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

Korean lesson set in a contemporary Seoul everyday setting: In a shared space, one adult explains damage to a borrowed saw and agrees to replace the blade before returning it..

EN → KO / Level: B1

About This Lesson

Use Taking responsibility for a damaged borrowed tool to practice Korean conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

내가 빌린 톱에 대해 솔직하게 말해야 해.

neh-GAH BIL-lin TOHP-eh TEH-heh sol-JJIK-kah-geh mal-HAE-yah hae I need to be honest about the saw I borrowed.
B

무슨 일이 있었는지 설명해 줄래?

MOO-sun ee-ree ee-SUN-nun-jee sul-myung-HEH jool-LEH Can you explain what happened?
A

두꺼운 나무를 자르다가 톱날이 손상됐어.

ttoo-KKUH-un nah-MOO-rul jah-ruh-DAH-gah tom-NAH-ree son-SAHNG-dwae-SSUH The blade got damaged while I was cutting thick wood.
B

그 톱으로 자르기에는 나무가 너무 두꺼웠어?

guh TOH-buh-roh jah-reu-GEE-eh-nun nah-MOO-gah nuh-MOO ttoo-KKUH-wuh-SSUH Was the wood too thick for that saw?
A

아마 그랬을 거야. 해 보기 전에 물어봤어야 했어.

ah-MAH guh-REH-sseul guh-YAH. heh boh-GEE juh-NEH moo-ruh-BWASS-uh-yah HESS-uh Probably, and I should have asked before trying.
B

숨기지 않고 솔직하게 말해 줘서 고마워.

SOOM-gee-jee AHN-koh sol-JJIK-kah-geh mal-HEH jwuh-SUH goh-MAH-wuh I appreciate you being upfront instead of hiding it.
A

수리를 맡기거나 톱날을 교체할게.

SOO-ree-rul mat-gee-guh-NAH tom-NAH-rul gyoh-CHAY-hal-KKEH I can arrange a repair or replace the blade.
B

톱날을 교체하면 충분할 거야.

tom-NAH-rul gyoh-CHAY-ha-myun choong-BOON-hal guh-YAH Replacing the blade should be enough.
A

오늘 그 일을 처리할게.

OH-nuhl guh ee-reul chuh-REE-hal-KKEH I will take care of that today.
B

톱을 돌려주기 전에 교체가 끝나면 알려 줘.

TOH-bul dol-LYUH-joo-gee juh-NEH gyoh-CHAY-gah KKEUN-nah-myun al-LYUH jwuh Tell me when it is replaced before you bring the saw back.

Word by Word

내가 내가 means “I” as the subject of the statement. It is 나 with the subject marker 가, and here the speaker identifies themself as responsible for what happened. A common reuse is to place 내가 before the action or state being attributed to oneself.
빌린 빌린 means “borrowed” and describes the saw in 내가 빌린 톱. It is the noun-modifying form of 빌리다. It is useful before a noun when identifying something that was borrowed.
톱에 톱에 refers to “the saw” as the topic of the following expression in 톱에 대해. The 에 combines with 대해 to express what something concerns. A common reuse is to attach this form to a topic before explaining or discussing it.
대해 대해 means “about” or “concerning” in 톱에 대해, referring to the subject the speaker will discuss. The complete expression 톱에 대해 means “about the saw,” rather than 대해 alone carrying the whole meaning. It is commonly used after a topic when talking or giving information about it.
솔직하게 솔직하게 means “honestly” or “frankly” and describes how the speaker will speak in 솔직하게 말해야 해. Its adverbial form lets it modify an action such as speaking. It is useful when openly discussing a mistake, problem, or personal opinion.
말해야 말해야 means “must say” or “must tell” in 말해야 해. It is the 말하다 part of the obligation expression 말해야 해, which as a whole means “I have to be honest and say it.” A common reuse is to place an action in this form before 해 when saying that it must be done.
해 해 completes the obligation expression 말해야 해, so the whole phrase means “must say” or “have to tell,” not simply “do.” It is the conversational form of 하다 used here as the final part of the obligation. This ending is useful for stating a necessary action in casual conversation.
무슨 무슨 means “what” or “what kind of” before 일이 in 무슨 일이 있었는지. It asks the speaker to identify the event or situation. It is commonly placed directly before a noun when asking what sort of thing or matter is involved.
일이 일이 presents an event or matter as the subject in 무슨 일이 있었는지. It is 일 with the subject marker 이, so the phrase asks what event happened. The same form is useful when asking about an unspecified situation or incident.
있었는지 있었는지 marks the embedded question about what happened in 무슨 일이 있었는지 설명해 줄래. It combines the past existence or occurrence in 있었 with the question-related ending 는지. It commonly appears before verbs such as explaining, knowing, or checking when the question is included inside a larger sentence.
설명해 설명해 means “explain” in 설명해 줄래? It is the conversational form of 설명하다 and is followed by 줄래 to make a request for the listener to explain. It is useful when asking someone to clarify an event, reason, or process.
줄래 줄래 makes 설명해 줄래? a casual request meaning “will you explain?” or “could you explain?” Here it adds the idea of doing the action for the speaker. It is commonly attached to an action when asking a familiar interlocutor to do something.
두꺼운 두꺼운 means “thick” and modifies 나무 in 두꺼운 나무를. It is the noun-modifying form of 두껍다. It is useful before a noun when describing the thickness of a material or object.
나무를 나무를 means “wood” as the object being cut in 나무를 자르다가. It is 나무 with the object marker 를. The dialogue shows the reusable action pattern 나무를 자르다, with the material placed before the cutting action.
자르다가 자르다가 means “while cutting” in 나무를 자르다가, introducing the activity during which the blade was damaged. It comes from 자르다 followed by the connective form 다가. This form is useful when one event occurs during or interrupts another action.
톱날이 톱날이 means “the saw blade” as the subject of the damage in 톱날이 손상됐어. It is 톱날 with the subject marker 이. It is useful when identifying which object has a particular condition or experienced a change.
손상됐어 손상됐어 means “got damaged” or “was damaged” in 톱날이 손상됐어. It is the conversational past form related to 손상되다 and reports the resulting condition of the blade. It is useful for describing damage to an object after an incident.
그 그 means “that” or “the mentioned” in 그 톱, pointing back to the saw already under discussion. It comes directly before the noun it identifies. It is useful when referring to a previously mentioned person, object, or situation.
톱으로 톱으로 means “with that saw” in 그 톱으로 자르기에는. It is 톱 with 으로, which marks the tool or means used for an action. This marker is useful after a tool or method when explaining how something is done.
자르기에는 자르기에는 means “for cutting” or “as far as cutting is concerned” in 그 톱으로 자르기에는 나무가 너무 두꺼웠어. It turns the action of cutting into the activity being evaluated with the following condition. The pattern is useful when judging whether an object or method is suitable for a particular action.
나무가 나무가 means “the wood” as the subject of the description in 나무가 너무 두꺼웠어. It is 나무 with the subject marker 가. It is useful when making the material itself the subject of an adjective or condition.
너무 너무 means “too” or “excessively” in 너무 두꺼웠어. It shows that the degree of thickness was beyond what was suitable for the saw. It is commonly placed before an adjective when describing an excessive degree.
두꺼웠어 두꺼웠어 means “was thick” and, with 너무, the phrase 너무 두꺼웠어 means “was too thick.” It is the conversational past form of 두껍다, describing the wood’s past condition. It is useful for reporting a past state in casual speech.
아마 아마 means “probably” and signals that the speaker is giving an uncertain but likely answer. Here it introduces the conclusion about the wood being too thick. It is commonly placed near the beginning of a sentence when making a tentative judgment.
그랬을 그랬을 contributes “would have been so” or “was probably that way” in 아마 그랬을 거야. It is the past-looking form of 그렇다 before 거야, and the complete expression gives a likely conclusion about the earlier situation. It is useful when inferring what was probably true.
거야 거야 completes 아마 그랬을 거야 and makes it a likely conclusion meaning “it probably was.” The expression as a whole is used for an expected or inferred situation, rather than 거야 alone meaning “will be” here. It is useful when explaining what the speaker believes is likely.
보기 보기 means “trying” in 해 보기 전에. It is the nominalized form of 보다 within 해 보다, where the whole expression 해 보다 means “try doing.” With 전에, it refers to the time before attempting the action. This pattern is useful when describing what happened before trying something.
전에 전에 means “before” in 해 보기 전에, setting the earlier time relative to trying the action. It follows the action expressed by 보기. It is useful for placing one event before another in time.
물어봤어야 물어봤어야 means “should have asked” in 물어봤어야 했어. It is based on 물어보다 and expresses a past action that was necessary but was not done. The complete phrase is useful when admitting that one should have asked for information or permission earlier.
했어 했어 completes 물어봤어야 했어, making the whole expression a past admission that the speaker should have asked. Here it does not simply mean “did”; it completes the past obligation or regret expression. It is useful in casual speech when reflecting on an action that should have happened.
숨기지 숨기지 means “hide” inside 숨기지 않고, which means “without hiding it.” The 지 connects the action of hiding to the following negative connective 않고. This pattern is useful when describing one action that was not done before or instead of another action.
않고 않고 contributes “without doing” or “and not” in 숨기지 않고. Together with 숨기지, it says that the speaker did not hide the damage. It is commonly used after an action to link it with a following action while excluding the first action.
말해 말해 means “tell” or “say” in 말해 줘서. It is the conversational form of 말하다 and combines with 줘서 to describe telling something as a favor to the listener. It is useful when reporting information directly to another person.
줘서 줘서 means “because you did it for me” in 말해 줘서. The whole expression 말해 줘서 means “because you told me” or “thanks for telling me,” with 줘서 showing that the action benefited the speaker and provides the reason for thanks. This pattern is useful when thanking someone for doing an action for you.
고마워 고마워 means “thanks” or “I appreciate it” in this casual exchange. Here it thanks the other person for being honest and telling the truth. It is useful with a familiar interlocutor after someone has done something helpful or considerate.
수리를 수리를 means “a repair” as the object of 맡기다 in 수리를 맡기거나. It is 수리 with the object marker 를. The phrase refers to having the repair handled by someone or a service, and it is useful when discussing arrangements for a repair.
맡기거나 맡기거나 means “entrust or arrange to have handled” in 수리를 맡기거나. It combines 맡기다 with the alternative marker 거나, presenting repair as one option before the alternative of replacing the blade. This form is useful when offering two or more possible actions.
교체할게 교체할게 means “I’ll replace it” and expresses the speaker’s commitment in 교체할게. It is the form of 교체하다 used with a conversational promise or intention ending. It is useful when volunteering to take responsibility for a task.
톱날을 톱날을 means “the saw blade” as the object to be replaced in 톱날을 교체할게 and 톱날을 교체하면. It is 톱날 with the object marker 을. It is useful when identifying the item that an action such as replacing is performed on.
교체하면 교체하면 means “if or when it is replaced” in 톱날을 교체하면 충분할 거야. It uses 교체하다 with the conditional or temporal ending 면, linking replacement to the expected result. This form is useful when stating what will be sufficient if a particular action is completed.
충분할 충분할 means “will be enough” or “will be sufficient” in 충분할 거야. It describes the expected result after replacing the blade. It is useful before 거야 when expressing an expected or inferred future state.
오늘 오늘 means “today” and specifies when the speaker will take care of the matter in 오늘 그 일을 처리할게. It functions as a time expression. It is useful for making a commitment tied to the current day.
일을 일을 means “the matter” or “the task” as the object of 처리할게 in 그 일을 처리할게. It is 일 with the object marker 을, and 그 identifies the matter already understood from the conversation. It is useful when referring to a task that someone will handle.
처리할게 처리할게 means “I’ll take care of it” or “I’ll handle it” in 그 일을 처리할게. It is the form of 처리하다 used to make a commitment to deal with a task. It is useful when accepting responsibility for resolving a practical matter.
톱을 톱을 means “the saw” as the object being returned in 톱을 돌려주기 전에. It is 톱 with the object marker 을. It is useful when identifying an item that will be given back to its owner or previous holder.
돌려주기 돌려주기 means “returning it” in 돌려주기 전에. It is the nominalized form of 돌려주다, which means giving something back, and 전에 places the return after the condition in the sentence. This pattern is useful for saying that one event must happen before returning something.
끝나면 끝나면 means “when it is finished” in 교체가 끝나면. It is the form of 끝나다 with 면, linking the completion of the replacement to the request to inform the other person. It is useful for referring to the time when an event or task ends.
알려 알려 means “let me know” or “tell me” in 알려 줘. It is the conversational form related to 알리다 and combines with 줘 to make a request for information. It is useful when asking someone to inform you after a condition or event.
줘 줘 completes 알려 줘, a casual request meaning “please let me know.” It comes from 주다 and adds the sense of doing the action as a favor for the speaker. It is useful after an action when asking a familiar person to do that action for you.

Grammar Points

동사-기에는

이 나무는 자르기에는 두꺼워.

ee nah-MOO-nun jah-reu-GEE-eh-nun ttoo-KKUH-wuh

This wood is too thick to cut.

Use -기에는 to say that something is unsuitable or difficult for doing an action.

-았/었어야 했어

물어봤어야 했어.

moo-ruh-BWASS-uh-yah HESS-uh

I should have asked.

Expresses regret or criticism about an action that should have happened in the past.

Korean Vocabulary

나무 noun
nah-MOO wood; tree

두꺼운 나무를 자르다가

두껍다 adj
ttoo-KKUHP-ttah to be thick 두꺼운

두꺼운 나무

말하다 verb
mal-hah-dah to speak; to say 말해야 해

솔직하게 말해야 해

무슨 일 phrase
MOO-sun NEEL what happened; what matter

무슨 일이 있었는지

빌리다 verb
BIL-lee-dah to borrow 빌린

내가 빌린 톱

설명하다 verb
sul-myung-hah-dah to explain 설명해

설명해 줄래?

손상되다 verb
son-SAHNG-dweh-dah to be damaged 손상됐어

톱날이 손상됐어

솔직하다 adj
sol-JJIK-hah-dah to be honest 솔직하게

솔직하게 말해야 해

아마 adv
ah-MAH probably; perhaps

아마 그랬을 거야

자르다 verb
jah-ruh-dah to cut 자르기에는

그 톱으로 자르기에는

톱 noun
TOHP saw

내가 빌린 톱

톱날 noun
tom-NAL saw blade

톱날이 손상됐어

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can you explain what happened?

Show Answer무슨 일이 있었는지 설명해 줄래?

The blade got damaged while I was cutting thick wood.

Show Answer두꺼운 나무를 자르다가 톱날이 손상됐어.

Was the wood too thick for that saw?

Show Answer그 톱으로 자르기에는 나무가 너무 두꺼웠어?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to be damaged

Show Answer손상됐어

to be honest

Show Answer솔직하게

to cut

Show Answer자르기에는

to be thick

Show Answer두꺼운