Explaining Damage to a Borrowed Bag | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 제가 빌린 가방에 대해 말씀드릴 게 있어요.

   I need to tell you something about the bag I borrowed.

   제가

   I (subject)

   빌린

   borrowed

   가방

   bag

   에 대해

   about; regarding

   말씀드릴

   tell you

   게 있어요

   there is something

   More detail

   제가 means “I” as the subject here. It is the first-person pronoun 저 plus the subject marker 가; 저 is the modest/polite form, contrasting with the more informal 나. 제가 identifies the speaker as the person who borrowed the bag and who will tell something. 빌린 describes 가방: it is the past attributive form of 빌리다, “to borrow,” so 빌린 가방 means “the bag [I] borrowed.” The omitted subject of this modifying clause is understood from the fixed meaning as the speaker. Compare 제가 읽은 책, “the book I read.” Do not confuse 빌리다 (“borrow”) with 빌려주다 (“lend”): 친구가 우산을 빌려줬어요 means “My friend lent me an umbrella.” 가방 is the noun “bag.” In 빌린 가방, it is the noun modified by the preceding clause. 에 대해 marks the topic that something concerns: “about” or “regarding.” The related expanded form 에 대해서 is also common. For example, 이 문제에 대해 이야기해요 means “We talk about this issue.” Here it links the bag to the information the speaker is going to give. 말씀드릴 comes from the respectful, humble verb 말씀드리다, “to tell or say to someone.” Its -(으)ㄹ form is used before a following noun-like element for an intended or upcoming action, so it means “to tell” in 말씀드릴 게. The person being told is understood as “you” from the fixed translation, although no separate word for “you” appears in this quoted form. 말하다 is the more neutral “say/tell,” while 말씀드리다 is used when speaking respectfully and humbly to the listener. 게 있어요 is the spoken contraction of 것이 있어요, literally “there is a thing.” After an action modifier, -(으)ㄹ 게 있다 expresses that there is something to do: 할 게 있어요 means “There is something to do.” Thus 말씀드릴 게 있어요 means “There is something to tell you,” or naturally, “I need to tell you something.” Together, 제가 빌린 가방 is “the bag I borrowed,” 에 대해 adds “about,” and 말씀드릴 게 있어요 says that the speaker has something to tell the listener. The whole utterance therefore means: “I need to tell you something about the bag I borrowed.”

2. 여행 중에 가방에 무슨 일이 있었어요?

   Did something happen to it during your trip?

   여행

   trip; travel

   가방

   bag

   무슨 일이 있었어요?

   What happened?

   More detail

   여행 means “trip” or “travel.” With 중에, 여행 중에 means “during the trip.” In this time expression, 중에 places the event within an ongoing period. Example: 여행 중에 사진을 많이 찍었어요. — “I took many photos during the trip.” 가방 means “bag.” In 가방에 무슨 일이 있었어요?, 에 links the event to the bag and, with this wording, is naturally rendered as “to the bag” or “about the bag.” It should not be described generally as a particle that marks an affected object; its exact function depends on the construction. Here the fixed translation and context identify it as the borrowed bag. The same noun can take other particles for other roles: 가방이 presents it as the subject, while 가방을 marks it as an object. Example: 가방에 책이 있어요. — “There is a book in the bag.” 무슨 일이 있었어요? is a reusable way to ask “What happened?” 무슨 comes before a noun and asks “what” or “which,” while 일 means “matter,” “event,” or “thing” in this expression. 있었어요 is the polite past form of 있다; with 일, this form describes an event that occurred. Compare 무슨 일이에요? — “What is the matter?” — with the past question 무슨 일이 있었어요? — “What happened?” The sentence combines 여행 중에 (“during the trip”), 가방에 (linking the event to the bag), and 무슨 일이 있었어요? (“what happened?”). Thus it asks whether something happened to the borrowed bag during the trip, matching the fixed translation, “Did something happen to it during your trip?” The ending -었어요 expresses past time with polite speech.

3. 지퍼가 걸렸고, 지퍼의 일부가 풀렸어요.

   The zipper got stuck, and part of it came loose.

   지퍼

   zipper

   걸렸고

   got stuck, and

   일부

   part

   풀렸어요

   came loose

   More detail

   지퍼 means “zipper.” It is a noun and can be used directly as the subject, as in 지퍼가 (“the zipper” with the subject marker 가). 걸렸고 comes from the verb 걸리다, here meaning “to get stuck” or “to catch.” 걸렸- is its past form, and the connective ending -고 links this clause to the next one: A-고 B means “A, and B.” The polite ending appears on the final verb of the sentence rather than on this linked form. 일부 means “part” or “portion.” In 지퍼의 일부가, -의 links 지퍼 and 일부, giving “part of the zipper,” while 가 marks that part as the subject. The noun 일부 does not mean the whole object. 풀렸어요 comes from the intransitive verb 풀리다, meaning “to come loose,” “to come undone,” or, for something fastened, “to open.” Its past polite form is 풀렸어요. This is different from transitive 풀다, “to loosen” or “to undo,” which normally presents someone as causing the change. Here, the part itself is presented as coming loose. Together, 지퍼가 걸렸고 says “the zipper got stuck,” and 지퍼의 일부가 풀렸어요 says “part of the zipper came loose.” The complete utterance is: “The zipper got stuck, and part of it came loose.”

4. 지퍼가 원래부터 손상되어 있었어요?

   Was the zipper already damaged?

   지퍼

   zipper

   원래부터

   from the beginning; originally

   손상되어 있었어요

   was damaged

   More detail

   지퍼 means “zipper,” the object being asked about. It is a noun and can be reused with particles such as 지퍼가 (“the zipper” as the subject) or 지퍼를 (“the zipper” as the object). 원래부터 means “from the beginning” or “originally.” 원래 refers to the original state, and -부터 marks the point from which something is considered. In this sentence, it asks whether the damage was present from the outset, rather than arising later. Example: 원래부터 이랬어요? — “Was it like this from the beginning?” 손상되어 있었어요 describes something that was in a damaged state. 손상되다 is the base form meaning “to become/be damaged”; 손상되어 있다 expresses a continuing state resulting from that condition, and 손상되어 있었어요 places that state in the past in a polite style. The form 손상되어 connects the damage with 있다; it is not the noun 손상 itself that carries the past ending. Example: 문이 손상되어 있었어요. — “The door was damaged.” Together, 지퍼가 원래부터 손상되어 있었어요? asks whether the zipper was already damaged from the beginning. The question ending -어요? makes this a polite question. The utterance focuses on whether the damaged state pre-existed the later situation, not on asserting when the damage occurred.

5. 아니면 사용하시다가 망가졌어요?

   Or did it break while you were using it?

   아니면

   or

   사용하시다가

   while using it

   망가졌어요

   broke

   More detail

   아니면 introduces an alternative, so here it connects this question with the preceding possibility: “Or …?” It can also mean “if not” in other contexts. Example: 오늘 아니면 내일 만나요. — “Let’s meet today or tomorrow.” 사용하시다가 comes from 사용하다 (“to use”). The form contains the honorific marker -시- and -다가: 사용하다 → 사용하시다가. -다가 presents one action or situation as underway when another event occurs or changes it. Here, the relevant meaning is “while you were using it.” The honorific marking shows respect toward the person associated with the subject of 사용하다; it does not itself identify who that person is. Example: 집에 가다가 친구를 만났어요. — “I met a friend while I was going home.” 망가졌어요 is the polite past form of 망가지다, meaning “to become broken” or “to stop working.” It describes the item’s resulting state rather than explicitly saying that someone broke it. The ending -었어요 marks a completed past event in this polite style. Example: 컴퓨터가 갑자기 망가졌어요. — “The computer suddenly stopped working.” Together, 사용하시다가 sets the ongoing situation and 망가졌어요 gives the event that occurred during it. With 아니면 at the beginning, the utterance asks whether the item, understood as “it” in the fixed translation, became broken while the addressee was using it: “Or did it break while you were using it?”

6. 전에는 괜찮아 보였기 때문에 제가 책임을 지고 싶어요.

   It seemed fine before, so I want to take responsibility.

   전에는

   before; previously

   괜찮아

   fine; okay

   보였기 때문에

   because it seemed

   제가

   I; as the subject

   책임을

   responsibility

   지고

   take; bear

   싶어요

   want to

   More detail

   전에는 means “before” or “previously” here. 전 refers to an earlier time, and -는 marks that time as a topic or contrastive setting. A useful pattern is 전에는 ... = “before, ...” or “previously, ...”. 괜찮아 comes from the adjective 괜찮다, “to be fine” or “to be okay.” Here it is the connective form used before 보이다, not a standalone casual ending: 괜찮다 → 괜찮아 보이다, “to look/seem fine.” 보였기 때문에 means “because it seemed.” 보이다 means “to appear” or “to seem”; 보였다 is its past form, and -기 때문에 gives a reason: “because ...” or “because ... was the case.” Thus 괜찮아 보였기 때문에 presents the earlier appearance as the reason for the speaker’s wish. This describes how something appeared, not a direct claim that it actually was fine. 제가 is 저 (“I” in polite or humble speech) plus the subject particle -가. It marks the speaker as the grammatical subject of the relevant clause. 저는 would instead mark the speaker as the topic, which can create a different information structure. 책임을 is 책임 (“responsibility”) plus the object particle -을. The noun is the object of the following verb. In the common expression 책임을 지다, the noun and verb together mean “to take or bear responsibility.” 지고 is the connective form of 지다 in the expression 책임을 지다: 지다 → 지고. In this combination, 지다 means “to take/bear” responsibility, rather than its other possible meanings such as “to lose” or “to set.” Here -고 connects the verb to 싶어요 in the desire construction -고 싶다. 싶어요 is the polite present form of 싶다. After a verb stem, -고 싶다 means “want to do ...”; in polite speech, the final form is -고 싶어요. Therefore 책임을 지고 싶어요 means “I want to take responsibility.” Putting the parts together: 전에는 sets an earlier time; 괜찮아 보였기 때문에 gives the reason, “because it seemed fine”; and 제가 책임을 지고 싶어요 says, with the speaker as subject, “I want to take responsibility.” The complete meaning is: “It seemed fine before, so I want to take responsibility.”

7. 솔직하게 말해 줘서 고마워요. 그래도 수리할 수 있을지도 몰라요.

   I appreciate your honesty. It may still be repairable.

   솔직하게

   honestly

   말해 줘서

   for telling me

   고마워요

   thank you

   그래도

   still; nevertheless

   수리할

   repair; fix

   수 있을지도 몰라요

   may be able to

   More detail

   솔직하게 means “honestly” here. It is the adverbial form of 솔직하다 (“to be honest” or “honest”), describing how the speaking is done. A useful contrast is 솔직히, which also commonly means “honestly”; 솔직하게 makes the manner especially transparent in this phrase. 말해 줘서 combines 말하다 (“to tell/say”) with 주다 as a helping verb and -어서 (“because; for doing”). 말해 주다 literally presents the telling as something done for the speaker’s benefit, while 말해 줘서 means “for telling me” in this thankful construction. The -어서 ending links that action to the following reason or response. Example: 도와줘서 고마워요. — “Thank you for helping me.” 고마워요 is a polite form of 고맙다, “to be thankful.” The adjective stem changes from 고맙- to 고마워- before 요; this is a common ㅂ-irregular pattern. In this sentence it expresses appreciation for the preceding action. 감사해요 is another polite way to say “thank you,” but it comes from 감사하다, not from 고맙다. 그래도 means “still” or “nevertheless.” It marks a contrast with what has just been acknowledged: the speaker appreciates the honesty, but the situation may not be hopeless. It does not itself state what the earlier problem was. 수리할 is the form of 수리하다, “to repair.” The ending -(으)ㄹ makes an attributive form that can come before a following noun or construction. Here it comes before 수, producing the reusable pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다: “can/cannot do something.” Thus 수리할 수 means “be able to repair” or, with the appropriate understood subject, “be repairable.” 수 있을지도 몰라요 expresses a cautious possibility. -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 means “can” or “be possible,” and -(으)ㄹ지도 모르다 means “may” or “might,” adding uncertainty. In this sentence, 수리할 수 있을지도 몰라요 means “it may still be repairable” in the fixed translation. 모르다 is not being used to say that the speaker literally lacks all knowledge; in this pattern it helps form an uncertain prediction. Example: 내일 만날 수 있을지도 몰라요. — “I may be able to meet tomorrow.” Together, 솔직하게 말해 줘서 고마워요 means “I appreciate your honesty,” literally expressing thanks for telling the truth honestly. 그래도 then introduces the contrast, and 수리할 수 있을지도 몰라요 cautiously presents repair as still possible. The whole utterance is therefore: “I appreciate your honesty. It may still be repairable.”

8. 필요하면 수리를 맡기거나 가방을 바꿔 드릴게요.

   I can arrange the repair or replace the bag if needed.

   필요하면

   if needed

   수리를

   repair

   맡기거나

   have repaired or entrust

   가방

   bag

   바꿔

   replace or change

   드릴게요

   I’ll do it for you

   More detail

   필요하면 means “if needed.” 필요하다 means “to be necessary,” and 필요하면 uses -면 to make a condition: “if it is necessary” or, naturally here, “if needed.” Example: 시간이 필요하면 말해 주세요. — “If you need time, please tell me.” 수리를 means “the repair” as the object of the next verb. 수리 is the noun “repair,” and -를 marks it as the object. In the supplied sentence, this refers to arranging for the item to be repaired, not necessarily repairing it personally. 수선 is another word often used for mending or altering clothing, bags, and similar items; 수리 is also used for repair more generally. 맡기거나 means “entrust it or have it handled.” The base verb is 맡기다, “to entrust” or “to leave something with someone for handling.” Here, -거나 connects alternatives: 수리를 맡기거나 means “entrust the repair / have it repaired, or …” Example: 옷을 세탁소에 맡겨요. — “I leave the clothes at the dry cleaner’s.” 가방 means “bag.” It is a noun with no visible plural marking here; the sentence does not specify a number. Example: 가방을 확인해 주세요. — “Please check the bag.” 바꿔 comes from 바꾸다, “to change, exchange, or replace.” The form 바꿔 is the connective form used before the following element. With 가방을, it means replacing or exchanging the bag, matching the fixed translation. Example: 이 제품을 다른 제품으로 바꿔 주세요. — “Please exchange this product for another one.” 드릴게요 is a polite form meaning “I’ll do it for you” or “I’ll provide it for you.” It consists of 드리다, the humble form used when the speaker does something for someone to whom respect is shown, plus -ㄹ게요, which presents the speaker’s intention or promise. The form is not itself a past-tense form. Here it applies to the alternatives before it: the speaker offers to arrange the repair or replace the bag for the listener. Example: 확인해 드릴게요. — “I’ll check it for you.” Together, 수리를 맡기거나 가방을 바꿔 presents two alternatives: arranging for the repair or replacing the bag. 드릴게요 makes this a polite offer by the speaker to do that for the listener, while 필요하면 limits the offer to the condition that it is needed. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can arrange the repair or replace the bag if needed.”

9. 결정하기 전에 수선집에 가져가 봐요.

   Let's take it to a repair shop before deciding.

   결정하기

   deciding

   전에

   before

   수선집

   repair shop

   가져가 봐요

   let’s take it

   More detail

   결정하기 comes from 결정하다 (“to decide”) plus -기, which turns a verb into an activity or event: 결정하기 = “deciding.” Here it appears in the time expression 결정하기 전에, “before deciding.” For example, 출발하기 전에 연락해요. means “Let’s contact them before leaving.” 전에 means “before” and follows the event or time point that must come first. In this sentence, it follows 결정하기, so the deciding is the reference point: the taking happens before it. 수선집 means “repair shop.” It is a noun for a place where something is repaired. The form 수선 refers to repair or mending, and 집 means a place or shop in compounds such as this one; 수선집 is used as one compound noun. 가져가 봐요 is based on 가져가다, “to take something away/to a destination,” with -아/어 보다, which can express trying or suggesting an action. 가져가 봐요 can therefore be understood here as a polite suggestion, “let’s try taking it” or naturally “let’s take it.” The subject and object are not overtly stated in this Korean sentence; the fixed translation identifies the intended object as “it.” The ending -요 gives the utterance a polite conversational tone. Together, 결정하기 전에 sets the timing, and 수선집에 marks the destination with -에, “to the repair shop.” 가져가 봐요 supplies the polite suggestion to take the understood object there. The whole utterance means: “Let’s take it to a repair shop before deciding.”

10. 그 일이 생기자마자 말씀드리지 못해서 죄송해요.

    I'm sorry I didn't tell you as soon as it happened.

    그 일이

    that matter

    생기자마자

    as soon as it happened

    말씀드리지 못해서

    because I couldn’t tell you

    죄송해요

    I’m sorry

    More detail

    그 일이 refers to “that matter” or “that event.” 일 is the noun “matter, thing, event,” and 그 is a demonstrative modifier meaning “that.” Here the phrase identifies the event that happened; it does not by itself specify what the event was. 생기자마자 means “as soon as it happened.” The base verb is 생기다, “to happen” or “to occur.” -자마자 attaches to a verb and means that the next event follows immediately after the first one: 집에 도착하자마자 전화했어요. = “I called as soon as I arrived home.” The subject of 생기다 here is the event expressed by 그 일이. 말씀드리지 못해서 means “because I couldn’t tell you.” 말씀드리다 is a humble, respectful form of “to tell” or “to say” to someone. Its base form is 말씀드리다; 말씀 is not the ordinary noun for a speaker’s own “word” in this expression, but part of this honorific verb. -지 못하다 expresses inability or failure to carry out the preceding action, so 말씀드리지 못하다 means “be unable to tell someone.” The ending -아서 in 못해서 connects this reason to the following result: “because I couldn’t tell you.” 죄송해요 means “I’m sorry.” The base adjective is 죄송하다, used to apologize respectfully. The -해요 form is polite in ordinary conversation. Unlike the earlier clause, this word directly expresses the speaker’s apology. Together, 그 일이 생기자마자 sets the time—immediately after that event occurred. 말씀드리지 못해서 gives the reason for the apology: the speaker failed to tell the addressee at that time. Thus the whole utterance means, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you as soon as it happened.”

11. 지금 말해 줘서 도움이 돼요. 수선집에서 뭐라고 하는지 알아봅시다.

    You brought it up now, and that helps. We'll see what they say.

    지금

    now

    말해 줘서

    for telling me

    도움이 돼요

    is helpful

    수선집

    repair shop

    에서

    at; in

    뭐라고 하는지

    what they say

    알아봅시다

    let’s find out

    More detail

    지금 means “now,” placing the first event in the present time. It is a time adverb and does not itself indicate how long the situation lasts. 말해 줘서 is based on 말하다 (“to say” or “to tell”) and 주다 (“to give”). Here 말해 주다 means “tell someone” or “bring something up for someone,” with 줘서 being the contracted form of 주어서. The ending -아서/-어서 connects this action to a reason or result, so the phrase means “because/for telling me.” For example, 도와줘서 고마워요 means “Thank you for helping me.” 도움이 돼요 comes from the noun 도움 (“help”) plus 되다 (“to become” or “to be”). In this sentence, 도움이 되다 means “to be helpful.” 돼요 is the polite present form of 되다; it is not an inflection of the nearby noun 도움. A related but different verb is 돕다, “to help” someone directly. For example, 이 정보가 도움이 돼요 means “This information is helpful.” Together, 말해 줘서 도움이 돼요 says that the act of telling or bringing it up now is helpful. The exact person who benefits is not separately stated in the Korean wording, but the fixed translation presents the result as “that helps.” 수선집 means “repair shop.” It is a noun referring to a place where something is repaired. The compound contains 수선 (“repairing”) and 집 (“shop/establishment” in this kind of place name), but 수선집 should be learned as the useful place word here. 에서 marks the place where an action or event occurs. Thus 수선집에서 means “at the repair shop.” For example, 가게에서 만나요 means “Let’s meet at the shop.” 뭐라고 하는지 is an embedded question meaning “what [someone] says.” 뭐 means “what,” and 뭐라고 하다 is the pattern “say what” or, in some contexts, “call something what.” Here the fixed translation selects the “what they say” meaning. 하는지 embeds the question with -는지; unlike a direct question such as 뭐라고 해요? (“What do they say?”), it functions inside a larger clause. The subject of 하는지 is not separately specified in the Korean sentence. 알아봅시다 is the polite proposal form of the lexical verb 알아보다, meaning “to find out,” “to check,” or “to see.” The ending -ㅂ시다 makes a suggestion meaning “let’s …”; it is not merely a future-tense marker. For example, 다시 알아봅시다 means “Let’s check again.” The sentence first gives the time and reason/result: 지금 말해 줘서 도움이 돼요 — “You brought it up now, and that helps.” It then proposes checking 수선집에서 뭐라고 하는지, literally “what they say at the repair shop,” followed by 알아봅시다, “let’s find out.” The complete intended meaning is: “You brought it up now, and that helps. We’ll see what they say.”