Politely explaining an overdue book and asking about a failed online renewal | Learn Kore…

Sentence explanations

1. 방금 이 책이 연체되었다는 걸 깨달았어요.

   I just realized this book is overdue.

   방금

   just now

   이

   this

   책

   book

   연체되었다

   is overdue

   다는 걸

   the fact that …

   깨달았어요

   realized

   More detail

   방금 means “just now” and places the realization very recently. It is a time adverb, so it modifies the event of realizing rather than the book’s overdue status. Example: 방금 도착했어요. — “I just arrived.” 이 is the demonstrative “this,” used before a noun. In 이 책, it identifies the book as the one referred to in the immediate situation. Korean demonstratives include 이 “this,” 그 “that,” and 저 “that over there”; the choice depends on the speaker’s demonstrative perspective, not on the noun’s grammatical gender. 책 means “book.” It is a noun and can be used directly after a demonstrative: 이 책 — “this book.” 연체되었다 comes from 연체되다, “to become or be overdue.” The observed form has the past ending -었- and the plain declarative ending -다, giving a form suitable inside the following embedded statement. Here it describes the book as overdue; it does not mean that the book itself performed an action. A useful related noun is 연체 — “overdue status” or “late payment/return,” depending on the relevant service. 다는 걸 is the conversational contraction of 다는 것을. It turns the preceding proposition into the object of the realization: 연체되었다는 걸 means “the fact that it was overdue” or, naturally here, “that it was overdue.” The 것 in the full form is a noun meaning “thing/fact,” and 을 marks that fact as the object; 걸 combines and contracts these elements in speech. This construction is reusable with other statements, for example 그가 온다는 걸 알았어요. — “I knew that he was coming.” 깨달았어요 means “realized.” Its base form is 깨닫다, and the observed form is the polite past form: 깨닫다 → 깨달았어요. The verb 깨닫다 is used for coming to understand or become aware of something, and the object of that awareness can be expressed with -다는 걸. The ending -어요 gives a polite conversational style. Example: 문제가 있다는 걸 깨달았어요. — “I realized that there was a problem.” Together, 방금 establishes that the event happened just now; 이 책 identifies the book; 연체되었다는 걸 packages the proposition “this book was overdue” as what was realized; and 깨달았어요 states the speaker’s recent realization. The complete meaning is: “I just realized that this book is overdue.”

2. 오늘 반납한 다음, 안내 데스크에 갱신 기록을 확인해 달라고 하세요.

   Return it today, then ask the desk to review the renewal history.

   오늘

   today

   반납한

   returned; handed back

   다음

   after that; next

   안내 데스크

   information desk

   갱신

   renewal

   기록

   record; history

   확인해

   check; review

   달라고 하세요

   ask someone to do it

   More detail

   오늘 means “today” here and sets the time for the return. Korean time words commonly appear before the action they modify, but their exact scope comes from the sentence. Example: 오늘 책을 읽어요. — “I read a book today.” 반납한 comes from 반납하다, “to return or hand something back.” The ending -한 is the past attributive form of 하다, so 반납한 modifies the following noun-like element 다음: “after returning.” It does not itself state who returned the item; the subject is omitted. Example: 빌린 책을 반납한 다음에 집에 갔어요. — “After returning the borrowed book, I went home.” 다음 means “next” or “after that.” In 동사-(으)ㄴ 다음(에), it forms the reusable pattern “after doing something.” The 에 is optional in many ordinary uses: 확인한 다음 연락하세요. — “Contact me after checking.” 안내 데스크 means “information desk.” 안내 describes guidance or information, and 데스크 means a desk or service counter; together they form the compound noun used for the information or help counter. The particle 에 after this phrase marks the destination or person/service being addressed in the request. 갱신 means “renewal” or “updating,” especially the act of extending or renewing something. It is a noun and can combine with 하다: 갱신하다 means “to renew.” In this sentence it modifies 기록, producing “renewal record/history.” 기록 means “record” or “history,” a stored account of events or actions. 갱신 기록 therefore means “renewal history,” rather than the act of renewing itself. Example: 기록을 확인했어요. — “I checked the record.” 확인해 is the -해 form of 확인하다, “to check, confirm, or review.” Here it is not a complete request by itself; it connects to 달라고 하세요 in the pattern V-아/어 달라고 하다, “ask someone to do V.” The relevant verb is 확인하다, whose polite ending is 확인해요 and whose connective form here is 확인해. 달라고 하세요 contains 달라고 하다, a construction for reporting or making a request for someone to do something, plus polite imperative 하세요, “please do [it].” With 확인해, 확인해 달라고 하세요 means “ask [someone] to check/review it.” The person being asked is understood from 안내 데스크에; the sentence does not require a separately stated staff noun. Example: 직원에게 영수증을 다시 확인해 달라고 하세요. — “Ask the staff member to check the receipt again.” Together, 오늘 반납한 다음 means “after returning it today,” 안내 데스크에 identifies the information desk as the service point addressed, and 갱신 기록을 확인해 달라고 하세요 means “ask them to review the renewal history.” The omitted object of 반납한 is understood as the book from the supplied context, and the fixed translation makes that intended reading explicit: “Return it today, then ask the desk to review the renewal history.”

3. 온라인으로 갱신했다고 생각했는데, 제 계정에는 전혀 반영되지 않았어요.

   I thought I renewed it online, but my account never updated.

   온라인으로

   online

   갱신했다고 생각했는데

   I thought I had renewed it, but…

   제 계정에는

   in my account

   전혀

   not at all

   반영되지 않았어요

   was not reflected / did not update

   More detail

   온라인으로 means “online.” 온라인 is a noun used for the online channel or setting, and -으로 marks the means or route: “through/by online means.” For example, 온라인으로 신청했어요 means “I applied online.” 갱신했다고 생각했는데 contains the reusable pattern V-았/었다고 생각하다, “think that one did V.” Here, 갱신하다 means “to renew,” and its past form 갱신했다 is followed by -다고 to quote the thought: “thought that [I] had renewed it.” 생각했는데 is the past form of 생각하다 (“to think”) plus -는데. In this sentence, -는데 connects that belief to an unexpected contrasting result, so the phrase leads naturally into “but…”. The form does not itself prove who or what was renewed; the fixed translation supplies the intended “it.” 제 계정에는 means “in my account.” 제 is the possessive form corresponding to polite 저 (“I”), traditionally understood as 저의 (“my”) in contracted form. 계정 means “account.” The particle -에는 combines location/context marker -에 with topic/contrast marker -는, presenting the account as the place or record in which the result is considered. It does not by itself state that the account is the grammatical subject of the following predicate. 전혀 means “not at all” or “entirely not” here. It commonly appears with a negative predicate, strengthening the denial rather than functioning as an independent verb. For example, 전혀 모르겠어요 means “I don’t know at all.” 반영되지 않았어요 means “was not reflected” or, in this account context, “did not get updated.” The useful base expression is 반영되다, “to be reflected, applied, or registered,” distinct from 반영하다, “to reflect or apply something.” -지 않다 makes the predicate negative, and 않았어요 places that negative result in the past with polite speech. Thus 반영되지 않았어요 describes a past failure of the relevant change or information to appear in the account; the Korean form itself does not add a separate word meaning “never,” while 전혀 supplies the strong “not at all” sense here. Together, 온라인으로 갱신했다고 생각했는데 presents the speaker’s belief that the renewal had been completed online. 제 계정에는 전혀 반영되지 않았어요 then contrasts that belief with the result: the renewal was not reflected in the speaker’s account at all. The complete meaning is therefore: “I thought I renewed it online, but my account never updated.”

4. 시스템이 그 기록을 저장하지 못했다면, 직원이 계정을 조정해 줄 수도 있어요.

   If the system failed to record it, the staff may be able to adjust your account.

   시스템이

   the system

   그

   that

   기록을

   the record

   저장하지 못했다면

   if it failed to save

   직원이

   the staff

   계정을

   the account

   조정해

   adjust, and…

   줄 수도 있어요

   may do it for someone

   More detail

   시스템이 means “the system” here. 시스템 is a noun, and -이 marks it as the subject because the noun ends in a consonant. After a vowel-final noun, the corresponding subject marker is -가; these markers do not themselves mean “the.” 그 is the demonstrative determiner “that,” placed before 기록. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the record as the thing referred to by “it.” Korean demonstratives also include 이 for “this” and 저 for “that over there,” but 그 can also refer back to something already identified in the context; it is not simply an English article. 기록을 means “the record” as the object of the saving action. 기록 can mean a record or a recording, depending on context. The object marker is -을 after a consonant-final noun and -를 after a vowel-final noun. 저장하지 못했다면 means “if it failed to save” or “if it was unable to save.” Its base verb is 저장하다, “to save/store.” 저장하지 못하다 uses -지 못하다 to express inability or failure, unlike 저장하지 않았다, which simply says “did not save” without necessarily explaining why. In 못했다면, the failure is in the past and is followed by the conditional meaning “if.” Korean verb forms do not mark the subject’s person here, so the subject is understood from 시스템이. 직원이 means “the staff” in the fixed translation. 직원 is a noun meaning an employee or staff member, and -이 marks it as the subject. An unmodified Korean noun such as 직원 does not by itself specify singular versus plural; the surrounding meaning determines whether it refers to one employee or staff collectively. 계정을 means “the account” as the object being adjusted. 계정 is the noun “account,” and -을 marks it as the object. Korean does not use a separate possessive form in this phrase, but the fixed translation identifies the account as “your account.” 조정해 comes from 조정하다, “to adjust.” This is the connected form of the 하다 verb, linking the adjustment action to the following construction rather than marking the final tense or politeness by itself. 줄 수도 있어요 completes 조정해 줄 수도 있어요. 주다 after another verb can mark doing that action for someone: 조정해 주다 means “adjust it for someone.” The pattern -ㄹ 수도 있다 expresses possibility, so the full construction presents the staff’s adjustment as something that may be possible; it does not assert that it will happen. -어요 gives the sentence a polite ending. Together, 시스템이 그 기록을 저장하지 못했다면 means “if the system failed to save that record.” The main clause, 직원이 계정을 조정해 줄 수도 있어요, means “the staff may be able to adjust your account.” The whole utterance is: “If the system failed to record it, the staff may be able to adjust your account.”

5. 저는 따지고 싶지 않아요.

   I do not want to argue.

   저는

   I / as for me

   따지고

   arguing

   싶지 않아요

   do not want to

   More detail

   저는 combines 저, a polite or deferential first-person pronoun meaning “I,” with 는, a topic marker. 나 is the less deferential first-person counterpart in informal speech. Here, 저는 sets the speaker as the topic; it does not itself express a wish or an action. 따지고 comes from the verb 따지다, which here means “to argue” or “to dispute.” The ending -고 connects this verb to 싶다 in the pattern verb stem + 고 싶다, meaning “want to do.” In other contexts, 따지다 can refer to examining or challenging something closely, but the fixed translation supports “argue” here. 싶지 않아요 expresses “do not want to.” 싶다 means “want to” in the -고 싶다 construction. The -지 않다 pattern negates the preceding predicate, and 않아요 is its polite present form. Thus 따지고 싶지 않아요 means “do not want to argue,” with the negation applying to the desire to argue. Example: 저는 기다리고 싶지 않아요. — “I do not want to wait.” Together, 저는 establishes “as for me,” 따지고 supplies the action “argue” within the desire construction, and 싶지 않아요 negates that desire. The complete utterance therefore means “I do not want to argue.”

6. 하지만 무슨 일이 있었는지는 설명하고 싶어요.

   But I would like to explain what happened.

   하지만

   but

   무슨 일이 있었는지는

   what happened

   설명하고 싶어요

   would like to explain

   More detail

   하지만 means “but” and marks a contrast with something previously stated. It is a conjunction that can stand at the beginning of a sentence; here it introduces the speaker’s wish to explain. 무슨 일이 있었는지는 contains the indirect-question expression “what happened.” 무슨 means “what kind of/which,” and 일 means “event” or “thing”; together, 무슨 일 asks what occurred. 있었- is the past form of 있다 in this expression, so 무슨 일이 있었다 describes an event having occurred. -는지 turns the question into an embedded question, as in 무슨 일인지 “what it is” and 무슨 일이 있었는지 “what happened.” The final 는 gives that embedded question a topic or contrastive focus: “as for what happened.” 설명하고 싶어요 means “would like to explain.” 설명하다 is the base verb “to explain”; 설명하고 uses -고 to connect it to the following expression, and -고 싶다 expresses wanting to do the preceding action. Thus, 설명하고 싶어요 literally presents the speaker’s desire to explain. 싶어요 is the polite present form of 싶다; the English translation “would like” is a natural polite rendering here, not evidence of a separate conditional form. Together, 무슨 일이 있었는지는 설명하고 싶어요 means “I would like to explain what happened,” with 는 highlighting “what happened” as the topic or contrasted matter to be explained. With 하지만 at the beginning, the complete utterance is: “But I would like to explain what happened.”

7. 갱신하려고 했다는 것을 보여 주는 스크린샷이나 이메일이 있으면 가져오세요.

   Bring any screenshot or email that shows you tried to renew it.

   갱신하려고

   to try to renew

   했다는 것을

   the fact that someone did

   보여 주는

   showing

   스크린샷

   screenshot

   이메일

   email

   있으면

   if there is/are

   가져오세요

   please bring

   More detail

   갱신하려고: This is 갱신하다 (“to renew”) with -려고 하다, a construction for intending or trying to do something. Here it is followed by past 했다, so 갱신하려고 했다 means “tried to renew” or “intended to renew,” with the translation selecting the “tried” reading. The object is understood as “it” from the fixed translation. 했다는 것을: 했다 is the past form of 하다 (“to do”), and -다는 것 turns the preceding proposition into a noun-like phrase: “the fact that someone did.” The final 을 marks this fact as the object of 보여 주는. Thus, this part means “the fact that [someone] tried to renew it,” rather than simply “did.” 보여 주는: This comes from 보여 주다, “to show,” in the form that modifies a following noun. The ending -는 makes a present-related modifier, so it means “that shows” or “showing” here. The 주다 component is part of the useful construction 보여 주다; it presents something as being shown to someone. 스크린샷: This noun means “screenshot.” In the sentence it is one type of evidence that can show the attempted renewal. Example: 스크린샷을 보내 주세요. — “Please send a screenshot.” 이메일: This noun means “email.” Here it is the second possible type of evidence. Example: 이메일을 확인했어요. — “I checked the email.” 있으면: 있다 means “to exist” or “to be available,” and -으면 makes an if-condition: “if there is/are” or “if you have.” The form does not mark singular versus plural, so it can introduce either one item or several. In 스크린샷이나 이메일이 있으면, 이나 links the alternatives as “a screenshot or an email.” 가져오세요: This is 가져오다 (“to bring”) with the polite request ending -세요. 가져오다 indicates movement toward the speaker or the relevant place; it contrasts with 가져가다, “to take away.” The sentence therefore asks the listener to bring the available evidence. Putting the parts together: 갱신하려고 했다 describes the attempt to renew it, -다는 것을 보여 주는 describes something that shows that fact, and 스크린샷이나 이메일이 있으면 가져오세요 means “if you have a screenshot or email, please bring it.” The complete utterance is: “Bring any screenshot or email that shows you tried to renew it.”

8. 알림 이메일만 있고, 확인 이메일은 없어요.

   I only have the reminder email, not a confirmation.

   알림

   reminder

   이메일

   email

   만 있고

   there is only …

   확인

   confirmation

   이메일은

   as for the email

   없어요

   is absent / don’t have

   More detail

   알림 means “reminder” here. It is a noun that can describe a notice or reminder. In 알림 이메일, it modifies 이메일, so the phrase means “reminder email.” 이메일 means “email.” Korean commonly uses this loanword as a noun, and it can be followed by particles such as 만 or 은/는. 만 있고 combines 만 (“only”) with 있고, the connective form of 있다 (“to exist” or “to be present”). After a noun, N만 있다 means that only N is present or available; 있고 connects that statement to what follows. Thus 알림 이메일만 있고 says that there is only a reminder email, while leaving the contrast to the next part. 확인 means “confirmation” here. In 확인 이메일, it modifies 이메일, producing “confirmation email.” The noun 확인 can have other uses related to checking or confirming, but this phrase identifies the email by its purpose. 이메일은 is 이메일 followed by the topic marker 은. The marker sets “the confirmation email” as the topic of the contrasting second clause. In this sentence, 은 helps create the contrast between the email that is present and the email that is absent. 없어요 is the polite present form of 없다, meaning “to be absent,” “not to exist,” or, with an object understood from context, “not to have.” The form 없어요 is polite and conversational. Its opposite is 있어요, from 있다, meaning “is present” or “have.” Together, 알림 이메일만 있고 presents the reminder email as the only one available. 확인 이메일은 없어요 then contrasts it with the confirmation email and says that this email is absent. The whole utterance therefore means: “I only have the reminder email, not a confirmation.”

9. 그럼 그 사실을 분명하게 설명하세요.

   Then explain that clearly.

   그럼

   then

   그

   that

   사실

   fact

   분명하게

   clearly

   설명하세요

   please explain

   More detail

   그럼 means “then” here and is a common shortened form of 그러면 (“if so / then”). It links this instruction to the situation already being discussed. Example: 그럼 시작해요. — “Then let’s start.” 그 means “that” and is a demonstrative determiner placed before a noun. In 그 사실, it identifies the fact as a particular fact understood from the context; its grammatical role is to modify 사실, while the exact fact is supplied by the surrounding situation. 사실 means “fact.” With the object marker 을, the phrase 그 사실을 means “that fact” as the thing being explained. The marker 을 is used here because 사실 ends in a consonant; the vowel-final counterpart is 를. 분명하게 means “clearly.” It is the adverbial form of 분명하다 (“to be clear / definite”) and describes how the explaining should be done. The ending -게 commonly turns a descriptive word into an adverb. Example: 분명하게 말해 주세요. — “Please speak clearly.” 설명하세요 means “please explain.” It comes from the verb 설명하다 (“to explain”): 설명하- + the polite request/instruction ending -세요. This form addresses the listener politely and asks them to perform the action. It is not the plain dictionary form; 설명하다 is the form to use when naming the verb. Together, 그 사실을 marks “that fact” as the object, 분명하게 states the manner, and 설명하세요 gives a polite instruction. With 그럼 at the beginning, the complete utterance means: “Then explain that clearly.”

10. 다음에 같은 문제가 생기지 않게 하려면 어떻게 해야 하는지 물어보세요.

    Ask how to avoid the same problem next time.

    다음에

    next time

    같은

    same

    문제

    problem

    생기지 않게

    so that it does not occur

    하려면

    if you want to do it

    어떻게 … 해야 하는지

    how one should do it

    물어보세요

    ask

    More detail

    다음에 means “next time” here. 다음 can mean “next” or “the following,” and -에 marks a time point or occasion. Pattern: 다음에 + clause = “next time, …” or “when it happens next.” 같은 means “the same” and directly modifies the noun 문제. It is the attributive form of 같다: 같다 → 같은 before a noun. This is different from 다른 (“different/another”). 문제 means “problem” here. It is a noun and can also mean an exercise or question in other contexts; the surrounding wording gives it the “problem” sense here. 생기지 않게 is built from 생기다 (“arise, occur, come up”) plus the negative pattern -지 않다 and -게. 생기지 않게 means “so that it does not arise/occur.” The negative form belongs to 생기다, not to 문제. Pattern: V-지 않게 = “so that … does not V.” 하려면 is 하다 (“do”) plus -(으)려면, meaning “if one wants to do so” or “in order to do so.” Here it connects to the goal of preventing the problem from occurring; it does not identify a separate object that must be done. Pattern: V-(으)려면 = “if you want to V / in order to V.” 어떻게 해야 하는지 asks about the method: “how one should do it.” 어떻게 means “how.” Within 해야 하는지, 해야 하다 expresses necessity or what one should do, while -는지 turns the clause into an embedded question. Thus 어떻게 해야 하는지 물어보세요 is “ask how one should do it,” rather than a direct question such as 어떻게 해야 해요? (“What should I do?”). 물어보세요 means “ask.” It is the polite request or instruction form of 물어보다, whose base meaning is “ask/inquire.” The ending -세요 makes the instruction polite. A reusable pattern is N에 대해 물어보세요 (“Please ask about N”) or 어떻게 하는지 물어보세요 (“Please ask how to do it”). Putting the parts together: 다음에 sets the time, 같은 문제 is the problem being discussed, and 생기지 않게 하려면 expresses the goal of preventing it from occurring. 어떻게 해야 하는지 물어보세요 instructs the listener to ask what should be done. The whole utterance therefore means: “Ask how to avoid the same problem next time.”

11. 제 계정에 여전히 그 책이 연체 중이라고 표시되더라도, 저는 갱신 절차를 이해하고 싶어요.

    Even if my account still shows the book as overdue, I want to understand the renewal process.

    제

    my

    계정

    account

    여전히

    still

    그

    that / the

    책

    book

    연체 중

    overdue

    표시되더라도

    even if it is displayed

    저는

    as for me

    갱신

    renewal

    절차

    process

    이해하고 싶어요

    want to understand

    More detail

    제 means “my” here. It is the commonly used contracted form of 저의; 저 is the first-person pronoun used in polite or humble speech, and 의 marks possession. For example, 제 이름 means “my name.” 계정 means “account.” The following particle 에 marks the account as the place or system in which something is displayed: 계정에 표시되다 means “be displayed in the account.” 여전히 means “still,” showing that the displayed status continues. It modifies the surrounding situation rather than the noun 책 alone. 그 is a demonstrative determiner meaning “that” or, in this context, “the.” It comes before and specifies 책; the sentence does not by itself explain which particular book the word refers to. 책 means “book.” In 그 책이, the particle 이 marks 책 as the grammatical subject of the quoted status. 연체 중 describes being in an overdue state. 연체 is “overdue status” or “delinquency,” and 중 means that the state is in progress or continuing. The expression can be reused with other ongoing states, such as 회의 중 (“in a meeting”). 표시되더라도 means “even if it is displayed” in this sentence. Its base form is 표시되다, “to be displayed” or “to be shown”; 되다 makes this a passive or change-of-state expression. The ending -더라도 adds a concessive condition: “even if …” or “even though ….” For example, 늦더라도 연락해 주세요 means “Even if you are late, please contact me.” Together, 계정에 여전히 그 책이 연체 중이라고 표시되더라도 means “even if my account still shows that the book is overdue.” -다고 marks the content of what is displayed: the proposition that the book is in an overdue state. Here 표시되다 presents that status as information shown by the account. 저는 means “as for me” or “I” with a topic marker. 는 sets the speaker as the topic of the following intention; it does not itself mean “want.” 갱신 means “renewal,” and 절차 means “process” or “procedure.” Together, 갱신 절차 is “the renewal process.” 갱신 is a noun, while 절차 identifies the organized steps involved. For example, 신청 절차 means “application procedure.” 이해하고 싶어요 means “want to understand.” Its base verb is 이해하다, “to understand.” The pattern -고 싶다 expresses the subject’s desire to do the action of the preceding verb: 배우고 싶어요 means “I want to learn.” 싶어요 is the polite present form; with the first-person topic 저는, the intended meaning is the speaker’s own wish. The whole sentence first sets a concessive condition: the account may continue to display the book as overdue. It then gives the speaker’s intention with 저는: understanding the renewal process. Thus the complete meaning is “Even if my account still shows the book as overdue, I want to understand the renewal process.”

12. 그렇게 하면 문제를 해결하는 데 대화의 초점을 맞출 수 있어요.

    That approach keeps the conversation focused on solving the problem.

    그렇게 하면

    if you do that; that way

    문제

    problem

    해결하는 데

    in solving

    대화

    conversation

    초점

    focus

    맞출 수 있어요

    can focus

    More detail

    그렇게 하면 combines 그렇게 (“that way” or “by doing so”) with 하다 (“to do”) in the conditional form 하면 (“if [someone] does”). Here it presents the approach as a condition: “If you do that” or, more naturally in the full sentence, “That way.” The form -(으)면 is a reusable conditional pattern; for example, 시간이 있으면 읽어요 means “If I have time, I read.” 문제 means “problem.” It is a noun and can be used with many verbs, such as 문제를 해결하다 (“solve a problem”) and 문제를 이해하다 (“understand a problem”). 해결하는 데 contains 해결하다, “to solve,” in the form 해결하는, followed by 데. The construction 동사-는 데 presents an activity as the setting or goal relevant to something else; here, 문제를 해결하는 데 means “in solving the problem” or “for solving the problem.” For example, 이 도구는 공부하는 데 도움이 돼요 means “This tool helps with studying.” 대화 means “conversation.” In this sentence it is the thing whose focus is being directed. It is a noun, so 대화의 would mean “of the conversation” when a possessive relation needs to be stated explicitly. 초점 means “focus.” The phrase 초점을 맞추다 is a common construction meaning “to focus on” or literally “to set/align the focus.” In this construction, 초점 is the object being set, while the topic of focus is expressed separately, here by 문제를 해결하는 데. 맞출 수 있어요 contains 맞추다, “to set, align, or focus,” in the form 맞출, followed by 수 있어요, “can/is able to.” The pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility; its polite present form here is 수 있어요. Thus 초점을 맞출 수 있어요 means “can focus” or “can direct the focus.” For example, 이 방법으로 핵심에 초점을 맞출 수 있어요 means “With this method, you can focus on the key point.” Together, 그렇게 하면 sets up the result of using that approach, 문제를 해결하는 데 identifies solving the problem as the relevant goal, and 대화의 초점을 맞출 수 있어요 says that the conversation’s focus can be directed there. The whole utterance therefore means: “That approach keeps the conversation focused on solving the problem.”