Taking responsibility for a damaged borrowed tool | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 내가 빌린 톱에 대해 솔직하게 말해야 해.

   I need to be honest about the saw I borrowed.

   내가

   I; me

   빌린

   borrowed

   톱

   saw

   에 대해

   about; regarding

   솔직하게

   honestly

   말해야 해

   need to say

   More detail

   내가 means “I” here and marks the subject of the relative clause. It is the contracted form of 나 (“I”) plus the subject marker 가; it is not the sequence 나가. 빌린 comes from 빌리다, “to borrow.” The ending -ㄴ makes an attributive form that describes a following noun: 빌린 톱 means “the saw that I borrowed.” The borrowing is presented as completed relative to the situation. 톱 means “saw,” the noun described by 빌린. 에 대해 is a reusable construction meaning “about” or “regarding.” It follows a noun or noun phrase: 이 문제에 대해 means “about this problem.” Here, 톱에 대해 means “about the saw.” 솔직하게 means “honestly” or “frankly.” It is the adverbial form of 솔직하다, “to be honest/frank,” and modifies the action 말하다, “to speak.” Thus, 솔직하게 말하다 means “to speak honestly.” 말해야 해 expresses that the speaker needs to or must speak. It uses 말하다, “to say/speak,” with the obligation pattern -아/어야 하다; in this conversational ending, 하여야 해 is contracted to 해야 해. For example, 지금 가야 해 means “I have to go now.” Together, 내가 빌린 톱 is “the saw I borrowed,” 톱에 대해 adds “about the saw,” and 솔직하게 말해야 해 says that the speaker needs to speak honestly. The complete utterance means: “I need to be honest about the saw I borrowed.”

2. 무슨 일이 있었는지 설명해 줄래?

   Can you explain what happened?

   무슨

   what kind of / what

   일이

   matter; event

   있었는지

   what happened

   설명해

   explain

   줄래?

   will you?

   More detail

   무슨 means “what” or “which,” used before a noun when asking to identify it. In 무슨 일, it asks what event or matter is involved. 어떤 also asks “what kind of,” but often emphasizes a type or characteristic; the two can overlap in some contexts. 일 means “thing, matter, or event.” Here it refers to an event or situation, not specifically to employment (“work”). Its plural can be marked with 일들 when several matters are being distinguished, although Korean often leaves plural marking implicit. In 무슨 일이, 이 marks 일 as the subject. 있었는지 comes from 있다 (“to exist; to be there; to happen” in suitable contexts). The form 있었- expresses past time, and -는지 turns the clause into an embedded question. Thus 무슨 일이 있었는지 means “what happened” here. The same pattern can follow other question words: 누가 왔는지 means “who came,” and 언제 시작했는지 means “when it started.” 설명해 is the informal connective form of 설명하다, “to explain.” The base verb is 설명하다; its -해 form connects to a following auxiliary or request expression. For example, 다시 설명해 주세요 means “Please explain it again.” 줄래? uses 주다 (“to give”) with the informal -ㄹ래? request pattern. After another verb, it asks whether the listener will do that action for the speaker. In 설명해 줄래?, the combined meaning is “will you explain?” or, naturally, “can you explain?” It is casual and suitable for someone with whom the speaker can use informal speech; a more polite request is 설명해 주실래요?. Together, 무슨 일이 있었는지 is the embedded question “what happened,” and 설명해 줄래? asks the listener to explain it. The full utterance therefore means “Can you explain what happened?”

3. 두꺼운 나무를 자르다가 톱날이 손상됐어.

   The blade got damaged while I was cutting thick wood.

   두꺼운

   thick

   나무

   wood

   자르다가

   while cutting

   톱날

   saw blade

   손상됐어

   got damaged

   More detail

   두꺼운 describes 나무 as thick. It is the attributive form of the descriptive verb 두껍다 (“to be thick”): 두껍다 → 두꺼운 before a noun. For example, 두꺼운 책 means “a thick book.” 나무 means “wood” here. It can also mean “tree” in other contexts; the translation and the cutting context support the material meaning here. In 두꺼운 나무, it is the noun modified by 두꺼운. 자르다가 comes from 자르다, “to cut,” plus -다가. This pattern presents an action in progress when another event occurs or the situation changes: V-다가. For example, 집에 가다가 친구를 만났어 means “I met a friend while I was going home.” Here, 자르다가 links the cutting activity to the later damage event; it does not itself say who performed the cutting, although the fixed translation identifies the cutter as “I.” 톱날 means “saw blade.” It is a compound noun: 톱 is “saw,” and 날 is the cutting edge or blade of a tool. 톱날 specifically names the blade part, rather than the whole saw. For example, 톱날을 갈았어 means “I sharpened the saw blade.” 손상됐어 means “got damaged” here. The base form is 손상되다, “to become/be damaged”; 손상됐어 is its past-tense informal spoken form. The subject is 톱날, so the blade is presented as the thing that became damaged, not as the agent that damaged something. Compare 손상시켰어, “damaged something,” which uses 손상시키다 and presents someone or something as causing the damage. The ending -어 gives a plain conversational style. Together, 두꺼운 나무를 means “thick wood” as the object of cutting, and 자르다가 means “while cutting it.” 톱날이 손상됐어 says that the saw blade became damaged. The whole utterance therefore means: “The blade got damaged while I was cutting thick wood.” The pattern N을/를 V-다가 N이/가 ... can be reused for an event that occurs during an ongoing action.

4. 그 톱으로 자르기에는 나무가 너무 두꺼웠어?

   Was the wood too thick for that saw?

   그

   that

   톱

   saw

   자르기에는

   for cutting

   나무

   wood; tree

   너무

   too; excessively

   두꺼웠어

   was thick

   More detail

   그 means “that” here and is a demonstrative placed before 톱 to identify the saw as a particular one. Korean demonstratives include 이 “this” and 저 “that over there”; the choice depends on distance or discourse context, not simply on the noun’s properties. 톱 is the noun “saw.” Korean nouns do not generally change form for singular versus plural, so this form can refer to a saw or saws when the context supports it. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies one particular saw. 자르기에는 contains the verb 자르다 “to cut,” the nominalizing suffix -기, and 에는. The -기 form turns an action into something that can be evaluated: 자르기 means “cutting” or “to cut” as an activity. 에는 adds the sense “for/as far as ... is concerned,” so 자르기에는 means “for cutting.” A reusable pattern is [verb stem]-기에는 + evaluation, as in 걷기에는 너무 멀어 (“It is too far for walking”). 나무 means “wood” here. The same noun can also mean “tree”; the intended sense is determined by the surrounding action and the fixed translation. For example, 나무를 심어요 means “I plant a tree,” whereas 나무로 만들어요 means “I make it out of wood.” 너무 means “too” or “excessively.” Before an adjective, it marks a degree that is beyond what is suitable for the relevant purpose: here, the wood is excessively thick for cutting with the saw. In less strict informal usage, 너무 can also intensify a positive description, but its function here is the excessive-degree reading. 두꺼웠어 is the informal past form of 두껍다, “to be thick.” This adjective has the ㅂ-irregular change: before a vowel-initial ending, final ㅂ changes to 우, giving 두꺼우-; with the past ending, this yields 두꺼웠어. The present informal form is 두꺼워 (“is thick”), and the polite past form is 두꺼웠어요 (“was thick”). The adjective describes the thickness of 나무, while the past form places that state in the past. Together, 그 톱으로 (“with that saw”) is understood with the action phrase 자르기에는 (“for cutting”), and 나무가 너무 두꺼웠어 says “the wood was too thick.” The complete utterance therefore asks, “Was the wood too thick for that saw?” The question ending is casual and conversational; the question meaning comes from the utterance’s interrogative intonation and context.

5. 아마 그랬을 거야. 해 보기 전에 물어봤어야 했어.

   Probably, and I should have asked before trying.

   아마

   probably

   그랬을 거야

   was probably so

   해 보기

   trying to do it

   전에

   before

   물어봤어야 했어

   should have asked

   More detail

   아마 means “probably” and marks the statement as uncertain. It often appears near the beginning of a sentence: 아마 비가 올 거야 means “It will probably rain.” 그랬을 거야 means “was probably so” here. In this context, 그랬다 is the past form of 그렇다 (“be so”), referring back to the preceding proposition; it is not necessary to interpret it as an unspecified person doing an action. The pattern -았/었을 거야 expresses a speaker’s probable conclusion about a past situation. The ending -야 is informal and suits casual speech. 해 보기 comes from 하다 (“do”) with -아/어 보다, a construction meaning “try doing.” The -기 form makes the action suitable for a following postposition. Thus 해 보기 전에 gives the reusable pattern [verb]-기 전에, “before doing [verb].” Example: 먹어 보기 전에 냄새를 맡아 봐 means “Before trying it, smell it.” 전에 means “before.” In this sentence it places the trying before the asking in the required order. 물어봤어야 했어 means “should have asked.” 물어보다 is the ordinary verb “ask” here; its past form is 물어봤어. The pattern -았/었어야 했다 expresses an obligation that should already have been fulfilled, often with regret about a past choice. Example: 미리 물어봤어야 했어 means “I should have asked beforehand.” Together, 아마 그랬을 거야 means “Probably, it was so,” referring to the preceding question’s proposition. 해 보기 전에 물어봤어야 했어 says that the speaker should have asked before trying it. The complete meaning is: “Probably, and I should have asked before trying.”

6. 숨기지 않고 솔직하게 말해 줘서 고마워.

   I appreciate you being upfront instead of hiding it.

   숨기지 않고

   without hiding it

   솔직하게

   honestly; frankly

   말해 줘서

   for telling me

   고마워

   thanks

   More detail

   숨기지 않고 combines 숨기다 (“to hide”) with -지 않고, meaning “without doing X” or “rather than doing X.” Here, the omitted object is the matter being discussed, matching “it” in the translation. The pattern is reusable: V-지 않고 + another action = “without V-ing / instead of V-ing.” 솔직하게 comes from the adjective 솔직하다 (“to be honest, frank”). The ending -게 makes an adjective function adverbially, so it describes how someone speaks: “honestly” or “frankly.” Compare 솔직한 사람 (“an honest person”) with 솔직하게 말하다 (“to speak honestly”). 말해 줘서 contains 말하다 (“to tell/say”) in its connective form 말해, followed by 주다 used as an auxiliary. 말해 주다 means “to tell someone” with the action understood as being done for that person. The -어서 form on 주다 connects this reason to the following expression: 말해 줘서 고마워 means “Thanks for telling me.” In polite speech, 말해 줘서 고마워요 or 말해 주셔서 감사합니다 can be used instead; the latter is more formal and honors the person who tells. 고마워 is an informal expression of thanks from 고맙다, “to be grateful/thankful.” It is appropriate with someone the speaker addresses informally. A more polite form is 고마워요, and a formal form is 감사합니다. Together, 숨기지 않고 솔직하게 sets up the contrast “instead of hiding it, honestly,” while 말해 줘서 presents the telling as the reason for thanks. The whole utterance means: “I appreciate you being upfront instead of hiding it.” It is an informal way to thank someone for speaking honestly about the matter under discussion.

7. 수리를 맡기거나 톱날을 교체할게.

   I can arrange a repair or replace the blade.

   수리를

   repair

   맡기거나

   arrange or entrust

   톱날을

   saw blade

   교체할게

   will replace

   More detail

   수리를 contains the noun 수리, “repair,” followed by the object marker 를. The marker shows that the repair is what is entrusted or arranged. 수리 is a noun, so it does not have verb tense by itself. Example: 수리를 맡겨요. — “I have it sent for repair.” 맡기거나 comes from the verb 맡기다, “to entrust” or “to leave something with a person or service,” plus -거나, which links alternatives with “or.” In 수리를 맡기다, the natural meaning is to have or arrange a repair, rather than simply to possess a repair. The pattern 동사-거나 동사 presents alternative actions. Example: 직접 고치거나 전문가에게 맡겨요. — “I fix it myself or leave it to a professional.” 톱날을 means “the saw blade” as the object of the next verb. 톱날 is the noun for a saw blade, and 을 marks it as the object. The object marker is 을 after a consonant and 를 after a vowel, as seen in 수리를. 교체할게 comes from 교체하다, “to replace,” with -ㄹ게. The base verb is 교체하다; the form 교체할게 expresses the speaker’s intention or commitment to carry out the action. It is not merely a neutral future prediction. A polite version is 교체할게요, “I’ll replace it.” Example: 제가 확인할게요. — “I’ll check it.” Together, 수리를 맡기거나 and 톱날을 교체할게 give two alternatives: arranging a repair, or replacing the saw blade. The final -ㄹ게 presents the speaker as undertaking the selected action, yielding the supplied meaning “I can arrange a repair or replace the blade.”

8. 톱날을 교체하면 충분할 거야.

   Replacing the blade should be enough.

   톱날

   blade

   교체하면

   if [someone] replaces it

   충분할 거야

   should be enough

   More detail

   톱날 means “the blade,” specifically a saw blade in this sentence. It is a noun; 톱 means “saw” and 날 means “blade,” so 톱날 is a useful compound for “saw blade.” Example: 톱날을 갈아요. — “I sharpen the saw blade.” 교체하면 means “if [someone] replaces [it].” Its base form is 교체하다, “to replace”; 교체하면 consists of 교체하- plus -면, a conditional form meaning “if/when.” The subject and object are not stated in this form, so the sentence itself does not specify who replaces the blade; the translation identifies the action as replacing the blade. Example: 필터를 교체하면 좋아요. — “It is good if you replace the filter.” 충분할 거야 means “should be enough” here. 충분하다 means “to be sufficient” or “to be enough,” and 충분할 is its form before 거야: 충분하- plus -ㄹ. 거야 is a colloquial form of 것이야; with this form, it presents the speaker’s expectation or judgment about a future or resulting state. Thus, 충분할 거야 expresses the speaker’s expectation that something will be sufficient, rather than stating a present fact as simply 충분해. Example: 이 정도면 충분할 거야. — “This much should be enough.” Together, 톱날을 marks “the blade” as the object of replacement, 교체하면 sets replacing it as the condition, and 충분할 거야 gives the expected result. The complete utterance therefore means, “Replacing the blade should be enough.”

9. 오늘 그 일을 처리할게.

   I will take care of that today.

   오늘

   today

   그

   that

   일을

   task / matter

   처리할게

   will take care of it

   More detail

   오늘 means “today” and functions as a time adverb. It places the action on the current day. For example, 오늘 만나요. means “Let’s meet today.” 그 is a demonstrative meaning “that” here. With the supplied translation, it refers to the task or matter understood in the conversation. Korean demonstratives include 이 “this,” 그 “that,” and 저 “that over there”; the choice depends on the demonstrative system and context, not simply on the noun’s number. 일을 consists of the noun 일 “task / matter” and the object marker 을. In this sentence, 일 means a task or matter. It can also mean “work” or “job” in other contexts. The marker 을 shows that this noun is the object of the action; after a vowel, the corresponding object marker is 를. 처리할게 comes from 처리하다, “to handle / take care of,” plus -ㄹ게. The base verb 처리하다 means to deal with or complete a matter. In this form, the speaker presents handling the matter as a commitment or intention, often oriented toward the listener: “I’ll take care of it.” Compare the more neutral polite future/intention construction 처리할 거예요, which presents a future plan or expectation. For example, 제가 그 문제를 처리할게요. means “I’ll take care of that problem.” Together, 오늘 sets the time, 그 일을 identifies the matter being acted on, and 처리할게 expresses the speaker’s commitment to handle it. The full utterance therefore means: “I will take care of that today.”

10. 톱을 돌려주기 전에 교체가 끝나면 알려 줘.

    Tell me when it is replaced before you bring the saw back.

    톱

    saw

    돌려주기

    returning

    전에

    before

    교체

    replacement

    끝나면

    when it is finished

    알려 줘

    let me know

    More detail

    톱 means “saw.” It is a noun here, and 톱을 marks it as the object of 돌려주기: the saw is what will be returned. 돌려주기 is the noun-like -기 form of 돌려주다, “to return or give back.” The -기 form lets this action occur before another expression such as 전에. Here the object is 톱을, so the phrase means “returning the saw.” Example: 책을 돌려주기 전에 연락해요. — “I contact them before returning the book.” 전에 means “before.” In 돌려주기 전에, it sets returning the saw as the deadline: the requested notification should happen before that return. A reusable pattern is 동사-기 전에 (“before doing something”). 교체 is a noun meaning “replacement” or “change-out.” In 교체가 끝나면, it is marked as the subject of 끝나다, so the sentence focuses on the replacement process being complete. 교체 can combine with 하다 in 교체하다, “to replace” or “to change out.” 끝나면 is the conditional form of 끝나다, “to finish” or “to end.” 끝나- plus -면 means “when/if it finishes.” With 교체가 as its subject, it means “when the replacement is finished.” The form -면 can express a condition or a time trigger; here it expresses the time at which the notification is requested. Example: 수업이 끝나면 전화해요. — “Call me when class finishes.” 알려 줘 means “let me know” or “tell me.” It consists of 알리다 (“to inform”) in the form 알려 plus 주다 (“to give”) used as a helping verb. This informal ending makes a direct request to the addressee. The spaced form 알려 줘 is a common request pattern. Example: 도착하면 알려 줘. — “Let me know when you arrive.” Together, 교체가 끝나면 means “when the replacement is finished,” and 알려 줘 makes that a request to notify the speaker. 톱을 돌려주기 전에 adds the deadline “before returning the saw.” The complete utterance is: “Tell me when it is replaced before you bring the saw back.”