Making a plan after being locked out | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 나는 집에 들어갈 수 없고, 여분 열쇠는 아파트 안에 있어.

   I am locked out, and my spare key is inside the apartment.

   나는

   I

   집

   home; house

   들어갈

   enter; go in

   수 없고

   cannot, and

   여분

   spare; extra

   열쇠

   key

   아파트

   apartment

   안에

   inside

   있어

   is; exists

   More detail

   나는 combines 나 (“I,” the first-person singular pronoun) with the topic marker 는. The marker presents the speaker as the topic; it does not by itself express an action. For example, 나는 학생이야 means “I am a student.” 집 means “house” or “home.” In this sentence it appears with the following location/direction marker in 집에; with 들어가다 (“to enter/go in”), 집에 들어가다 means “enter the house/home.” The noun itself is 집, not 집에. 들어갈 comes from 들어가다, “to enter” or “to go in.” Here 들어갈 is the form placed before 수 in the possibility pattern V-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다. Thus 들어갈 수 refers to being able to enter, while 들어갈 by itself is not the complete meaning “can enter.” 수 없고 contains 수, a noun used in this construction for possibility or ability, and 없다, “to not exist” or, here, “to be impossible/not be able to.” 들어갈 수 없다 means “cannot enter.” The ending -고 connects this negative clause to the next one: “cannot enter, and …” The form 없고 is the connective form of 없다 in this use. 여분 means “spare” or “extra.” It describes the following noun in 여분 열쇠, “spare key.” This is a descriptive noun used attributively; it is not the word for the key itself. 열쇠 means “key.” In 여분 열쇠는, it is the head noun of the phrase “the spare key,” and 는 marks that phrase as the topic of the second clause. The sentence does not use a separate possessive word for “my”; the fixed translation identifies this spare key as the speaker’s. 아파트 means “apartment.” With the following 안에, the phrase 아파트 안에 means “inside the apartment.” 안에 means “inside,” formed from 안 (“inside”) plus the location marker 에. In this sentence it marks the location where the key exists. 안 can also be used in other location phrases, such as 상자 안에 (“inside the box”). 있어 is the informal conversational form of 있다, used here for the existence or location of a nonhuman thing. After a location phrase, 아파트 안에 있어 means “is inside the apartment.” The same form can mean “exists” or “there is” in other contexts, but the location phrase gives it the meaning “is located.” Together, 나는 집에 들어갈 수 없고 means “I cannot enter the house/home, and” or, in the fixed situation, “I am locked out.” Then 여분 열쇠는 아파트 안에 있어 means “the spare key is inside the apartment.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I am locked out, and my spare key is inside the apartment.” The style is informal conversational Korean.

2. 먼저 집주인에게 연락해 봐.

   Try the landlord first.

   먼저

   first

   집주인

   landlord

   에게

   to (a person)

   연락해 봐

   try contacting

   More detail

   먼저 means “first” or “before anything else.” It is an adverb, so it tells us the order of the action. Example: 먼저 읽어 보세요. — “Please read it first.” 집주인 means “landlord”: 집 is “house/home,” and 주인 is “owner.” Here it refers to the landlord whom the speaker advises contacting. The word can also refer to an owner in other contexts, but in this sentence the intended meaning is landlord. 에게 marks the person who is contacted or receives an action. The pattern person에게 연락하다 means “contact someone.” For example, 관리자에게 연락하세요. — “Contact the manager.” 에게 is used with a person or other animate recipient; it is not the part that means “landlord.” 연락해 봐 comes from 연락하다 (“to contact”) combined with -아/어 보다, which adds the idea of trying an action. 연락하다 changes to 연락해 before 보다, and 봐 is the informal command form of 보다 in this construction. Thus 연락해 봐 means “try contacting [someone].” The command is in plain informal style; the sentence does not specify the relationship between speaker and listener. Example: 다시 물어봐. — “Try asking again.” Together, 먼저 집주인에게 sets the priority and identifies the person to contact: “the landlord first.” 연락해 봐 makes this a suggestion or instruction to try contacting that person. The complete utterance therefore means, “Try the landlord first.” In the supplied situation, this presents contacting the landlord as the first step before the later suggested action.

3. 그다음에 곧 도움을 받을 수 없으면 열쇠공에게 전화해.

   Then call a locksmith if you cannot get help soon.

   그다음에

   then / next

   곧

   soon

   도움을

   help

   받을 수 없으면

   if [someone] cannot get

   열쇠공

   locksmith

   전화해

   call

   More detail

   그다음에 means “then” or “next,” marking the action that follows an earlier step. The ending -에 here helps mark a point or stage in sequence. Example: 그다음에 집에 가. — “Then go home.” 곧 means “soon,” referring to a short time from now or from the relevant point in the situation. It modifies the possibility of getting help here; it is not part of the noun 도움. 도움을 is 도움 (“help”) with the object marker -을. The noun 도움 is related to the verb 돕다 (“to help”), but 도움을 itself is the noun phrase used as the object of 받다. Example: 도움을 받았어. — “I received help.” 받을 수 없으면 expresses “if [someone] cannot get or receive.” 받다 is the base form “to receive/get”; 받을 is its form before 수, and 수 없다 means that an action is not possible. -으면 makes the condition “if/when.” Together, 도움을 받을 수 없으면 means “if you cannot get help.” The subject is omitted in Korean, while the fixed translation identifies it as “you.” Example: 시간이 없으면 택시를 탈 수 없어. — “If I don’t have time, I can’t take a taxi.” 열쇠공 means “locksmith,” a person whose work concerns locks and keys. The noun is followed directly by the destination/recipient marker -에게 in the full sentence: 열쇠공에게 means “to a locksmith.” Example: 열쇠공에게 물어봐. — “Ask a locksmith.” 전화해 is an informal spoken command meaning “call.” It is the command form of 전화하다 (“to call by telephone”); the final -해 form is used in casual speech. The object or destination can be added after it, as in 친구에게 전화해. — “Call a friend.” Together, 그다음에 sets this action as the next step, 도움을 받을 수 없으면 supplies the condition, and 열쇠공에게 전화해 gives the command: “Then call a locksmith if you cannot get help soon.”

4. 메시지를 남겼지만, 집주인은 아직 답장하지 않았어.

   I left a message, but the landlord has not replied yet.

   메시지

   message

   남겼지만

   left, but

   집주인

   landlord

   아직

   still; yet

   답장하지 않았어

   has not replied

   More detail

   메시지를 means “a message” as the object of the action. 메시지 is a noun meaning “message,” and 를 marks it as the object. Example: 메시지를 보냈어. — “I sent a message.” 남겼지만 comes from 남기다, “to leave” or “to leave behind,” and here means “left.” The form 남겼어 is the informal past form; -지만 adds “but” and connects this clause to a contrasting clause. The omitted subject is understood as “I” from the fixed translation. Example: 메모를 남겼지만 아무도 읽지 않았어. — “I left a note, but nobody read it.” 집주인은 means “the landlord” as the topic of the following clause. 집주인 is a noun for the owner or landlord of a house, and 은 marks it as the topic. Example: 집주인은 친절해. — “The landlord is kind.” 아직 means “yet” here because it occurs with a negative verb: it indicates that the expected reply has not happened up to the relevant time. With a positive verb, it can instead mean “still,” as in 아직 기다리고 있어. — “I am still waiting.” 답장하지 않았어 means “has not replied.” 답장하다 means “to reply” or “to send a reply.” In this observed form, -지 않다 makes the verb negative, and the past form 않았어 places the non-occurrence before now; with 아직, the natural meaning is that no reply has arrived yet. The ending -어 is informal speech. Example: 그는 아직 답장하지 않았어. — “He has not replied yet.” Together, 메시지를 남겼지만 says “I left a message, but,” setting up a contrast. 집주인은 아직 답장하지 않았어 says that the landlord has not replied up to now. The whole utterance therefore means: “I left a message, but the landlord has not replied yet.”

5. 당장 들어가야 하는 게 아니라면 조금 더 기다려.

   Wait a little longer unless you need to get in right away.

   당장

   right away

   들어가야

   need to go in

   하는 게 아니라면

   if it is not the case that …

   조금 더

   a little more

   기다려

   wait

   More detail

   당장 means “right away” or “immediately.” It is an adverb that specifies the timing of an action. Compared with 지금 (“now”), it emphasizes that the action should happen without delay. 들어가야 comes from 들어가다 (“to go in, enter”) plus -아/어야. In this sentence it continues into 들어가야 하다, a necessity construction meaning “have to go in” or “need to go in.” Example: 지금 들어가야 해. — “I have to go in now.” 하는 게 아니라면 belongs with the preceding 들어가야: 들어가야 하는 게 아니라면 means “if it is not the case that you need to go in,” naturally “unless you need to go in.” Here 하는 is the modifier form of 하다, and 게 is the spoken contraction of 것이; together they make the necessity clause into the thing being negated by 아니라면 (“if it is not”). The fixed translation identifies the person who needs to go in as “you.” 조금 더 combines 조금 (“a little”) and 더 (“more”). With 기다려, it means “a little longer,” extending the waiting time already understood. Example: 조금 더 있어. — “Stay a little longer.” 기다려 is the informal imperative of 기다리다 (“to wait”), used to tell someone to wait in familiar or casual speech. A polite imperative is 기다리세요. Example: 여기서 기다려. — “Wait here.” Together, 당장 들어가야 하는 게 아니라면 sets the condition “unless you need to go in right away,” and 조금 더 기다려 gives the instruction “wait a little longer.” The whole utterance means: “Wait a little longer unless you need to get in right away.”

6. 누군가 도와주러 오면 내가 여기 산다는 것을 증명해야 할 수도 있어.

   I may need to prove I live here if someone comes to help.

   누군가

   someone

   도와주러

   to help

   오면

   if someone comes

   내가

   I

   여기

   here

   산다는 것

   the fact of living

   증명해야 할 수도 있어

   may need to prove

   More detail

   누군가 means “someone,” an unspecified person. It is a pronoun, so it does not identify which person. Example: 누군가 전화했어요. — “Someone called.” 도와주러 comes from 도와주다 (“to help”) plus -러, a purpose ending used before movement verbs such as 오다 (“to come”) and 가다 (“to go”). In 도와주다, 돕다 (“to help”) appears as 도와 before 주다; 도와주러 오다 means “to come to help.” 오면 is 오다 (“to come”) plus -면, which expresses “if” or “when.” Here it means “if [someone] comes,” with 누군가 as the subject. Example: 비가 오면 집에 있을 거예요. — “If it rains, I will stay home.” 내가 is the subject form of 나 (“I”): 나 + the subject particle 가. It marks “I” as the subject of the proposition 여기 산다는 것. The particle choice is grammatical rather than a change in the pronoun’s basic meaning. 여기 means “here,” referring to the relevant place in the situation. It can be used independently of the subject: 나는 여기 있어요. — “I am here.” 산다는 것 is the noun-like expression 살다 (“to live”) + -ㄴ다는 + 것 (“thing/fact”). In this form, the final ㄹ of 살다 is dropped before the ㄴ of -ㄴ다는, giving 산다는, not because the stem merely ends in any consonant. The whole expression means “the fact that [someone] lives,” and here 내가 여기 산다는 것 means “the fact that I live here.” This pattern turns a proposition into something that can serve as a noun phrase: 그가 온다는 것을 알아요. — “I know that he is coming.” 증명해야 할 수도 있어 combines 증명하다 (“to prove”), -아/어야 하다 (“must/need to”), and -ㄹ 수도 있다 (“may/could”). 증명해야 is the form of 증명하다 used in the necessity pattern; 할 is the form of 하다 before the possibility pattern. Thus 증명해야 할 수도 있어 means “may need to prove,” not simply “may prove.” The final 있어 is the informal present form of 있다 in this construction. Example: 내일 다시 와야 할 수도 있어요. — “I may need to come again tomorrow.” Putting the parts together, 누군가 도와주러 오면 sets the condition, “if someone comes to help.” 내가 여기 산다는 것을 is the proposition being proved, “that I live here,” and 증명해야 할 수도 있어 expresses possible necessity, “I may need to prove.” The complete meaning is: “I may need to prove I live here if someone comes to help.”

7. 신분증을 준비해 두고 따뜻한 곳에서 기다려.

   Keep your identification ready and wait in a warm place.

   신분증

   identification card

   준비해 두고

   keep prepared, then

   따뜻한

   warm

   곳

   place

   기다려

   wait

   More detail

   신분증 means an identification card or ID. It is a noun; in the sentence, the attached object marker 을 makes it the thing being prepared: 신분증을. 준비해 두고 is built from 준비하다 “to prepare,” -아/어 두다, and -고. 준비해 두다 means to prepare something in advance and leave it ready for later use, so this is more specific than simply 준비해 “prepare.” Here -고 connects that action with the following instruction. The understood subject is the person being addressed. 따뜻한 is the attributive form of the descriptive verb 따뜻하다 “to be warm.” It directly modifies a noun: 따뜻한 곳 means “a warm place.” The related opposite is 차갑다 “to be cold,” but that is a separate word, not a form of 따뜻하다. 곳 is a noun meaning “place” or “spot.” With the following location marker, the observed phrase is 곳에서, “in/at a place.” The marker 에서 presents that place as where the waiting happens. 기다려 comes from 기다리다 “to wait.” In this sentence it is an informal imperative, so it tells the listener to wait. The ending is appropriate in a direct, familiar instruction; a more formal polite instruction would use a different ending, such as 기다리세요. Together, 신분증을 준비해 두고 says to prepare the identification in advance and keep it ready, while 따뜻한 곳에서 기다려 says to wait in a warm place. The whole utterance is therefore: “Keep your identification ready and wait in a warm place.”

8. 필요하지 않으면 열쇠공에게 전화하고 싶지 않아.

   I do not want to call a locksmith unless it is necessary.

   필요하지 않으면

   if it is not necessary

   열쇠공

   locksmith

   전화하고

   call

   싶지 않아

   do not want to

   More detail

   필요하지 않으면 means “if it is not necessary.” The base form 필요하다 means “to be necessary.” Here, 필요하지 않다 is the negative form, and -으면 marks the condition: “if/when it is not necessary.” The subject is omitted in Korean; the fixed translation expresses it with “it.” A reusable pattern is A-지 않으면 for “if A is not …,” when the language permits that form with the relevant predicate. 열쇠공 is a noun meaning “locksmith.” In this sentence, 열쇠공에게 marks the locksmith as the target or recipient of the call. Korean nouns do not take an article, so 열쇠공 can refer to a locksmith without an article-like form. 전화하고 comes from 전화하다, “to call” or “to telephone.” The ending -고 links this verb to the following expression. For example, 친구에게 전화하고 만나요 means “I call my friend and meet [them],” with the exact connection supplied by context. 싶지 않아 expresses “do not want to.” 싶다 follows an action form with -고: 전화하고 싶다 means “want to call.” Negating 싶다 gives 전화하고 싶지 않다, and the observed informal-style ending 않아 gives 전화하고 싶지 않아. The negative applies to the desire, so the utterance says that the speaker does not want to make the call. Together, 필요하지 않으면 sets the condition, 열쇠공에게 identifies whom to call, and 전화하고 싶지 않아 expresses the speaker’s lack of desire to call. The whole utterance means: “I do not want to call a locksmith unless it is necessary.”

9. 집주인이 계속 답장하지 않으면 열쇠공에게 전화해서 상황을 설명해.

   If the landlord still does not reply, call one and explain the situation.

   집주인이

   landlord

   계속

   still; continually

   답장하지 않으면

   if (someone) does not reply

   열쇠공에게

   to a locksmith

   전화해서

   call and then

   상황

   situation

   설명해

   explain

   More detail

   집주인이 means “the landlord” as the subject of the condition. 집주인 is the noun “landlord,” and 이 is the subject marker used after a consonant-ending noun. The marker identifies the landlord as the participant who does not reply; it does not by itself state how many landlords there are. 계속 adds continuation: the nonreply persists over time. It can modify an action or state that continues. Example: 계속 기다려. — “Keep waiting.” 답장하지 않으면 means “if the landlord does not reply.” The base verb is 답장하다, “to reply,” especially by message or letter. 하지 않다 negates the verb, and -으면 forms the conditional “if/when.” This gives a reusable pattern for “if [someone] does not [verb].” Example: 비가 오지 않으면 걸어가자. — “If it does not rain, let’s walk.” 열쇠공에게 means “to a locksmith.” 열쇠공 is “locksmith,” and 에게 marks a person as the recipient or target of an action. In the supplied context, this is the locksmith referred to by “one” in the translation. Example: 기사님에게 물어봐. — “Ask the technician.” 전화해서 comes from 전화하다, “to call.” The connective ending -해서 links the call to the following action, giving “call and then” here. Example: 친구에게 전화해서 물어봤어. — “I called my friend and asked.” 상황 is the noun “situation” or “circumstances.” Here it is the thing that will be explained. Example: 상황을 이해했어. — “I understood the situation.” 설명해 comes from 설명하다, “to explain.” Here it is a non-polite informal imperative: the speaker tells the listener to explain. The subject is omitted and understood as the listener, but the form itself does not identify that person by name. A more polite command is 설명하세요. Example: 문제를 설명해. — “Explain the problem.” Together, 집주인이 계속 답장하지 않으면 sets the condition: if the landlord still does not reply. 열쇠공에게 전화해서 gives the first requested action and connects it to 상황을 설명해, the next action. The complete utterance means: “If the landlord still does not reply, call one and explain the situation.”

10. 로비에 앉아 휴대전화를 켜 둘 수 있어.

    I can sit in the lobby and keep my phone on.

    로비에

    in the lobby

    앉아

    sit

    휴대전화를

    phone

    켜 둘 수 있어

    can keep it on

    More detail

    로비에 marks 로비 (“lobby”) as the place where the action takes place. The particle 에 is commonly used for a destination or a location associated with an action or state: 집에 있어 means “be at home.” 앉아 is the connective form of 앉다, “to sit.” It links this action to the following one, with the same understood subject: “sit and …” The ending -아 here is not a command; it connects clauses. Example: 여기 앉아 쉬어요. — “I sit here and rest.” 휴대전화를 means “the phone” as the object being acted on. 휴대전화 means “mobile phone,” and the object particle -를 marks what is turned on. The form does not itself specify who owns the phone; the fixed translation identifies it as the speaker’s phone in this utterance. 켜 둘 수 있어 combines three useful parts. 켜다 means “to turn on”; 켜 is its connective form. 두다 after another verb means to do that action and leave the result in place, so 켜 두다 means “turn on and leave it on” or “keep it on.” -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility, and its informal present form here is 수 있어, “can.” Thus 켜 둘 수 있어 means “can keep it on,” rather than merely “can turn it on.” Together, 로비에 앉아 gives “sit in the lobby,” and 휴대전화를 켜 둘 수 있어 gives “can keep the phone on.” The whole utterance is therefore “I can sit in the lobby and keep my phone on.” The subject is omitted in Korean and is understood here as “I” from the fixed translation.

11. 집주인에게 조금 더 시간을 주는 동안 거기서 따뜻하게 있을 수 있어.

    You can stay warm there while you give the landlord a little more time.

    집주인

    landlord

    조금

    a little

    더

    more

    시간

    time

    주는

    giving

    동안

    while

    거기서

    there

    따뜻하게

    warmly

    있을 수 있어

    can stay

    More detail

    집주인 means “landlord” here. It is a noun: 집 means house/home and 주인 means owner, but 집주인 is used as the established word for a landlord. The particle 에게 follows it in the full sentence and marks the person who receives something or is the target of an action. 조금 means “a little” and indicates a small amount. 더 means “more” and adds an increase relative to an understood amount. Together, 조금 더 means “a little more,” but the two words remain separate and reusable: for example, 조금 더 기다려요 means “Please wait a little longer.” 시간 means “time.” In this sentence, it is the thing being given: 시간을 marks 시간 as the object of 주다, “to give.” The object marker 을 is attached to the noun. 주는 is the form of 주다, “to give,” used before a following noun-like time expression. 주다 becomes 주는 in the present attributive form, so 시간을 주는 동안 is literally “during [the act of] giving time.” The construction A-는 동안 means “while A” or “during A.” For example, 기다리는 동안 읽어요 means “I read while waiting.” 거기서 means “there” with a location meaning: 거기 is “there,” and -서 marks the place where an action or state occurs. It does not by itself identify a more specific referent for “there.” 따뜻하게 means “warmly” or “in a warm state.” It is the adverbial form of 따뜻하다, “to be warm”: 따뜻하다 → 따뜻하게. Here it describes the state in which the subject remains. 있을 수 있어 expresses “can stay” or “can be there.” 있다 means “to be/stay,” and 있을 is its form before 수 있다; the pattern V-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility. The final 있어 is the informal-present form of 있다 in this construction. The sentence’s fixed translation identifies the implicit subject as “you.” As a whole, 집주인에게 marks the landlord as the recipient, and 조금 더 시간을 주는 동안 means “while giving [the landlord] a little more time.” 거기서 따뜻하게 있을 수 있어 means “you can stay warm there.” Together: “You can stay warm there while you give the landlord a little more time.”