Burnout, workload boundaries, and real breaks | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 이 업무량 때문에 제가 번아웃되는 것 같아요.

   I think I am getting burned out from this workload.

   이

   this

   업무량

   workload

   때문에

   because of; from

   제가

   I

   번아웃되는

   getting burned out

   것 같아요

   I think; it seems like

   More detail

   이 points to a nearby or currently relevant thing: “this.” It is a demonstrative determiner placed before a noun. Here it modifies 업무량, so the phrase identifies the workload as the relevant one. The form itself does not show who owns the workload or how many workloads there are. 업무량 is a noun meaning “workload,” the amount of work. The first part, 업무, means work or business tasks, while 량 indicates amount; treat 업무량 as the established noun for the overall amount of work rather than assuming that every noun ending in 량 behaves identically. Example: 업무량이 많아요. — “The workload is large/heavy.” 때문에 marks the cause of the following situation: “because of” or “as a result of.” After a noun, the reusable pattern is N 때문에, as in 비 때문에 늦었어요. — “I was late because of the rain.” In this sentence, 이 업무량 때문에 means that this workload is the cause or source of the speaker’s condition; it does not itself assert an exact numerical amount. 제가 is 저 (“I,” the humble first-person pronoun) plus the subject particle 가. 저 is used when referring to oneself politely or humbly; 제가 marks the speaker as the subject of the following predicate. The particle 가 is selected after a vowel-ending form such as 저, whereas 이 is the corresponding subject particle after a consonant-ending noun. Example: 제가 할게요. — “I’ll do it.” 번아웃되는 comes from the loan-based verb 번아웃되다, “to become burned out” or “to be affected by burnout.” The ending -는 makes a present-tense verb modifier before 것: 번아웃되는 것 is literally “the thing/event of becoming burned out.” This form describes an ongoing or developing situation, not simply a completed past event. The observed form is not an adjective modifying 제가; 제가 is the subject, and 번아웃되는 describes the situation used with 것 같아요. 것 같아요 is the polite form of the pattern 것 같다, used for an impression, inference, or tentative assessment: “it seems” or “I think.” In 번아웃되는 것 같아요, the speaker presents becoming burned out as an assessment rather than a definite, categorical claim. 것 is a noun meaning “thing,” and 같다 means “to be similar/like”; together in this pattern they express seeming or supposition. Example: 비가 오는 것 같아요. — “I think it is raining.” 같아요 is the polite present form used here. Putting the parts together, 이 업무량 때문에 gives the cause, 제가 identifies the speaker as the subject, and 번아웃되는 것 같아요 gives the tentative assessment that the speaker is becoming burned out. The whole utterance means: “I think I am getting burned out from this workload.”

2. 제대로 쉬고 있나요, 아니면 그냥 업무만 바꿔 가며 하고 있나요?

   Have you been taking real breaks, or just switching between tasks?

   제대로

   properly; really

   쉬고 있나요

   are you resting?

   아니면

   or

   그냥

   just; simply

   업무

   work; a task

   바꿔 가며

   switching between tasks

   하고 있나요

   are you doing ...?

   More detail

   제대로 means “properly” or “as it should be.” Here it modifies 쉬고 있나요, so the question asks whether the break is genuinely restful, not merely whether the person has stopped one task. Korean adverbs such as 제대로 normally come before the predicate they modify. 쉬고 있나요 comes from 쉬다 “to rest” plus -고 있다, which presents an action or state as ongoing. 있나요 is the polite question form of 있다, so this asks about the listener’s current or ongoing situation: “Are you taking a real break?” The -고 있다 pattern is reusable with other action verbs, for example 읽고 있어요 — “I am reading.” 아니면 introduces the alternative in the question: “or.” It connects the first possibility with the contrasting possibility that follows. 그냥 means “just” or “simply.” In this sentence it downplays the second activity: the person may appear to be working, but is only doing the following thing rather than resting. Its exact scope is understood from the surrounding clause. 업무 is a noun meaning “work,” “a work task,” or “business-related duties.” In 업무만, the particle 만 adds exclusive focus, giving “only work/tasks.” The noun itself does not specify how many tasks there are. 바꿔 가며 is based on 바꾸다, “to change” or “to switch,” with -어 가며. This construction describes carrying out an activity while alternating or moving through changes. Here it means switching from one task to another. The related form 바꿔서 usually means “by changing it” or “after changing it,” whereas 바꿔 가며 emphasizes repeated alternation during the activity. Example: 색을 바꿔 가며 사용해요. — “I use it while changing the colors one by one.” 하고 있나요 uses 하다, “to do,” with the ongoing pattern -고 있다 and the polite question ending -나요. In this utterance, it completes the predicate after 업무만 바꿔 가며: the listener is being asked whether they are doing only work while switching between tasks. Together, 제대로 쉬고 있나요 asks whether the listener is actually taking a proper break. 아니면 introduces the alternative, and 그냥 업무만 바꿔 가며 하고 있나요 asks whether they are merely continuing to work, changing from one task to another. The whole utterance therefore means: “Have you been taking real breaks, or just switching between tasks?”

3. 대부분 업무를 바꾸면서 하고 있는데, 그게 정말 쉬는 것 같지는 않아요.

   Mostly switching tasks, which does not really feel like rest.

   대부분

   mostly

   업무

   work; tasks

   바꾸면서

   while switching

   하고 있는데

   am doing, while/but

   그게

   that; it

   정말

   really

   쉬는

   resting; taking a break

   것 같지는 않아요

   doesn't seem like

   More detail

   대부분 means “mostly” or “for the most part.” It sets the scope of the statement: the activity is generally task-switching, without saying that every moment is like this. Example: 대부분 집에서 일해요. — “I work from home most of the time.” 업무 means “work duties” or “tasks,” and 업무를 marks it as the object of 바꾸다 (“to change”). In this sentence, it is understood as changing from one work task to another, not necessarily changing one’s job. -를 is the object-marking particle. Example: 업무를 바꿨어요. — “I changed tasks.” 바꾸면서 is 바꾸다 (“to change”) plus -면서, meaning “while changing.” The -면서 clause presents an action occurring alongside the main action; it normally shares the main clause’s understood subject. Here, the speaker is doing work while switching tasks. Example: 음악을 들으면서 일해요. — “I work while listening to music.” 하고 있는데 contains 하다 (“to do”), -고 있다 (an action in progress), and -는데, which connects this description to what follows as background or a contrast. Thus 하고 있는데 presents the speaker as currently doing something, with the following statement adding an assessment. The subject is omitted because Korean commonly leaves it understood from context. Example: 지금 일하고 있는데 전화가 왔어요. — “I was working, and then a call came.” 그게 is the contracted form of 그것이: 그것 (“that/it”) plus the subject particle 이. In this utterance, it points to the situation just described—working by switching between tasks—and treats that situation as the subject of the assessment. The form 그게 itself does not encode who performed the action or the gender or number of a referent. 정말 means “really” and strengthens the speaker’s assessment. It can modify an adjective, verb, or an entire description depending on context. Here it emphasizes that the activity does not genuinely feel like rest. 쉬는 is the present attributive form of 쉬다, “to rest” or “to take a break.” The ending -는 changes the verb into a form that can modify a following noun-like element; here it modifies 것 in 쉬는 것, literally “the thing of resting,” or more naturally “resting.” This is not the dictionary form 쉬다 and does not mean that the speaker is definitely resting; it names the activity being evaluated. Example: 쉬는 시간이 필요해요. — “I need time to rest.” 것 같지는 않아요 is built from 것 같다, “to seem like” or “to appear to be,” with -지는 않다, a negated form that gives the meaning “does not seem like.” The polite ending is -아요; in the observed form, 않아요 is the negative predicate. Because 것 같다 expresses appearance or judgment, this wording is softer and less absolute than simply saying that something is not rest. Example: 이건 쉬는 것 같지 않아요. — “This doesn’t feel like resting.” Together, 대부분 업무를 바꾸면서 하고 있는데 says that the speaker is mostly carrying on by switching between work tasks, with -는데 linking that situation to an assessment. 그게 정말 쉬는 것 같지는 않아요 says that this situation does not really seem like resting. The whole utterance therefore means: “Mostly, I’m switching between tasks, but that really doesn’t feel like taking a break.”

4. 그렇다면 왜 압박감이 계속 커지는지 설명이 되겠네요.

   That would explain why the pressure keeps building.

   그렇다면

   in that case

   왜

   why

   압박감

   pressure

   계속

   continuously

   커지는지

   grows / is growing

   설명이 되겠네요

   that would explain it

   More detail

   그렇다면 means “if that is so” or “in that case.” 그렇다 is the base form meaning “to be so/to be like that,” and -다면 presents a condition or assumption. Here it links the utterance to an already established situation; it does not itself identify what “that” refers to. 왜 asks for a reason: “why.” In 왜 ... 커지는지, it introduces the reason being explained. A useful contrast is 무엇을 “what” for an object, whereas 왜 asks about cause. 압박감 is a noun meaning “a feeling of pressure” or simply “pressure” in this context. It is formed from 압박 “pressure” and -감, which adds the sense of a feeling or impression, as in 불안감 “a feeling of anxiety.” 계속 is an adverb meaning “continuously” or “keeps.” It shows that the change continues over time. For example, 비가 계속 와요 means “It keeps raining.” 커지는지 comes from 커지다, “to become bigger” or “to grow.” 커지다 is intransitive: the thing itself grows, while 키우다 means “to make or raise something bigger.” Here 압박감 is the thing that grows. The ending -는지 turns the clause into an embedded question or point of uncertainty, so 왜 압박감이 계속 커지는지 means “why the pressure keeps building.” 설명이 되겠네요 uses 설명이 되다, literally “an explanation becomes/works,” with the practical meaning “that would explain it” or “that makes sense as an explanation.” 되겠네요 contains -겠-, which here marks an inference or newly recognized conclusion, and -네요, which expresses the speaker’s realization. It is not simply a firm future prediction. Together, 그렇다면 sets up the condition, 왜 introduces the reason, and 압박감이 계속 커지는지 names the embedded question: why the pressure continues to grow. 설명이 되겠네요 presents the proposed connection as an inferred explanation. The whole utterance therefore means, “That would explain why the pressure keeps building.”

5. 마감이 가까워지면 일을 멈추는 게 죄책감이 들어요.

   I feel guilty stopping when the deadline is close.

   마감

   deadline

   가까워지면

   when it gets close

   일

   work

   멈추는 게

   stopping

   죄책감

   guilt

   들어요

   feel

   More detail

   마감 means “deadline” here: the time limit for finishing something. It is a noun, so it can combine with particles such as 이/가 when it is the subject, as in 마감이. 가까워지면 means “when it gets close.” The base form is 가까워지다, “to become close/near”; -면 makes a condition or time setting, “when/if ….” The change to being close is expressed by 가까워지다, not by the deadline noun itself. Example: 날씨가 따뜻해지면 산책해요. — “When the weather gets warm, I take a walk.” 일 means “work” in this sentence. It is a noun and can refer generally to work or tasks; the sentence does not specify one particular task. 멈추는 게 means “stopping.” 멈추다 is the base verb “to stop,” and -는 것 turns an action into a noun-like expression. Here 것이 is contracted to 게: the 이 is the subject particle attached to 것, and the contraction produces 게. Thus 멈추는 게 is a noun-like subject meaning “stopping.” The preceding 일 is marked as the object with 을, so 일을 멈추는 게 means “stopping work.” Example: 잠깐 쉬는 게 필요해요. — “Taking a short break is necessary.” 죄책감 means “guilt” or “a feeling of guilt.” It is a noun. In Korean, the useful expression 죄책감이 들다 describes guilt arising or being felt; it is not the same as simply saying that someone deliberately chooses guilt. 들어요 is the polite present form of 들다 in the expression 죄책감이 들다. With 죄책감 as its subject, it means “feel” or “have a feeling of guilt.” The form 들어요 is polite and present-tense; the whole expression 죄책감이 들어요 means “I feel guilty.” The verb 들다 has other meanings in other contexts, so its meaning here comes from the noun 죄책감 and this construction. Together, 마감이 가까워지면 sets the time condition, “when the deadline gets close.” 일을 멈추는 게 identifies the action being evaluated, “stopping work,” and 죄책감이 들어요 says that guilt arises for the speaker. Thus the whole utterance means: “I feel guilty stopping when the deadline is close.”

6. 회복하는 데 도움이 된다면, 경계를 정하는 건 게으른 게 아니에요.

   A boundary is not laziness if it helps you recover.

   회복하는 데

   for recovering

   도움이 된다면

   if it helps

   경계

   boundary

   정하는

   setting; deciding

   게으른

   lazy

   아니에요

   is not

   More detail

   회복하는 데 uses 회복하다, “to recover,” in the form 회복하는 before 데. Here -는 데 marks the activity or purpose relevant to the help: “for recovering” or “in recovering.” 도움이 된다면 means “if it helps.” 도움이 되다 is the reusable expression “to help” or “to be helpful.” 된다면 comes from 되다 plus the conditional form -ㄴ다면: 되다 → 된다면, “if it helps/is helpful.” It is not formed by adding -(으)면 and -다면 together. In this sentence, the helpful thing is understood from the following topic, boundary-setting. 경계 means “boundary.” With the object marker, 경계를 정하다 means “to set a boundary” or “to set boundaries.” The noun itself does not show whether the intended boundary count is one or more. 정하는 comes from 정하다, “to set” or “to decide.” It is the present attributive form, used here before 것 in the construction 정하는 것, “the act of setting.” The pattern N을/를 정하다 is useful for decisions as well as for setting limits: 시간을 정하다 means “to decide on a time.” The span 경계를 정하는 건 is a shortened form of 경계를 정하는 것은. -는 것은 turns the preceding action into the topic, so this means “as for setting boundaries” or simply “setting boundaries.” The first 건 here is 것은, not a separate lexical verb. 게으른 means “lazy.” It is the attributive form of the descriptive verb 게으르다, used before 것 in 게으른 것, “being lazy” or “the fact of being lazy.” The form describes the activity or situation under discussion; it does not by itself identify a separately named person as lazy. 아니에요 is the polite present form of 아니다, the negative copula. In 게으른 게 아니에요, the shorter 게 represents 것이, so the phrase means “is not laziness” or “is not being lazy.” The sentence builds as 회복하는 데 도움이 된다면, 경계를 정하는 건 게으른 게 아니에요: “If setting a boundary helps you recover, setting boundaries is not laziness.” The opening clause gives the condition, 경계를 정하는 건 makes boundary-setting the topic, and 게으른 게 아니에요 denies that it is laziness. In a polite conversational register, the complete intended meaning is “A boundary is not laziness if it helps you recover.”

7. 마감 전에 현실적으로 가능한 일이 무엇인지 관리자에게 말해야 할지도 몰라요.

   Maybe I should tell my manager what is realistic before the deadline.

   마감

   deadline

   전에

   before

   현실적으로

   realistically

   가능한

   possible

   일이

   work; task

   무엇인지

   what it is

   관리자에게

   to the manager

   말해야 할지도 몰라요

   may have to tell

   More detail

   마감 means “deadline.” It is a noun for the time by which something is due. For example, 마감이 내일이에요 means “The deadline is tomorrow.” 전에 means “before” and follows the noun or time reference it compares with: 회의 전에 means “before the meeting.” Here, 마감 전에 means “before the deadline.” 현실적으로 is the adverb “realistically,” formed from 현실적 (“realistic”) with -으로, which commonly makes an adverbial expression. It describes the practical way of judging what can be done. 가능한 is the noun-modifying form of 가능하다, “to be possible.” The ending -ㄴ makes this descriptive form before a noun: 가능한 일 means “a possible task” or “work that can be done.” This form is not the comparative “more possible”; comparison would require separate comparative wording. 일이 consists of 일 (“work” or “task”) plus the subject marker 이. In this sentence, it marks the work or task being evaluated as realistically possible. 일 can refer to work in general or to a particular task, depending on context. 무엇인지 means “what it is” in an embedded question. 무엇 means “what,” and -인지 turns the question into a clause that can function inside a larger sentence. Thus, 가능한 일이 무엇인지 means “what work is possible,” with 무엇인지 placed after the description of the work. 관리자에게 combines 관리자 (“manager” or “administrator”) with 에게, a particle marking the recipient or person addressed. Here it means “to the manager,” matching the fixed translation’s intended manager. 말해야 할지도 몰라요 expresses uncertainty about an obligation. 말하다 means “to tell” or “to say”; 말해야 하다 means “have to tell/say,” with -아/어야 하다 marking necessity. -ㄹ지도 모르다 adds “may” or “might,” so 말해야 할지도 몰라요 means “I may have to tell.” 몰라요 is the polite present form of 모르다, “not know,” but in this construction it contributes uncertainty rather than simply stating a lack of knowledge. Putting the parts together, 마감 전에 sets the time, 현실적으로 가능한 일이 무엇인지 identifies the information to communicate, 관리자에게 marks the recipient, and 말해야 할지도 몰라요 presents the obligation as uncertain. The whole utterance means: “Maybe I should tell my manager what is realistic before the deadline.”

8. 그때까지 끝낼 수 있는 일과 시간이 더 필요한 일을 분명히 말하세요.

   Be clear about what you can finish by then, and what needs more time.

   그때까지

   by then

   끝낼

   finish

   수 있는

   can; be able to

   일

   work; task

   시간

   time

   더

   more

   필요한

   needed

   분명히

   clearly

   말하세요

   please say; tell

   More detail

   그때까지 combines 그때 (“that time”) with 까지, which marks an endpoint or limit. Here it means “by then.” For example, 금요일까지 끝내세요 means “Finish it by Friday.” 끝낼 is the form of 끝내다 (“to finish”) used before 수 in the ability pattern. The ending -ㄹ here is part of V-(으)ㄹ 수 있다; it does not by itself mean that the action is intended. 수 있는 contributes “can” or “be able to.” Together, 끝낼 수 있는 means “can finish,” with the understood actor here being “you,” as shown by the fixed translation. For example, 오늘 끝낼 수 있어요 means “You can finish it today” when the context addresses you. 일 means “work” or “task” here. The first 일 is modified by 그때까지 끝낼 수 있는, so the phrase means “the work or task you can finish by then.” The second 일 is modified by 시간이 더 필요한, producing “the task that needs more time.” 시간 means “time.” In 시간이 더 필요한, it is marked with 이 as the subject of the relative clause: more time is needed. 더 means “more” or “additional.” 필요한 comes from 필요하다 (“to be necessary”); its -ㄴ form modifies the following noun. Thus 시간이 더 필요한 일 means “the task that needs more time.” 분명히 is the adverb “clearly.” It describes how the information should be communicated. The related adjective is 분명하다 (“to be clear”). For example, 분명히 설명하세요 means “Please explain it clearly.” 말하세요 comes from 말하다 (“to say” or “to tell”). The ending -(으)세요 makes a polite request or instruction, so this form means “please say/tell” here. It is a verb form, not the noun 말 (“words” or “speech”). For example, 사실을 말하세요 means “Please tell the truth.” The two noun phrases are coordinated with 과: 그때까지 끝낼 수 있는 일과 시간이 더 필요한 일 means “the work you can finish by then and the task that needs more time.” The object marker 을 follows the second 일, marking the coordinated pair as what should be communicated. 분명히 specifies the manner, and 말하세요 gives the polite instruction. Altogether, the utterance means: “Be clear about what you can finish by then, and what needs more time.”

9. 오늘은 책상에서 벗어나 점심을 먹을 거예요.

   I will take lunch away from my desk today.

   오늘은

   today

   책상에서

   from the desk

   벗어나

   get away from

   점심

   lunch

   먹을 거예요

   will eat

   More detail

   오늘은 combines 오늘 (“today”) with the topic marker 은. It sets today as the time being talked about; 은 can also create a contrast, but this sentence does not say what another day is like. 책상에서 is 책상 (“desk”) plus 에서. With the following movement verb, 에서 marks the place from which the movement starts, so this chunk contributes “from the desk.” The same marker can mark the place where an action happens, as in 집에서 먹어요 (“I eat at home”). 벗어나 comes from the verb 벗어나다, “to get away from” or “to leave.” The form 벗어나 is the connective form, linking this action to the following action. Here it connects getting away from the desk with eating lunch. 점심 means “lunch.” In the sentence it takes the object marker 을, shown in the following chunk 점심을; this marks lunch as what is eaten. For example, 점심을 먹어요 means “I eat lunch.” 먹을 거예요 expresses a future plan or intention to eat. The lexical verb is 먹다 (“to eat”); its stem 먹- combines with -(으)ㄹ 거예요, giving 먹을 거예요. With a consonant-final stem such as 먹-, the form is -을 거예요; a vowel-final stem uses -ㄹ 거예요, as in 갈 거예요 (“will go”). This is a common way to state a planned or expected future action. Together, 오늘은 sets today as the time, 책상에서 벗어나 means “get away from the desk,” and 점심을 먹을 거예요 means “will eat lunch.” The whole utterance is: “Today, I will take lunch away from my desk,” or more literally, “Today, I will get away from my desk and eat lunch.”

10. 에너지를 되찾는 데 도움이 되는 작지만 유용한 한 걸음이에요.

    That is a small but useful step toward getting your energy back.

    에너지

    energy

    되찾는

    getting back; regaining

    데

    in doing so

    도움이 되는

    helpful

    작지만

    small but

    유용한

    useful

    한 걸음

    one step

    이에요

    is

    More detail

    에너지 means “energy” here. The following object marker 를 is outside the selected quote: 에너지를 되찾는 means “getting one’s energy back.” The reusable verb is 되찾다, “to regain” or “get back.” Its form here, 되찾는, is the attributive form used before a noun or noun-like expression; it describes the act of regaining energy. 데 is a nominalizing form in 되찾는 데, turning the preceding action into “doing/regaining.” The pattern V-는 데 도움이 되다 means “be helpful for doing V” or “help with doing V.” 도움이 되는 comes from 도움이 되다, literally “become help” and naturally “be helpful” or “be of help.” 되는 is the attributive form of 되다, modifying the following noun 한 걸음. In this sentence, the step is described as helpful for regaining energy. 작지만 combines 작다, “to be small,” with -지만, “but/although.” It presents a contrast: something is small, yet the sentence continues with a favorable description. The form 작다 is the base form; 작지만 is the connective form used before the contrasting clause or description. 유용한 means “useful.” It is the attributive form of the adjective 유용하다, used before 한 걸음. The two descriptions apply together: the step is both small and useful. 한 걸음 means “one step.” 한 is the native Korean form of “one” used before a noun, while 걸음 is a noun meaning “step” or “a step taken.” Here it can describe a literal or figurative step toward a goal; the fixed translation supports the figurative sense of progress toward getting energy back. This is not a claim about a counted number of physical steps beyond the sentence’s wording. 이에요 is the polite conversational copula, “is,” after a noun ending in a consonant. Thus 한 걸음이에요 means “is a step.” The noun phrase before it is the subject or presented item, while the copula identifies it as a step. Together, 에너지를 되찾는 데 도움이 되는 means “helpful for getting your energy back,” and 작지만 유용한 한 걸음이에요 means “is a small but useful step.” The complete utterance therefore means: “That is a small but useful step toward getting your energy back.”