Making a polite complaint at a service desk | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 어제 받은 서비스에 대해 불만을 제기하고 싶습니다.

   I would like to make a complaint about the service yesterday.

   어제

   yesterday

   받은

   received

   서비스

   service

   에 대해

   about; regarding

   불만

   complaint; dissatisfaction

   제기하고 싶습니다

   would like to raise

   More detail

   어제 means “yesterday.” It gives the time associated with the following relative-clause action here: 어제 받은 서비스 is “the service received yesterday.” 받은 comes from 받다, “to receive.” Its ending -은 makes a past attributive form, so it modifies the noun that follows: 받은 서비스 means “a service that was received.” The receiver is not separately marked in this phrase. Compare 받는 서비스, “a service that is received/is being received,” and 받을 서비스, “a service that will be received.” 서비스 means “service,” a noun. Here it is the service referred to by the relative phrase 어제 받은. 에 대해 means “about” or “regarding.” This construction marks the topic or object of discussion, action, or evaluation. A reusable pattern is N에 대해 말하다, “to talk about N.” 불만 means “complaint” or “dissatisfaction.” In the expression 불만을 제기하다, it is the noun receiving the object marker 을, and the whole expression means “to raise or lodge a complaint.” 제기하고 싶습니다 contains 제기하다, “to raise or lodge,” followed by -고 싶다, “to want to do.” 싶습니다 is the formal polite form used in this desire construction, so 제기하고 싶습니다 means “would like to raise/lodge.” The reusable pattern V-고 싶습니다 expresses a formal polite wish to do something. Example: 문의하고 싶습니다 means “I would like to make an inquiry.” Together, 어제 받은 서비스 identifies the service received yesterday, 에 대해 marks that service as what the complaint concerns, and 불만을 제기하고 싶습니다 expresses a formal polite wish to lodge a complaint. The complete meaning is: “I would like to make a complaint about the service yesterday.”

2. 그런 일이 있었다니 죄송합니다. 무슨 일이 있었는지 말씀해 주시겠어요?

   I am sorry to hear that. Could you tell me what happened?

   그런

   such

   일이

   thing / matter

   있었다니

   to hear that it happened

   죄송합니다

   I’m sorry

   무슨

   what kind of / what

   일이

   matter / event

   있었는지

   what happened

   말씀해 주시겠어요?

   Could you tell me?

   More detail

   그런 means “such” and comes before the noun it describes. Here it points to a situation already understood from the conversation, without specifying the situation itself. Example: 그런 일은 다시 없을 거예요. — “There will not be such a thing again.” 일이 is the noun 일 (“thing,” “matter,” or “event”) with the subject marker 이. In this sentence, it refers to the reported event as something that happened. The marker belongs to 일, not to 그런. 있었다니 is based on 있다 (“to exist” or, with an event, “to happen”). 있었다 is its past form, meaning “there was” or “happened,” and -다니 presents that statement as something the speaker has learned or is reacting to. Here it supports the sympathetic meaning “to hear that such a thing happened”; -다니 is not itself a general past-tense ending. Example: 그 일이 정말 있었다니 놀랐어요. — “I was surprised to hear that the incident really happened.” 죄송합니다 is the formal polite form of 죄송하다, “to be sorry.” It is a respectful apology, and here it expresses sympathy about the reported incident. 죄송합니다 is more formal than conversational 미안해요; these forms should not be treated as interchangeable in every situation. 무슨 asks what kind or which specific one, and it appears before the noun it modifies. Here it combines with 일 to form the question “what matter/event,” which is naturally translated as “what happened.” Example: 무슨 책을 읽어요? — “What book are you reading?” The second 일이 again uses the noun 일 with the subject marker 이. In 무슨 일이 있다, the combination can describe an event or situation occurring: 무슨 일이 있었어요? means “What happened?” or “What was going on?” 있었는지 combines 있다 (“exist / happen”), the past form 있었다, and -는지, which turns the clause into an embedded question or expresses uncertainty about its content. Together with 무슨 일이, it means “what happened” as the content of the requested telling. Compare the direct question 무슨 일이 있었어요? (“What happened?”) with the embedded form 무슨 일이 있었는지 (“what happened”). 말씀해 주시겠어요? is a polite request meaning “Could you tell me?” 말씀하다 is the honorific form used for saying or telling; 말씀해 is its connected form. 주다 in -해 주다 presents the action as being done for the requester, while 시 honors the person being asked and -겠어요? makes the request tentative and polite. The same useful pattern is V-아/어 주시겠어요?, as in 도와 주시겠어요? — “Could you help me?” The sentence first refers sympathetically to the reported situation: 그런 일이 있었다니 죄송합니다 — “I am sorry to hear that such a thing happened.” It then asks respectfully for the content of the event: 무슨 일이 있었는지 말씀해 주시겠어요? — “Could you tell me what happened?” Together, the utterance is a formal, considerate way to apologize for hearing about the incident and invite the other person to explain it.

3. 예약이 확인된 후에 오랫동안 기다렸습니다.

   I waited a long time after my confirmed appointment.

   예약

   appointment; reservation

   확인된

   confirmed

   후에

   after

   오랫동안

   for a long time

   기다렸습니다

   waited

   More detail

   예약 means a reservation or appointment. Here it refers to the appointment mentioned in the translation. The noun can be reused in compounds and phrases such as 예약을 하다 (“to make a reservation”). 확인된 describes 예약: “confirmed.” It comes from 확인되다, “to be confirmed,” and is the form used before a noun. The ending -된 makes the completed or resulting state modify the following noun: 확인된 예약 means “a confirmed reservation.” This is different from 확인하는 예약, which would describe a reservation that is confirming something or is involved with an ongoing confirmation. 후에 means “after.” 후 is a noun meaning “after/later,” and -에 marks the relevant time. The pattern [event or clause] 후에 means “after [event or clause].” Here, 예약이 확인된 후에 means “after the appointment was confirmed.” 오랫동안 means “for a long time.” It expresses the duration of an action. For example, 오랫동안 공부했습니다 means “I studied for a long time.” 기다렸습니다 means “waited.” Its base form is 기다리다 (“to wait”); 기다렸습니다 is the polite past form. The ending -습니다 gives a formal-polite style, while the past form indicates that the waiting is completed. Korean commonly leaves the subject unspoken when the context makes it recoverable; the fixed translation identifies that subject as “I.” Together, 예약이 확인된 후에 sets the time—“after the appointment was confirmed”—and 오랫동안 기다렸습니다 says “I waited for a long time.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I waited a long time after my confirmed appointment,” more literally, “After the appointment was confirmed, I waited for a long time.”

4. 그 지연에 대해서는 그때 설명을 드렸어야 합니다.

   That delay should have been explained at the time.

   그

   that

   지연

   delay

   에 대해서는

   about; as for

   그때

   at that time

   설명

   explanation

   드렸어야 합니다

   should have given

   More detail

   그: This demonstrative means “that” and points to a specific referent understood from the situation. Its form does not itself identify the referent; here, the translation identifies the relevant matter as the delay. 지연: This noun means “delay.” A useful related form is 지연이 생기다, “a delay occurs,” as in the following context. Korean marks the noun’s role with particles: 지연이 presents it as the subject of “occur,” while 지연에 대해서는 makes it the topic of discussion here. 에 대해서는: This construction means “about; as for.” 에 대해서 marks the subject or topic being discussed, and 는 adds topic or contrastive force. The pattern N에 대해서는 is reusable for “as for N” or “regarding N.” 그때: This time expression means “at that time” or “then,” referring to a particular time already identifiable in the situation. It is different from 지금 (“now”) and 나중에 (“later”). 설명: This noun means “explanation.” In the fixed sentence it is the object of 드리다 in the expression 설명을 드리다, a respectful way to say “give an explanation” or, in natural English, “explain.” The particle 을 marks 설명 as the object: 설명을 드리다. 드렸어야 합니다: This is the formal-polite form of the pattern -았/었어야 하다, used for something that should have happened in the past. 드리다 is the humble form of “give,” used when the speaker presents an action as being done for someone; here it appears in the respectful expression 설명을 드리다. 드렸어야 합니다 combines past 드렸- with -어야 하다 and formal-polite 합니다: “should have given.” In this sentence, the omitted subject is not specified; the construction expresses that an explanation was required at that earlier time, without naming who should have provided it. Together, 그 지연에 대해서는 sets “that delay” as the topic, 그때 specifies the relevant time, and 설명을 드렸어야 합니다 says that an explanation should have been given. The complete meaning is: “That delay should have been explained at the time.”

5. 지연이 생길 수 있다는 것은 이해하지만, 아무도 제게 상황을 알려 주지 않았습니다.

   I understand delays happen, but nobody gave me an update.

   지연

   delay

   생길 수 있다는 것은

   the fact that it may happen

   이해하지만

   understand, but

   아무도

   nobody

   제게

   to me

   상황

   situation

   알려 주지 않았습니다

   did not inform

   More detail

   지연 means “delay.” It is a noun; the plural or general meaning “delays” can be understood from context even though Korean nouns do not require an English-style plural ending. A useful related contrast is 지연 “delay” versus 진행 “progress/proceeding.” 생길 수 있다는 것은 presents the proposition “that [it] may occur” as the topic. The base verb 생기다 means “arise” or “occur.” -ㄹ 수 있다 expresses possibility or ability; here it expresses the possibility that a delay occurs. -다는 것 turns the preceding statement into “the fact that …,” and 은 marks that fact as the topic or contrastive point. The specific subject of 생기다 is understood from the context as a delay, not stated again inside this phrase. A reusable pattern is V-(ㄴ/는)다는 것은 … = “the fact that … is …,” with the exact connective form depending on the verb. 이해하지만 comes from 이해하다, “to understand,” followed by -지만, “but” or “although.” The ending makes the understanding clause contrast with the next clause: “I understand ..., but ... .” The polite present form 이해합니다 means “I understand”; 이해하지만 keeps the verb stem and adds the contrastive ending. 아무도 means “nobody” in this sentence. 아무 means “anyone/anybody” in this type of expression, and 도 adds the sense “even/any,” which becomes “nobody” when used with a negative predicate. Compare 누군가 “someone” and 아무도 ... 않다 “nobody ... .” 제게 means “to me.” It is the shortened form of 저에게: 저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I/me,” and 에게 marks a recipient or person affected by an action. 제 itself is the possessive form “my,” but in 제게 the whole form functions as “to me”; it is not a possessive noun phrase. 상황 means “situation” or “state of affairs.” It is a noun that can be used with information verbs, as in 상황을 설명하다 “explain the situation” or 상황을 알려 주다 “inform someone about the situation.” Here it is marked by 을, which identifies it as the object of the informing action. 알려 주지 않았습니다 means “did not inform [someone]” or “did not let [someone] know.” The lexical verb is 알리다, “to inform”; its form here is 알려. 주다 after another verb adds the idea of doing the action for or toward someone, so 알려 주다 is a reusable pattern meaning “let someone know” or “keep someone informed.” -지 않다 makes the predicate negative, and 않았습니다 places that negation in the past with formal politeness. Thus 알려 주지 않았습니다 is a past formal-polite negative form. The recipient is explicitly 제게, while the subject is 아무도. Together, 지연이 생길 수 있다는 것은 이해하지만 means “I understand that a delay may occur, but.” 아무도 제게 상황을 알려 주지 않았습니다 means “nobody informed me about the situation.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I understand delays happen, but nobody gave me an update.”

6. 기다리시는 동안 저희가 계속 상황을 알려 드렸어야 합니다.

   We should have kept you informed while you waited.

   기다리시는

   waiting (honorific)

   동안

   while; during

   저희가

   we (humble)

   계속

   continuously

   상황을

   the situation

   알려 드렸어야 합니다

   should have kept [someone] informed

   More detail

   기다리시는 comes from 기다리다, “to wait.” The stem 기다리- takes the honorific marker -시- and the attributive ending -는, so it describes an honored “you” as waiting: “while you are waiting.” This form marks respect toward the person who is waiting; it does not itself identify that person by name or specify a number. Example: 기다리시는 동안 잠시 쉬세요. — “Please rest for a moment while you wait.” 동안 means “during” or “while” and follows a time expression or clause. Here, 기다리시는 동안 sets the time span during which the main action should have taken place. 저희가 is the humble first-person plural subject, “we.” 저희 is the humble counterpart of 우리 when the speaker refers to their own group in relation to the listener, and -가 marks it as the subject. The humble form is appropriate here because the group is addressing the listener respectfully. 계속 is an adverb meaning “continuously” or “continually.” With an action, it indicates that the action was to continue rather than happen only once. It modifies the informing action that follows. Example: 저희가 계속 확인하겠습니다. — “We will keep checking.” 상황을 means “the situation” as the object of the action. 상황 means “situation” or “circumstances,” and -을 marks it as the object. The object marker belongs to 상황, not to the preceding adverb 계속. 알려 드렸어야 합니다 expresses that the speaker’s group should have informed the listener, but the expected action belongs to the past. 알려 comes from 알리다, “to inform” or “to let someone know.” In 알려 드리다, 드리다 is a humble service form used when doing something for another person, so 알려 드리다 means “to inform someone respectfully” or “to keep someone informed.” The recipient is understood from the fixed translation as “you,” although it is not separately written in this phrase. The past form 알렸어야 합니다 would mean “should have informed,” while the observed form includes the connected humble form 알려 드리다: 알려 드렸어야 합니다. The ending -었어야 하다 marks an action that was expected or advisable in the past; 합니다 is the formal polite form of 하다. This is different from a simple past statement such as 알려 드렸습니다, “we informed you,” which reports that the action happened without expressing “should have.” Example: 미리 알려 드렸어야 했습니다. — “We should have informed you in advance.” Taken together, 기다리시는 동안 means “while you waited,” and 저희가 계속 상황을 알려 드렸어야 합니다 means “we should have kept you informed.” The full utterance therefore means: “We should have kept you informed while you waited.”

7. 제가 까다롭게 굴려는 것은 아니지만, 더 나은 서비스를 기대했습니다.

   I am not trying to be difficult, but I expected better service.

   제가

   I (subject)

   까다롭게

   in a difficult or fussy way

   굴려는

   trying to act or behave

   것은 아니지만

   it is not that ..., but

   더 나은

   better

   서비스

   service

   기대했습니다

   expected

   More detail

   제가 is the subject form of the first-person pronoun 저, a humble or modest “I.” The particle 가 marks the subject, so 제가 presents the speaker as the person who is not trying to behave difficultly. The form of this pronoun is not selected by the noun 서비스; it is the speaker-oriented subject form. 까다롭게 comes from 까다롭다, “to be demanding, fussy, or difficult to satisfy.” The ending -게 makes this descriptive word function adverbially, describing how someone behaves. Here it means “in a demanding or difficult way,” not simply “carefully.” Example: 그는 일을 까다롭게 처리해요. — “He handles the work in a very particular way.” 굴려는 is from 굴다, used in the expression 까다롭게 굴다, “to behave in a difficult or fussy way.” The form -려는 marks an intention or attempted action: 굴려는 means “intending or trying to behave.” It is from 굴다 in this expression, not from the different verb 굴리다 (“to roll or make something roll”). The pattern V-(으)려는 것은 아니다 means “it is not that someone is trying or intending to V.” In this sentence, 까다롭게 굴려는 것은 아니지만 says that behaving difficultly is not the speaker’s intention, while -지만 adds “but” and prepares for the contrasting statement that follows. This construction does not deny that the behavior might seem difficult; it denies that this is the speaker’s intention. 더 나은 means “better” in the sense of “better than the relevant expected or available standard.” 더 means “more,” and 나은 is the attributive form of 낫다, “to be better.” The adjective’s own base form is 낫다; 나은 modifies the noun after it. Example: 더 나은 방법을 찾았어요. — “I found a better method.” 서비스 is a noun meaning “service.” It is a loanword used as an ordinary Korean noun. In this sentence it is the thing being evaluated, while 더 나은 describes the quality of that service. Example: 서비스가 좋았어요. — “The service was good.” 기대했습니다 comes from 기대하다, “to expect” or “to look forward to,” with the formal-polite past ending -했습니다. The past form presents the expectation as one held before or up to the relevant point. Here it means that the speaker expected better service, not that the speaker merely hoped for a future event. Example: 더 빠른 답변을 기대했습니다. — “I expected a faster reply.” Together, 제가 까다롭게 굴려는 것은 아니지만 means “I am not trying to be difficult, but,” and 더 나은 서비스를 기대했습니다 means “I expected better service.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I am not trying to be difficult, but I expected better service.” The formal-polite endings make the statement suitable for a respectful complaint or request.

8. 관리자에게 서면으로 답변해 달라고 요청하겠습니다.

   I will ask the manager to respond in writing.

   관리자

   manager

   서면으로

   in writing

   답변해 달라고

   asking someone to respond

   요청하겠습니다

   will request

   More detail

   관리자 means “manager” here. It is a noun that can refer to a person responsible for managing something. In 관리자에게, 에게 marks the person toward whom the request is directed: “to the manager.” A useful related form is 관리하다, “to manage,” but 관리자 itself is the person noun. 서면으로 means “in writing.” 서면 refers to written form or documentation, and -으로 marks the means or manner: “by/in written form.” For example, 서면으로 답변해 주세요. means “Please respond in writing.” 답변해 달라고 expresses asking someone to respond. 답변하다 is the base verb “to respond” or “to give an answer”; its form before -아/어 달라고 is 답변해. The pattern -아/어 달라고 요청하다 reports or states a request for someone to do something, with 달라고 presenting the requested action from the requester’s perspective. Thus 답변해 달라고 is not simply “responding”; it is “that [someone] respond / to respond, as requested.” 요청하겠습니다 means “I will request” in a formal, polite style. Its base form is 요청하다, “to request.” The ending -겠습니다 presents the speaker’s intention or commitment in this context, rather than merely describing an event that is certain to happen independently of the speaker. For example, 확인하겠습니다. means “I will check.” Together, 관리자에게 identifies the recipient of the request, 서면으로 specifies that the response should be in writing, and 답변해 달라고 요청하겠습니다 says that the speaker will request that the manager respond. The complete meaning is: “I will ask the manager to respond in writing.”

9. 그러면 도움이 되겠습니다. 저는 그저 이 문제가 제대로 처리되기를 바랍니다.

   That would help. I just want the issue handled properly.

   그러면

   in that case

   도움

   help

   되겠습니다

   would be

   저는

   as for me

   그저

   just

   문제

   issue

   제대로

   properly

   처리되기를 바랍니다

   hope it is handled

   More detail

   그러면 means “in that case” or “then.” It links the sentence to a condition or situation just mentioned. In the fixed utterance, it makes the following statement depend on that situation. 도움 is the noun “help” or “assistance.” A useful related form is 도움이 되다, literally “become/be help,” meaning “be helpful” or “help.” Example: 이 정보가 도움이 됩니다. — “This information is helpful.” 되겠습니다 is the polite form built from 되다 (“become; be”) with -겠- and the formal-polite ending -습니다. Here, together with 그러면, it expresses the speaker’s assessment that something would be helpful: “would be helpful.” The same -겠- form can have other uses in different contexts, such as intention or a prediction, so its exact force comes from the surrounding sentence. 저는 consists of the first-person pronoun 저 (“I,” humble/polite) and the topic marker 는. It sets the speaker as the topic, roughly “as for me” or “I.” The topic marker can contrast the topic with other possible topics, but this sentence does not specify any such contrast. 그저 means “just” or “simply.” Here it limits the speaker’s desire to the stated outcome; it does not itself mean “only” in a numerical sense. 문제 means “problem” or “issue.” In the source, 이 comes before it: 이 문제 means “this issue,” with 이 identifying the issue as a demonstrative phrase. Example: 문제를 해결했습니다. — “I solved the problem.” 제대로 is an adverb meaning “properly,” “correctly,” or “as it should be.” It describes the manner or standard of handling in this sentence. Example: 일이 제대로 진행됩니다. — “The work proceeds properly.” 처리되기를 바랍니다 expresses “hope it is handled” or “want it to be handled.” 처리되다 means “be handled/processed”; -기를 turns that clause into the hoped-for content, and 바랍니다 is the polite form of 바라다, “hope” or “wish.” The observed form 처리되기를 therefore presents the issue’s being handled as the desired event. Example: 문제가 빨리 처리되기를 바랍니다. — “I hope the problem is handled quickly.” Together, 그러면 도움이 되겠습니다 means “That would be helpful” in the situation established before it. 저는 그저 이 문제가 제대로 처리되기를 바랍니다 means “I just want this issue to be handled properly.” The complete utterance is therefore: “That would help. I just want the issue handled properly.”

10. 제가 관리자와 이야기하는 동안 여기서 기다려 주세요.

    Please wait here while I speak with the manager.

    제가

    I (subject)

    관리자

    manager

    이야기하는

    speaking

    동안

    while; during

    여기서

    here

    기다려 주세요

    please wait

    More detail

    제가 means “I” as the subject. It is the subject form of 저 (“I”), with 가 marking the subject. The form is polite/humble in style; in less formal speech, 내가 is commonly used instead. 관리자 means “manager” or “administrator.” It is a noun and can be followed by particles such as 가 for a subject or 와 for “with.” Here, 관리자와 means “with the manager,” where 와 links the person to the action of speaking. 이야기하는 comes from 이야기하다, “to talk” or “to speak.” The ending -는 makes a present-tense modifier, so 이야기하는 동안 means “while [someone] is speaking.” The subject of this modifier is supplied by 제가: “while I speak.” 동안 means “during” or “while” and follows a noun or a modifying clause. Pattern: [clause] 동안 = “while [clause].” Example: 공부하는 동안 음악을 들었어요. — “I listened to music while studying.” 여기서 means “here,” specifically here as the place where an action takes place. 에서 marks the location of an action; it is different from 에, which commonly marks a destination or a static location. Example: 여기서 기다리세요. — “Please wait here.” 기다려 주세요 means “please wait.” 기다려 is the connective/request form of 기다리다 (“to wait”), and 주세요 adds a polite request. This pattern, [verb]-아/어 주세요, politely asks someone to do something: 도와 주세요 means “Please help.” Together, 제가 관리자와 이야기하는 동안 means “while I speak with the manager.” 여기서 specifies the place of waiting, and 기다려 주세요 politely asks the listener to wait. The complete utterance is therefore: “Please wait here while I speak with the manager.”