do something].” 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다. Here, 바꿀 수 있어요 says that the speaker is able to change the side dish, not that the change has already happened. Putting the parts together: 남은 음식이 지루하게 느껴지면 gives the condition “if the leftovers feel boring,” 저는 identifies the speaker as the topic, and 곁들임 요리를 바꿀 수 있어요 gives the available action: “I can change the side dish.” The complete meaning is: “If the leftovers feel boring, I can change the side dish.”

11. 작은 변화를 주면 미리 준비한 음식을 더 즐겁게 먹을 수 있어요.

    Small changes make prepared meals more enjoyable.

    작은

    small

    변화를

    change

    주면

    if [someone] gives or applies

    미리

    in advance

    준비한

    prepared

    음식을

    food or meals

    더

    more

    즐겁게

    enjoyably

    먹을 수 있어요

    can eat

    More detail

    작은 is the attributive form of the Korean descriptive verb 작다 (“to be small”). It directly modifies 변화, so 작은 변화 means “a small change.” The contrasting form is 큰 from 크다 (“to be big”): 큰 변화 means “a big change.” 변화를 is the noun 변화 (“change”) with the object marker 를. In this sentence, it is the thing affected by 주다 in the useful expression 변화를 주다, meaning “to make or apply a change.” The marker 를 identifies 변화 as that expression’s object. 주면 is 주다 (“to give”) with the conditional ending -면, but after 변화를 the combination 변화를 주다 means “to make/apply a change.” Thus 변화를 주면 means “if a change is made” or “when a change is made.” The subject is not stated, so this form does not specify who makes it. A reusable pattern is N을/를 주면, “if someone gives or applies N.” 미리 is an adverb meaning “beforehand” or “in advance.” It modifies 준비한, making the food “prepared in advance.” 준비한 comes from 준비하다 (“to prepare”). The ending -(으)ㄴ makes a form that modifies a following noun and presents the preparing as completed: 준비한 음식 means “food that was prepared.” The form itself does not say who prepared it. For an ongoing or general action, Korean uses a different modifier, such as 준비하는 음식, “food that someone is preparing.” 음식을 is 음식 (“food; a meal”) with the object marker 을. Here it marks the food as what is eaten. The singular/plural interpretation is not fixed by this form alone; the context determines whether it refers to one meal or food more generally. 더 means “more” and indicates an increase compared with an unstated baseline. It modifies the manner of eating expressed by 즐겁게 먹을 수 있어요, so the sentence says that the eating can be more enjoyable, rather than simply enjoyable. 즐겁게 is the adverbial form of 즐겁다 (“to be enjoyable; to feel happy”). It describes how the eating happens: “enjoyably” or “with more enjoyment.” This is different from 맛있게, which means “deliciously” or “in a tasty way” and focuses on taste rather than enjoyment. 먹을 수 있어요 combines the verb 먹다 (“to eat”) with -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, a construction for ability or possibility, in polite present-style speech. 먹을 수 있어요 therefore means “can eat” or “it is possible to eat.” For example, 이제 먹을 수 있어요 means “Now I can eat.” The 요 ending marks a polite conversational style. Together, 작은 변화를 주면 sets a condition: “if small changes are made.” 미리 준비한 음식을 is the object, “food prepared in advance,” and 더 즐겁게 먹을 수 있어요 says that it can be eaten more enjoyably. The complete meaning is: “Small changes make prepared meals more enjoyable.”