Focused Listening Practice | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 저는 매일 공부하지만, 실력이 여전히 고르지 않게 느껴져요.

   I study every day, but my progress still feels uneven.

   저는

   as for me; I

   매일

   every day

   공부하지만

   study, but

   실력이

   ability; skill

   여전히

   still

   고르지 않게

   unevenly

   느껴져요

   feels

   More detail

   저는 contains 저, the humble first-person pronoun, plus 는, the topic particle. Here it presents the speaker as the topic: “as for me” or simply “I.” 는 follows a vowel; after a consonant, the corresponding topic form is 은. This pronoun does not itself express the speaker’s progress or skill; those details come later. 매일 is a time expression meaning “every day” and functions adverbially. It describes the frequency of 공부하지만, so the sentence says that studying happens daily. 공부하지만 comes from 공부하다, “to study.” The ending -지만 connects this clause to a contrasting clause and means “but” or “although.” Thus 공부하지만 means “study, but.” A reusable pattern is 동사-지만, ..., as in 비가 오지만 가요 — “It is raining, but I’m going.” The subject of the second clause can be understood from the first when the context supports it. 실력이 consists of 실력, “ability, skill, or proficiency,” and the subject particle 이. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies this as the speaker’s proficiency or progress, even though Korean does not separately write “my” here. 이 is used after a consonant; after a vowel, the subject particle is 가. 여전히 means “still” or “as before.” It shows that the uneven feeling continues at the relevant time. It modifies the following description rather than changing the basic meaning of 실력이. 고르지 않게 describes something as being uneven or not uniform. The adjective 고르다 can mean “even” or “uniform” in this use. Its negative form is 고르지 않다, “not even,” and -게 turns that description into an adverbial form: 고르지 않게, “unevenly.” For example, 색이 고르지 않게 보여요 means “The color looks uneven.” This use of 고르다 is different from the verb 고르다, “to choose”; the surrounding meaning here is about uniformity, not selection. 느껴져요 comes from 느껴지다, “to feel” or “to seem” from the perspective of what is experienced. It is the polite present form. Compared with 느껴요, “I feel,” 느껴져요 presents the quality as something that feels a certain way to the speaker: 이 방은 넓게 느껴져요 means “This room feels spacious.” Here, 고르지 않게 느껴져요 means “feels uneven,” and the polite -요 ending makes the utterance suitable for ordinary respectful conversation. Together, 저는 매일 공부하지만 sets up the speaker’s daily studying and contrasts it with the next clause. 실력이 여전히 고르지 않게 느껴져요 says that the speaker’s proficiency or progress still feels uneven. The whole utterance therefore means: “I study every day, but my progress still feels uneven.” The polite ending gives the sentence a respectful, conversational tone.

2. 사람들과 이야기할 때 어떤 부분이 가장 어려워지나요?

   Which part breaks down most when you talk with people?

   사람들

   people

   이야기할 때

   when talking

   어떤

   which

   부분

   part

   가장

   most

   어려워지나요

   becomes difficult?

   More detail

   사람들 means “people.” The ending -들 marks a plural group here, so 사람 is “person” and 사람들 is “people.” 이야기할 때 means “when talking.” 이야기하다 is “to talk,” and 이야기할 is its form before 때 (“time/when”), giving the reusable pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 때 = “when doing something.” Example: 집에 갈 때 전화해요. — “Call me when you go home.” 어떤 asks which one or what kind, and it comes before the noun it describes. It is different from 무슨, which is also used before nouns but often asks more directly “what” or “what kind of.” Here, 어떤 부분 asks which aspect or part. 부분 means “part” or “aspect.” In this sentence it refers to an aspect of the speaker’s ability or performance, rather than necessarily a physical section. Example: 어떤 부분이 어려워요? — “Which part is difficult?” 가장 means “most” and marks the highest degree among relevant possibilities. It modifies 어려워지나요 here: the question asks which part becomes difficult to the greatest extent. 제일 is a common conversational alternative to 가장. 어려워지나요 comes from 어려워지다, “to become difficult.” The adjective 어렵다 means “to be difficult,” while 어려워지다 adds a change of state: “to become difficult” or “to get harder.” The ending -나요 makes a polite question. Compare 어려워요 (“It is difficult”) with 어려워지나요? (“Does it become difficult?”). The observed form describes difficulty arising or increasing in the situation, not merely a fixed state. Together, 사람들과 이야기할 때 sets the situation: “when talking with people.” 어떤 부분이 asks which aspect is the subject, and 가장 어려워지나요 asks which aspect becomes difficult the most. Thus the whole utterance means, “Which part becomes most difficult when you talk with people?” The fixed translation’s “breaks down most” conveys this same idea of performance becoming hardest in that situation. The polite question form is suitable for asking a learner or conversation partner about their experience.

3. 듣기가 그래요. 사람들이 자연스러운 속도로 말할 때 특히 어려워요.

   Listening does, especially when people speak at a natural speed.

   듣기가

   listening

   그래요

   is like that

   사람들이

   people

   자연스러운

   natural

   속도

   speed

   말할 때

   when speaking

   특히

   especially

   어려워요

   is difficult

   More detail

   듣기가 means “listening” here. 듣다 means “to listen” or “to hear”; 듣기 is the noun-like form used for the activity or skill of listening. The final 가 is the subject marker, so 듣기 is presented as the subject of the clause. Example: 읽기가 쉬워요. — “Reading is easy.” 그래요 is the polite form of 그렇다, meaning “be so” or “be like that.” Here it refers to the difficulty being discussed, giving the sense “Listening is like that” or, more naturally in this context, “Listening is the difficult part.” It is not the same as 어려워요, which directly says “is difficult.” 사람들이 means “people” as the subject of the embedded clause. 사람 means “person,” 들 can mark a plural group, and 이 is the subject marker after a consonant. The translation identifies these people as the ones who speak, without specifying who they are. 자연스러운 means “natural” and modifies the following noun, 속도. Its base form is 자연스럽다 (“to be natural”); this attributive form is 자연스러운 before a noun. Example: 자연스러운 표현 — “a natural expression.” 속도 means “speed” or “pace.” Here it is the pace at which people speak. Example: 속도가 빨라요. — “The speed is fast.” 말할 때 means “when [someone] speaks.” 말하다 means “to speak”; 말할 is its form before 때 (“time/when”), and the pattern -을 때 / -ㄹ 때 means “when doing something.” Because 말하다 ends in a vowel, it takes -ㄹ 때: 말할 때. Example: 운전할 때 조심하세요. — “Be careful when driving.” 특히 means “especially,” highlighting this condition as particularly difficult. It gives special emphasis to the difficulty under the stated condition. 어려워요 means “is difficult.” Its base form is 어렵다; in this polite present form, the stem changes from 어렵- to 어려워- before 요. Here it describes the listening task, not the people’s speaking ability. Example: 이 문제는 어려워요. — “This problem is difficult.” Together, 사람들이 자연스러운 속도로 말할 때 sets the condition “when people speak at a natural speed.” 특히 어려워요 says that listening is especially difficult under that condition. The opening 듣기가 그래요 identifies listening as the difficulty being discussed, so the whole utterance means: “Listening is the difficult part, especially when people speak at a natural speed.”

4. 그렇다면 새로운 문법 연습을 추가하기 전에 듣기에 더 많은 시간을 주세요.

   Then give listening more time before adding new grammar exercises.

   그렇다면

   then; in that case

   새로운

   new

   문법

   grammar

   연습

   practice; exercise

   추가하기 전에

   before adding

   듣기

   listening

   더 많은

   more

   시간

   time

   주세요

   please give

   More detail

   그렇다면 means “then” or “in that case.” It is built from 그렇다, “to be so,” and the conditional ending -다면. It connects the present suggestion to something established earlier. 새로운 means “new” and is the noun-modifying form of 새롭다 (“to be new”). For example, 새로운 방법 means “a new method.” Korean modifiers do not change for grammatical gender or plural number. 문법 means “grammar.” It is a noun that can modify or combine with another noun: 문법 연습 means “grammar practice.” 연습 means “practice” or “an exercise.” The related verb is 연습하다, “to practice.” For example, 문법 연습을 해요 means “I do grammar practice.” In this sentence, 문법 연습 is the thing being added, and 을 marks it as the object. 추가하기 전에 means “before adding.” It uses the verb 추가하다, “to add,” followed by -기 전에, a pattern meaning “before doing something.” The verb is nominalized with -기 before 전에. For example, 자기 전에 읽어요 means “I read before going to sleep.” 듣기 means “listening” here. It comes from 듣다, “to listen,” plus the noun-forming suffix -기. In the sentence, 듣기 is followed by 에 (듣기에), marking listening as the activity to which the time is given. For example, 듣기가 어려워요 means “Listening is difficult.” 더 많은 means “more.” 더 adds the meaning “more,” while 많은 is the noun-modifying form of 많다, “to be many” or “to be much.” Together, they modify 시간: 더 많은 시간 means “more time.” 많은 does not change for gender or number. 시간 means “time.” In the full sentence it appears as 시간을, with 을 marking time as the object of 주세요. For example, 시간을 주세요 means “Please give me time.” 주세요 is the polite request form of 주다, “to give.” It asks the listener to give something; the recipient is understood from the situation rather than stated here. In this sentence, the requested thing is 더 많은 시간, and 듣기에 identifies what should receive that time. The sentence assembles as 그렇다면 (“then”) + 새로운 문법 연습을 추가하기 전에 (“before adding new grammar exercises”) + 듣기에 더 많은 시간을 주세요 (“please give more time to listening”). The complete meaning is: “Then give listening more time before adding new grammar exercises.”

5. 항상 시험을 보지 않고도 제가 향상되고 있는지 어떻게 알 수 있을까요?

   How can I tell whether I am improving without taking tests all the time?

   항상

   always

   시험

   test; exam

   보지 않고도

   even without doing it

   제가

   I; me as the subject

   향상되고 있는지

   whether [someone] is improving

   어떻게

   how

   알 수 있을까요?

   can [someone] know?

   More detail

   항상 means “always” here. It is an adverb, so it describes the repeated frequency of the testing-related action. For example, 항상 연습해요 means “I always practice.” 시험 means “test” or “exam.” With 보다, Korean commonly uses the expression 시험을 보다 for “take a test”; 보다 does not mean “see” in this expression. For example, 다음 주에 시험을 봐요 means “I’m taking a test next week.” 보지 않고도 is formed from 보다 (“to take/do,” in 시험을 보다) plus -지 않고 (“without doing”) and -도 (“even/also”). Together with the preceding 시험을, it means “even without taking tests.” The negative form -지 않고 links an action that is not done to the main action: 아침을 먹지 않고 나갔어요 means “I went out without eating breakfast.” 제가 is 저 (“I,” in the polite or humble first-person form) plus the subject marker -가. It marks the person whose improvement is being evaluated. In this sentence, the translation identifies that person as the speaker. The subject marker is different from -는/은, which commonly presents a topic or contrast. 향상되고 있는지 means “whether [I] am improving.” The base form is 향상되다, “to improve” or “to become better.” -고 있다 presents the improvement as an ongoing process, and -는지 turns the clause into an embedded yes-or-no question: 제가 향상되고 있는지 = “whether I am improving.” For example, 실력이 좋아지고 있는지 확인해 보세요 means “Try checking whether your skill is getting better.” 어떻게 means “how” and asks about the method or way of doing something. Here it asks by what method the speaker can determine the answer, not whether the speaker is improving. 알 수 있을까요? combines 알다 (“know”) with -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 (“can be able to”) and the polite question ending -을까요?. In this context, 알 수 있을까요? is a courteous way to ask “can I know?” or “how can I tell?” The possibility pattern is reusable: 이것을 알 수 있어요 means “I can know this” or, more naturally depending on context, “I can find this out.” Putting the parts together: 제가 향상되고 있는지 is the thing the speaker wants to know, 어떻게 알 수 있을까요? asks how the speaker can determine it, and 항상 시험을 보지 않고도 adds the condition “even without always taking tests.” The complete meaning is: “How can I tell whether I am improving without taking tests all the time?”

6. 같은 짧은 녹음을 두 번 듣고, 무엇을 이해했는지 비교해 보세요.

   Use the same short recording twice and compare what you understood.

   같은

   same

   짧은

   short

   녹음

   recording

   두 번

   twice

   듣고

   listen and

   무엇을

   what

   이해했는지

   understood

   비교해 보세요

   try comparing

   More detail

   같은 means “the same” here and appears before the noun it describes. It is the attributive form used with a noun; the dictionary form is 같다. Thus 같은 녹음 identifies one recording as identical to a previously relevant recording, rather than introducing a different one. 짧은 means “short” and describes 녹음. It is the noun-modifying form of the adjective 짧다: 짧다 → 짧은. Korean places this descriptive form before the noun, so 짧은 녹음 is “a short recording.” Example: 짧은 글을 읽어요. — “I read a short text.” 녹음 means “recording,” especially an audio recording in this context. It can also refer to the act or result of recording, depending on context. Here, together with 같은 and 짧은, it refers to the short audio material being used. 두 번 means “twice.” 두 is the native Korean number “two,” and 번 is a counter for occurrences or repetitions. Unlike an indefinite article, this expression explicitly gives the number of times. Example: 세 번 말해 주세요. — “Please say it three times.” 듣고 comes from 듣다, “to listen” or “to hear.” The ending -고 links this action to the next one, giving the sequence “listen and then compare.” The form is 듣고, not the vowel-changing form 들어요; before the consonant-initial ending -고, the stem remains 듣-. Example: 음악을 듣고 공부해요. — “I listen to music and study.” 무엇을 means “what” as the object of the following clause. 무엇 is the question word, and -을 marks it as the object. In casual speech, 무엇을 is often shortened to 뭘, but the supplied sentence uses the full form. 이해했는지 means “what was understood” within the larger expression 무엇을 이해했는지. It is built from 이해하다, “to understand”: 이해했- expresses completed understanding, and -는지 turns the clause into embedded question content. The result is not a direct question such as “What did you understand?” by itself; it is the content to be compared: “what you understood.” The subject is omitted because it is recoverable as the person being instructed in this sentence. Example: 그 말을 이해했는지 모르겠어요. — “I’m not sure whether I understood those words.” 비교해 보세요 is a polite instruction meaning “try comparing.” 비교하다 means “to compare”; its -해 form connects to 보다, literally “to see,” which works as an auxiliary meaning “try doing.” 보세요 is the polite request form of this auxiliary construction. Therefore 비교해 보세요 presents comparison as an action for the listener to try, rather than merely naming comparison. Example: 두 문장을 비교해 보세요. — “Try comparing the two sentences.” Together, 같은 짧은 녹음을 means “the same short recording” as the object of 듣고: listen to that recording 두 번, “twice.” Then 무엇을 이해했는지 supplies the content for comparison, and 비교해 보세요 politely asks the listener to try comparing it. The whole utterance is therefore: “Use the same short recording twice and compare what you understood.” The polite -세요 makes this suitable as a clear, courteous instruction.

7. 그렇게 하면 매일 자료를 바꾸는 것보다 제 실력을 더 분명하게 알 수 있겠어요.

   That gives me a clearer measure than changing materials every day.

   그렇게 하면

   if you do that; that way

   매일

   every day

   자료를

   materials

   바꾸는

   changing

   것보다

   than doing so

   제

   my

   실력을

   skill; ability

   더

   more

   분명하게

   clearly

   알 수 있겠어요

   seem able to know

   More detail

   그렇게 하면 means “if you do that” or “that way.” 하면 is 하다 (“do”) with -면, a conditional ending. Here 그렇게 refers to the method described in the preceding context, so the sentence presents its result: “If you do that...” A reusable pattern is A-면 B (“if A, B”). 매일 means “every day” and describes how often the action occurs. It is an adverb, so it can be placed before the verb: 매일 공부해요 means “I study every day.” 자료를 means “materials” as the object of the action. 자료 is the noun “material(s),” and -를 marks an object after a vowel-ending noun. The particle marks what is changed; it does not itself mean “materials.” 바꾸는 is the present attributive form of 바꾸다, “to change” or “to switch.” It modifies the following noun-like expression: 바꾸는 것 is “changing” or “the act of changing.” For example, 방법을 바꾸는 것이 도움이 돼요 means “Changing the method is helpful.” 것보다 consists of 것, a noun meaning “thing” or “act,” and -보다, “than” or “compared with.” In this sentence, it forms the comparison 바꾸는 것보다, “than changing [the materials].” Korean commonly turns an action into a noun-like unit with -는 것 before comparing it with -보다. 제 is the possessive form of 저 (“I,” humble) plus 의: 저의 is commonly shortened to 제, meaning “my.” It marks the speaker’s possession or association here. It is not a plural form and does not identify the speaker’s gender. 실력을 means “ability” or “proficiency” as the object of 알다 (“know”). 실력 often refers to someone’s demonstrated level or ability in a skill, so 제 실력 is “my ability/proficiency,” rather than simply “my knowledge.” -을 marks it as the object because 실력 ends in a consonant. 더 means “more.” It increases the degree of the following description: 더 좋아요 means “It is better,” and 더 분명하게 means “more clearly.” 분명하게 is the adverbial form of 분명하다, “to be clear” or “to be definite.” It describes how clearly the speaker can know or assess their ability. The related adjective 분명한 modifies a noun, as in 분명한 차이 (“a clear difference”), while 분명하게 modifies an action or state. 알 수 있겠어요 combines 알다 (“know”), -ㄹ 수 있다 (“can be able to”), and -겠어요. 알 수 있다 presents knowing as possible or attainable. Here -겠어요 expresses an expected or inferred result in a polite style, so the phrase means that the speaker expects they will be able to know or assess it more clearly. It is not merely a present statement of fact that they already know it. Together, 그렇게 하면 sets up the condition, 매일 자료를 바꾸는 것보다 supplies the comparison, and 제 실력을 더 분명하게 알 수 있겠어요 gives the expected result. The complete meaning is: “That way, I should be able to get a clearer measure of my ability than by changing materials every day.”

8. 그 방법은 얼마나 오래 공부했는지만이 아니라 전략이 효과가 있는지도 보여 줘요.

   It also shows whether your strategy is working, not just how long you studied.

   그

   that

   방법

   method

   얼마나 오래 공부했는지

   how long (someone) studied

   만이 아니라

   not only

   전략

   strategy

   효과가 있는지도

   whether it is effective, too

   보여 줘요

   shows

   More detail

   그 방법은 sets up the topic: 그 is the demonstrative “that,” and 방법 means “method” or “way.” Together, the phrase means “that method.” 그 is a determiner placed before the noun; it does not itself identify what the method is beyond the supplied context. 얼마나 오래 공부했는지 means “how long you studied.” 얼마나 오래 asks about duration, while 공부했는지 presents the completed studying as the content of an indirect question. The verb 공부하다 means “to study”; its past form here is 공부했-, and -는지 makes the clause mean “whether/how …” or “the question of …,” depending on the construction. For example, 얼마나 오래 기다렸는지 몰라요 means “I don’t know how long [someone] waited.” 만이 아니라 forms the pattern A만이 아니라 B도: “not only A but also B.” 만 limits the first item to “only,” 이 is the form used after this noun-ending clause, and 아니라 means “not” in this connective pattern. The first item here is the duration of studying; the second item follows afterward. 전략 means “strategy.” In this sentence it is the strategy whose effectiveness is being assessed, matching the fixed translation’s “your strategy.” 효과가 있는지도 means “whether it is effective, too.” 효과가 있다 literally expresses having an effect and naturally means “to be effective” in this context. -는지 again marks an indirect yes/no question, and 도 adds this second item to the A만이 아니라 B도 pattern. Thus, 전략이 효과가 있는지 is “whether the strategy is effective,” not a statement that it is effective. 보여 줘요 is the polite present form of 보여 주다, “to show” or “to let someone see.” The verb 보이다 means “to be visible” or “to appear,” whereas 보여 주다 presents something to someone. Here the method is the subject doing the showing; the sentence does not say that a person is physically showing an object. -요 gives the utterance a polite conversational ending. Putting the chunks together, the structure is 그 방법은 [얼마나 오래 공부했는지]만이 아니라 [전략이 효과가 있는지]도 보여 줘요: “That method shows not only how long you studied but also whether your strategy is working.” The two bracketed clauses are both things that the method reveals, and 도 marks the second one as additionally included.

9. 일주일에 한 번 노트를 확인하고, 그 결과에 따라 조정할 수 있겠어요.

   I could check my notes once a week and adjust from there.

   일주일에

   per week

   한 번

   once

   노트를

   notes

   확인하고

   check and

   그 결과에 따라

   based on that result

   조정할

   adjust

   수 있겠어요

   could

   More detail

   일주일에 means “per week.” The particle 에 can mark a time or frequency frame. With 한 번, it forms the reusable pattern 일주일에 한 번, “once a week.” 한 달에 두 번 is an example meaning “twice a month.” 한 번 means “once.” 번 counts occasions or instances, so this expression counts how often the action happens. 노트를 means “notes” here. 노트 is a noun that can mean “notes” or “notebook,” and 를 marks it as the object of the action. 를 follows a vowel-final noun; 을 is used after a consonant-final noun. 확인하고 means “check and.” Its base form is 확인하다, “to check” or “confirm.” The ending -고 links this action to the following action. For example, 자료를 확인하고 결정해요 means “I check the information and decide.” 그 결과에 따라 means “based on that result” or “according to that result.” 결과 means “result,” and -에 따라 is a reusable pattern meaning “according to” or “depending on.” Here 그 points to a result identifiable from the context; the supplied sentence and translation do not specify a more concrete referent than “that” or “from there.” 조정할 means “adjust” in the form used before 수. Its base form is 조정하다, “to adjust” or “modify.” The ending -ㄹ is the prospective attributive form in the possibility pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있다, literally placing the verb before the dependent noun 수. For example, 갈 수 있어요 means “I can go.” 수 있겠어요 expresses tentative possibility, so it can mean “could” here. 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility, while -겠어요 gives the statement a tentative, considered tone in this utterance. Together, 일주일에 한 번 노트를 확인하고 sets the routine: “check the notes once a week.” 그 결과에 따라 조정할 수 있겠어요 adds that the speaker could adjust based on that result. The whole utterance means: “I could check my notes once a week and adjust from there.”

10. 그런 작은 복습이 연습에 계속 집중하게 해 줄 수 있어요.

    A small review like that can keep your practice focused.

    그런

    like that; such

    작은

    small

    복습

    review

    연습에

    on practice

    계속

    continuously; continually

    집중하게

    to focus

    해 줄 수 있어요

    can do it for someone

    More detail

    그런 means “such” or “like that.” It is a demonstrative modifier before a noun. Here it describes 복습 as a review of that kind; the exact thing being referred to is understood from context rather than identified in this sentence. 작은 is the modifier form of 작다, “to be small.” Before a noun, 작다 becomes 작은: 작은 복습, “a small review.” The adjective, not 복습, carries this form. 복습 means “review,” especially reviewing material that has already been learned. A similar reusable phrase is 짧은 복습, “a short review.” 연습에 consists of 연습, “practice,” and the particle 에. With 집중하다, 에 marks what someone focuses on: 연습에 집중하다, “to focus on practice.” The noun itself does not change; 에 is attached to it. 계속 means “continuously” or “continually.” It shows that the focusing continues rather than happening just once. For example, 계속 공부해요 means “I keep studying.” 집중하게 comes from 집중하다, “to focus,” with the adverbial -게 form. In 집중하게 하다, this form combines with 하다 to make a causative construction: “make or help someone focus.” Here it is not a purpose expression such as “in order to focus”; the following 해 supplies the causative construction. 해 줄 수 있어요 contains 해, the -아/어 form of 하다, followed by 주다 and 수 있어요. The pattern -아/어 주다 presents an action as being done for someone’s benefit, while -(으)ㄹ 수 있어요 expresses possibility or ability. In this sentence, the review can do the helpful action of making you continue to focus on practice. The person being helped is understood as “you” in the fixed translation, although that person is not separately named in the Korean sentence. The parts combine as 그런 작은 복습, “a small review like that,” and 연습에 계속 집중하게 해 줄 수 있어요, “can help you keep your practice focused.” The whole utterance means: “A small review like that can keep your practice focused.”