Planning an outing during a heatwave | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 폭염이 계속될 것으로 예상돼요.

   The heatwave is expected to continue.

   폭염

   heatwave

   계속될

   will continue

   예상돼요

   is expected

   More detail

   폭염 means “heatwave,” a period of unusually intense heat. It is a noun; the subject marker 이 in 폭염이 marks the heatwave as the subject of the prediction. Example: 폭염이 끝났어요. — “The heatwave ended.” 계속될 comes from 계속되다, “to continue.” The observed form is the prospective attributive form: 계속되다 → 계속될. It describes what is expected to happen next and modifies 것 in the pattern -ㄹ 것으로 예상되다. Example: 비가 계속될 것 같아요. — “It seems that the rain will continue.” 예상돼요 comes from 예상되다, “to be expected” or “to be anticipated,” with the polite ending -어요. In this sentence it presents an expectation rather than a certainty. The related active expression 예상하다 means “to expect” or “to anticipate,” while 예상되다 presents the event as the thing expected. Example: 많은 사람이 올 것으로 예상돼요. — “Many people are expected to come.” Together, 계속될 것으로 예상돼요 is a useful pattern meaning “is expected to continue.” More generally, A-(으)ㄹ 것으로 예상되다 means “A is expected to …”: the -(으)ㄹ form places the event in the expected or prospective situation, and 것으로 packages that proposition as the content of the expectation. Thus, 폭염이 계속될 것으로 예상돼요. means “The heatwave is expected to continue.”

2. 그럼 야외 일정은 하루 중 더 선선한 시간에 계획해야겠어요.

   Then we should plan anything outside for the cooler part of the day.

   그럼

   then

   야외

   outdoors

   일정

   schedule

   하루 중

   during the day

   더 선선한

   cooler

   시간에

   at a time

   계획해야겠어요

   should plan

   More detail

   그럼 means “then” here: it connects the conclusion to the preceding situation. It is a reusable discourse word for moving from what was just said to a consequence or next step. Example: 그럼 내일 만나요. — “Then let’s meet tomorrow.” 야외 means “outdoors” or “outdoor.” It commonly appears before a noun to describe something taking place outside, as in 야외 활동 (“outdoor activities”). In this sentence, it modifies 일정, rather than naming a particular outdoor place. 일정 means a schedule, itinerary, or planned event arrangement. 야외 일정 therefore refers to the outdoor part of the plans. Example: 일정을 바꿨어요. — “I changed the schedule.” 하루 중 means “during the day” or, more literally, “among the parts of one day.” 중 marks something selected from within a range or period. Example: 하루 중 언제가 가장 바빠요? — “When are you busiest during the day?” 더 선선한 means “cooler.” The observed form is the comparative modifier of 선선하다, “to be pleasantly cool.” The adjective changes to 선선한 before a noun, and 더 marks the comparison. Example: 오늘이 어제보다 더 선선해요. — “Today is cooler than yesterday.” 시간에 means “at a time” or “during a time.” It consists of 시간, “time,” plus the particle 에, which can mark a time when an action occurs. Here it marks the cooler time at which the outdoor schedule is to be planned. Example: 저녁 시간에 운동해요. — “I exercise in the evening.” 계획해야겠어요 means “should plan” in this context. It contains the verb 계획하다, “to plan,” followed by the pattern -아/어야겠어요. This pattern presents the speaker’s conclusion or decision that something should be done, in a polite style. The -아/어야 part is attached to the verb stem 계획하-; 겠어요 then completes the pattern. It is not an inflection of 일정. Example: 미리 계획해야겠어요. — “I think we should plan ahead.” Together, 야외 일정 identifies the outdoor plans, 하루 중 더 선선한 시간에 selects a cooler time of day, and 계획해야겠어요 expresses the conclusion that the plans should be made for that time. The complete utterance means: “Then we should plan anything outside for the cooler part of the day.”

3. 시장에 가고 싶었지만, 사람이 많으면 더 힘들 수도 있겠어요.

   I wanted to visit the market, but the crowds might make it harder.

   시장

   market

   가고

   go

   싶었지만

   wanted to, but

   사람이

   people; crowd

   많으면

   if there are many

   더

   more

   힘들

   hard; difficult

   수도 있겠어요

   might; could be

   More detail

   시장 means “market.” It is a noun; in the sentence, 시장에 combines it with 에, marking the destination. The destination particle is outside the selected phrase, but it helps form the reusable pattern 장소에 가다 (“go to a place”). 가고 comes from the verb 가다 (“to go”). The stem 가- joins -고, which links this action to the following expression. Here it is part of 가고 싶다, “want to go”; -고 is not a past-tense marker. 싶었지만 expresses “wanted to, but.” 싶다 means “to want,” and its past form is 싶었다; before the contrast ending -지만, this becomes 싶었지만. In 가고 싶다, 싶다 follows a verb form ending in -고 and expresses the subject’s desire to perform that action. The ending -지만 presents a contrast with what follows. 사람이 is 사람 (“person/people”) with the subject particle 이. Korean nouns do not become plural merely because they refer to more than one person, so this form can support the intended “crowds” reading here. The following 많으면 describes the number of people as the condition. 많으면 comes from 많다 (“to be many; to be a lot”). The conditional ending -(으)면 gives “if/when.” Because the stem 많- ends in a consonant, this form uses -으면: 많- + -으면 → 많으면. Thus 사람이 많으면 means “if there are many people” or, naturally here, “if it is crowded.” 더 is an adverb meaning “more” or “even more.” It increases the degree of the following description. It does not itself mean “hard”; it makes 힘들다 stronger in comparison with an understood alternative situation. 힘들 comes from the adjective 힘들다, “to be difficult, hard, or tiring.” It is the form used before the possibility construction -ㄹ 수 있다. The stem is 힘들-, ending in the consonant ㄹ; before -ㄹ 수 있다, the additional ㄹ is not written, so the result is 힘들 수 있다, not 힘들ㄹ 수 있다. In this sentence, the difficulty is understood as resulting from the crowded conditions, but the word itself describes the situation as hard or tiring. 수도 있겠어요 combines possibility with a tentative speaker assessment. 수 있다 is a construction meaning “can” or “may be possible”; 도 contributes an “also/even” nuance within the possibility expression, and 겠어요 presents a cautious expectation or inference. The complete form 힘들 수도 있겠어요 therefore means “it might be even harder.” It is not a definite prediction. Together, 시장에 가고 싶었지만 means “I wanted to go to the market, but.” The condition 사람이 많으면 says “if there are many people,” and 더 힘들 수도 있겠어요 says that the situation might be harder or more tiring. The whole utterance is therefore: “I wanted to visit the market, but the crowds might make it harder.”

4. 그렇게 더울 때는 사람이 적은 시간을 고르고 서서 기다리는 일을 피해야 해요.

   In that heat, we should choose a quieter time and avoid standing around.

   그렇게

   that much; like that

   더울 때는

   when it is hot

   사람이

   person; people

   적은

   few; small in number

   시간을

   time

   고르고

   choose, and

   서서

   while standing

   기다리는

   waiting

   일을

   task; act

   피해야 해요

   should avoid

   More detail

   그렇게 is an adverb meaning “that way” or “to that extent.” With 더울, it indicates the relevant degree of heat, giving the sense “when it is that hot” or “in that heat.” 더울 때는 means “when it is hot.” The adjective’s base form is 덥다 (“to be hot”); before -을 때 it appears as 더울. In the polite present form, it is 더워요. 때 means “time” or “when,” and 는 marks the whole time expression as the topic or setting. A reusable pattern is 동사/형용사-(으)ㄹ 때 (“when …”). 사람이 means “people” in this context. 사람 is the noun “person/people,” and 이 marks it as the subject of 적은: literally, “the people are few.” The form does not identify any particular person; here it describes the crowd level. 적은 means “few” or “small in number.” Its base form is 적다 (“to be few; to be little”), and 적은 is its form before a noun. Thus 사람이 적은 시간 is “a time when there are fewer people,” not simply “a less time.” For example, 사람이 적은 곳 means “a place with few people.” 시간을 means “time” as the object of the following verb. 시간 is “time,” and 을 marks it as the object. In 사람이 적은 시간, the longer noun phrase means “a time when there are fewer people.” 고르고 comes from 고르다, “to choose.” Its form here is 고르고, with -고 connecting it to the next coordinated action: “choose … and ….” The polite form is 골라요; the 르 changes in that form, but 고르고 keeps the form shown here. The object being chosen is 사람이 적은 시간. 서서 comes from 서다, “to stand.” It describes standing while carrying out the next activity, so 서서 기다리다 means “to wait while standing” or “to stand and wait.” For example, 앉아서 읽어요 means “I read while sitting.” 기다리는 comes from 기다리다, “to wait.” The -는 form of this action verb modifies a noun: 기다리는 일 means “the act of waiting.” It is not a separate tense claim that someone is waiting at this exact moment. 일을 means “the act/task” as the object of 피하다. 일 can mean “work,” “a task,” or “an act,” and here it means the activity of waiting while standing. 을 marks that activity as the object. 피해야 해요 means “should/must avoid.” The lexical verb is 피하다, “to avoid,” and -아/어야 하다 expresses something necessary or required. In this form, 피하다 becomes 피해야, followed by polite 해요. A reusable pattern is 동사-아/어야 해요 (“should/must …”). Putting the parts together: 그렇게 더울 때는 sets the situation, “when it is that hot”; 사람이 적은 시간을 고르고 means “choose a time when there are fewer people”; and 서서 기다리는 일을 피해야 해요 means “we should avoid the activity of waiting while standing.” The whole utterance therefore means, “In that heat, we should choose a quieter time and avoid standing around.”

5. 그늘진 길로 가고 필요하면 실내에서 쉬면 돼요.

   We can take shaded streets and rest indoors when needed.

   그늘진

   shaded

   길

   road; street

   가고

   go and

   필요하면

   if needed

   실내

   indoors; inside

   쉬면 돼요

   can rest; it is enough to rest

   More detail

   그늘진 means “shaded” here. It is the noun-modifying form of 그늘지다 (“to be shaded”): 그늘지다 → 그늘진 before a noun. Thus it describes the kind of 길 being chosen, rather than expressing a separate completed action. 길 means “road,” “street,” or “path.” It is a noun and can be combined with route-marking particles such as 길로 (“by/along a route” or “to a route”). In this sentence, 길로 presents the shaded road or route as the way to go. 가고 comes from 가다 (“to go”) plus connective -고. This links going with the next action or condition: A-고 B can mean “do A and B” when the actions are coordinated. Here, going by the shaded route is linked to the later option of resting indoors. 필요하면 comes from 필요하다 (“to be necessary” or “to be needed”) plus -면, an if/when form. Its meaning here is “if it is needed” or, naturally, “when needed.” -면 can express a condition or a situation that triggers the following action; the exact English choice depends on context. 실내 is a noun meaning “indoors” or “inside a building.” With location marking, 실내에서 means “indoors” as the place where an action occurs. The quoted word itself names the indoor space; 에서 supplies the location of the action. 쉬면 돼요 combines 쉬다 (“to rest”) with -면 되다 and the polite ending -요. 쉬면 means “if/when [someone] rests,” while -면 돼요 gives the pattern “it is enough to …,” “it is okay to …,” or “can ….” Here it expresses that resting is an acceptable option when needed. The subject is understood from the fixed meaning as “we,” although Korean does not state that subject in this utterance. Together, 그늘진 길로 가고 means “take a shaded route,” 필요하면 adds “when needed,” and 실내에서 쉬면 돼요 means “it is okay for us to rest indoors.” The whole utterance therefore means: “We can take shaded streets and rest indoors when needed.” This is a practical, polite suggestion using the reusable pattern A-면 돼요 for saying that doing A is sufficient or acceptable.

6. 더위가 심해져도 그렇게 하면 계획을 더 유연하게 바꿀 수 있어요.

   That gives us more flexibility if the heat gets worse.

   더위가

   the heat

   심해져도

   even if it gets worse

   그렇게 하면

   if you do that

   계획을

   the plan

   더

   more

   유연하게

   flexibly

   바꿀

   change

   수 있어요

   can

   More detail

   더위가 means “the heat” here. 더위 is the noun for heat, and -가 marks it as the subject of the following change. A useful related noun is 추위 (“cold”); these are separate nouns, not forms of the same word. 심해져도 means “even if it gets worse.” Its base form is 심해지다, “to become severe/worse”; 심해져 is the connective form, and -도 adds the concessive meaning “even if” or “even though.” The change described is that the heat becomes more severe, rather than someone making it severe. Example: 비가 와도 가요. — “I go even if it rains.” 그렇게 하면 means “if you do that” or “if that is done in that way.” 그렇게 means “like that/in that way,” and 하면 is the conditional form of 하다 (“to do,” “to make”). The phrase refers to carrying out the relevant action in the surrounding situation; the Korean sentence itself does not name the actor. A reusable pattern is X하면 Y — “if X, Y.” 계획을 means “the plan” as the object of the action. 계획 is the noun “plan,” and -을 marks it as the object because the noun ends in a consonant sound. Example: 계획을 세워요. — “I make a plan.” 더 means “more” or “further.” Here it increases the degree of 유연하게, so the plan can be changed with greater flexibility. It is a degree adverb, not part of the noun 계획. 유연하게 means “flexibly.” It is the adverbial form of 유연하다, “to be flexible,” and describes how the plan is changed. The related adjective form is 유연한 before a noun, as in 유연한 계획 (“a flexible plan”); 유연하게 is used before a verb. 바꿀 means “change” in the form that modifies the following noun-like element 수. Its base form is 바꾸다, “to change or alter.” In 바꿀 수 있다, the -을 form is the prospective/modifying form used in the ability or possibility construction, so 바꿀 수 means “the possibility of changing” rather than simply a standalone present-tense “change.” Example: 시간을 바꿀 수 있어요. — “We can change the time.” 수 있어요 completes the ability/possibility construction -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, meaning “can” or “be able to.” 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 (“to exist/be available”); together with 바꿀, it says that changing the plan is possible. The negative counterpart is -(으)ㄹ 수 없어요, “cannot.” Taken together, 더위가 심해져도 sets the condition “even if the heat gets worse.” 그렇게 하면 introduces the condition “if you do that,” and 계획을 더 유연하게 바꿀 수 있어요 says that, under that condition, the plan can be changed more flexibly. Thus the complete intended meaning is: “That gives us more flexibility if the heat gets worse.”

7. 모자와 여분의 물이 도움이 될까요?

   Would a hat and extra water help?

   모자

   hat

   여분의

   extra; spare

   물

   water

   도움이 될까요?

   would it help?

   More detail

   모자 means “hat” here. It is a noun and can be reused directly in phrases such as 모자가 필요해요. — “I need a hat.” The form itself does not mark whether there is one hat or more than one; the context supplies that information. 여분의 means “extra” or “spare” and describes the noun that follows it. It is formed from 여분 (“an extra amount; a spare”) plus the noun-linking particle 의: 여분의 물 means “extra water.” This modifier pattern is reusable, for example 여분의 옷 — “extra clothes.” 물 means “water.” It is a noun; in 여분의 물, 여분의 specifies that the water is additional or spare. The phrase does not by itself state a particular quantity. For example, 물을 가져가세요. means “Take water.” 도움이 될까요? asks whether something would be helpful. 도움 means “help,” 이 marks it as the subject of the following predicate, and 되다 means “become” or, in this useful expression, “be helpful”: 도움이 되다 = “to be helpful.” The observed form 될까요 is the polite question form of 되다 with -(으)ㄹ까요?, which presents a tentative possibility or asks for the listener’s view. It is not the same as the more direct statement 도움이 돼요 — “It is helpful.” For example, 이 설명이 도움이 될까요? means “Would this explanation help?” The two nouns are joined by 와, meaning “and”: 모자와 여분의 물 = “a hat and extra water.” That coordinated noun phrase is the subject of 도움이 될까요?, so the utterance asks whether those two resources together would help. The complete meaning is “Would a hat and extra water help?”

8. 모자는 도움이 되고, 가벼운 옷을 입으면 걷기가 더 편할 거예요.

   A hat will help, and light clothing would make the walk easier.

   모자는

   as for a hat

   도움이 되고

   helps, and

   가벼운

   light

   옷을

   clothing

   입으면

   if wearing

   걷기가

   walking

   더

   more

   편할 거예요

   will be easier

   More detail

   모자는 contains 모자 “hat” plus the topic marker -는. It presents a hat as the topic: “As for a hat…” or “A hat…”. The marker itself does not say that the hat is the grammatical subject; it marks what the sentence is about. Example: 물은 도움이 돼요. — “As for water, it helps.” 도움이 되고 uses 도움 “help” with the subject marker -이, followed by 되다 “become / serve as” in the connective form 되고. The expression 도움이 되다 means “to help” or literally “to be of help.” Here 되고 connects this clause to the next one: “helps, and…”. Example: 이 정보가 도움이 돼요. — “This information is helpful.” 가벼운 is the noun-modifying form of 가볍다, “to be light.” This adjective has the ㅂ-irregular change: the final ㅂ changes to 우 before the noun-modifying ending -ㄴ, producing 가볍다 → 가벼운. It describes 옷, not 걷기: 가벼운 옷 means “light clothing.” Example: 가벼운 가방 — “a light bag.” 옷을 is 옷 “clothing / clothes” with the object marker -을. In this sentence it is the thing being worn. Korean often uses the singular-looking noun 옷 for clothing generally; the form itself does not assert a particular number of garments. 입으면 comes from 입다, “to wear,” plus the conditional ending -으면. It means “if one wears…” or, in a time-related reading, “when one wears…”. The following result is that walking becomes easier. The subject of wearing is understood from the situation rather than explicitly stated here. Example: 따뜻한 옷을 입으면 좋아요. — “It is good if you wear warm clothes.” 걷기가 is 걷기, the noun form of 걷다 “to walk,” plus the subject marker -가. This turns the activity “walking” into the subject of the following description. 걷기 is a nominalized activity form, not a finite verb showing a separate tense. Example: 걷기가 재미있어요. — “Walking is fun.” 더 is the adverb “more.” It marks a comparison with an understood earlier or alternative state. It does not itself identify exactly what the comparison point is; here the intended meaning is that walking will be easier with light clothing than otherwise. 편할 거예요 combines 편하다, “to be comfortable / easy,” with -ㄹ 거예요, a common form for a future expectation or prediction. The adjective stem 편하- ends in a vowel, so the form is 편할; the adjective, not the noun 걷기, carries this form. In this sentence it means “will be easier” in the sense that walking will feel more comfortable. Example: 이 신발을 신으면 걸음이 편할 거예요. — “If you wear these shoes, walking will be more comfortable.” Together, 가벼운 옷을 입으면 sets the condition “if you wear light clothing,” and 걷기가 더 편할 거예요 gives the expected result “walking will be easier.” The first clause, 모자는 도움이 되고, says that a hat helps, and -고 links it to that conditional advice. The whole utterance therefore means: “A hat will help, and light clothing would make the walk easier.”

9. 그럼 너무 덥게 느껴지면 계획을 바꾸면 되겠어요.

   Then we can change the plan if it feels too hot.

   그럼

   then

   너무

   too

   덥게

   hot

   느껴지면

   if it feels

   계획

   plan

   바꾸면

   if [we] change

   되겠어요

   would be okay

   More detail

   그럼 means “then” here and connects this suggestion to what was just discussed. It can also introduce a conclusion or response based on earlier information. 너무 means “too” in 너무 덥게: it marks an excessive degree. It is different from 아주 (“very”), which simply intensifies without necessarily suggesting that the degree is excessive. 덥게 comes from the descriptive verb 덥다, “to be hot.” The ending -게 makes this adjective function adverbially, so 덥게 describes how something is felt: “hot” or “as hot.” Compare 날씨가 덥다 (“the weather is hot”) with 덥게 느껴지다 (“to feel hot”). 느껴지면 comes from 느껴지다, “to be felt” or “to feel/seem.” Here it describes the experience of something feeling hot, and -면 adds the condition “if/when”: 느껴지면 = “if it feels [that way].” The subject is not stated in Korean; the fixed translation presents the relevant experience as “it” feeling hot. 계획 means “plan.” It is a noun that can be used directly before a verb with an object particle: 계획을 바꾸다, “to change the plan.” 바꾸면 comes from the verb 바꾸다, “to change,” with -면, the conditional ending. On its own, 바꾸면 means “if [someone] changes [it]” or “when [someone] changes [it].” The person is omitted in the Korean sentence; the fixed translation supplies “we” for this context. 되겠어요 comes from 되다, “to become” or “to be possible/acceptable,” with -겠어요. In the construction V-(으)면 되다, the meaning is “it is enough to V” or “one can simply V.” Here 바꾸면 되겠어요 presents changing the plan as an acceptable or workable option, hence “we can change the plan” or “it would be okay to change the plan.” The -겠어요 form gives the conclusion a tentative, context-based tone rather than stating a bare fact. Putting the parts together: 그럼 (“then”) + 너무 덥게 느껴지면 (“if it feels too hot”) + 계획을 바꾸면 되겠어요 (“we can change the plan / it would be okay to change the plan”). The whole utterance means: “Then we can change the plan if it feels too hot.”

10. 더운 날에 충분히 유연한 계획인 것 같아요.

    That sounds flexible enough for a hot day.

    더운

    hot

    날

    day

    충분히

    enough

    유연한

    flexible

    계획

    plan

    인 것 같아요

    seems to be

    More detail

    더운 means “hot” here and modifies the noun 날. It is the attributive form of 덥다 (“to be hot”): 덥다 → 더운 날 (“a hot day”). This form is used before a noun; it is not the noun’s form changing. 날 means “day.” The phrase 더운 날 therefore means “a hot day.” Example: 비 오는 날 means “a rainy day.” 충분히 means “enough” or “sufficiently.” It modifies the following description, showing that the plan has flexibility to a sufficient degree for the situation. Example: 충분히 쉬어요 means “Get enough rest.” 유연한 means “flexible.” It is the noun-modifying form of 유연하다 (“to be flexible”): 유연하다 → 유연한 계획. Here it describes the plan’s ability to adapt, rather than physical flexibility. Example: 유연한 일정 means “a flexible schedule.” 계획 means “plan.” 유연한 계획 is “a flexible plan.” Example: 계획을 바꿔요 means “I/we change the plan”; 계획 takes the object marker 을 in that example. 인 것 같아요 is a polite pattern meaning “seems to be” or “I think it is.” It presents the description as an impression rather than a firm assertion. With a noun phrase, the pattern is 명사 + 인 것 같아요: 좋은 계획인 것 같아요 means “It seems to be a good plan.” The preceding 유연한 modifies 계획, and 인 것 같아요 comments on the resulting noun phrase 유연한 계획. Together, 더운 날에 means “for/on a hot day,” with 에 marking the relevant situation or time. 충분히 유연한 계획 means “a plan that is flexible enough,” and 인 것 같아요 adds “it seems to be.” The whole utterance means: “That sounds flexible enough for a hot day.”