Choosing whether to keep waiting | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 실례합니다. 이 줄이 계속 천천히 줄어들고 있네요.

   Excuse me, this line has been moving slowly.

   실례합니다

   Excuse me

   이

   this

   줄이

   line (subject)

   계속

   continuously

   천천히

   slowly

   줄어들고

   getting shorter

   More detail

   실례합니다 is a polite fixed expression used to get someone's attention or apologize for an interruption. It is more formal and respectful than a casual attention-getting expression. 이 means “this” and is a demonstrative placed before a noun. Korean demonstratives do not encode gender or number. Here, it points to the line identified in the fixed translation. The form itself does not independently specify how many lines there are. 줄이 means “the line” as the subject of the clause. 줄 is the noun “line,” and the final 이 is the subject marker used after a consonant-final noun. The noun 줄 ends in ㄹ, so it takes 이. This marker does not by itself mean that the line is singular. 계속 means “continuously” or “continuing.” It modifies the change described after it. For example, 비가 계속 와요 means “It keeps raining.” 천천히 is the adverb “slowly.” It describes the speed of the change, not the identity of the line. The related adjective 느리다 means “to be slow,” while 천천히 is the form used to modify an action or change. 줄어들고 comes from the base form 줄어들다, “to become smaller, lessen, or get shorter.” The observed form consists of 줄어들- plus the connective ending -고; by itself, it links to what follows rather than completing the progressive meaning. 줄어들다 is intransitive: the thing that becomes smaller is marked as the subject, as in 물이 줄어들어요, “The water level goes down.” The following 있네요 completes the construction. -고 있다 presents an action or change as currently in progress, so 줄어들고 있다 means “is getting shorter” or “is decreasing.” The ending -네요 conveys the speaker’s present observation or realization in a polite way; it does not change the basic fact that the change is in progress. Together, 이 줄이 계속 천천히 줄어들고 있네요 describes this line as continuing to get shorter slowly. In the supplied translation and context, that intended meaning is rendered as “Excuse me, this line has been moving slowly”: the Korean wording focuses on the line becoming shorter, while the translation presents the resulting slow progress. 실례합니다 makes the utterance a polite remark to someone nearby.

2. 계속 기다릴 만한지 결정하려고 하시는 건가요?

   Are you trying to decide whether it is worth staying?

   계속

   continuously

   기다릴 만한지

   whether it is worth waiting

   결정하려고

   to decide

   하시는 건가요?

   are you...? / is it that you are doing it?

   More detail

   계속 means “continuously” or “keep doing.” Here it describes waiting that continues over time. For example, 계속 공부해요. means “I keep studying.” 기다릴 만한지 contains the useful pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 만하다, meaning that doing something is worthwhile or reasonable. 기다릴 is the form of 기다리다 used before 만하다; the -ㄹ ending does not make 기다릴 a separate verb. Thus 기다릴 만하다 means “to be worth waiting.” The ending -ㄴ지 turns the clause into an embedded yes-or-no question: 기다릴 만한지 means “whether it is worth waiting.” For example, 이 책은 읽을 만해요. means “This book is worth reading.” 결정하려고 comes from 결정하다, “to decide,” with -(으)려고 하다, a pattern for intending or trying to do something. 결정하려고 해요. means “I am intending or trying to decide.” In the utterance, this form is followed by the honorific form of 하다, so the intention is attributed respectfully to the person being addressed. 하시는 건가요? is a polite confirmation question. In 하려고 하시는, the second 하다 carries -시-, the honorific marker for the subject, and -는 connects it to 것인가요, commonly heard as 건가요. The whole pattern asks whether the listener is in fact carrying out or attempting the action. 건가요? is therefore not best understood here as a literal question about a “thing”; it politely checks the interpretation. Together, 계속 기다릴 만한지 asks about whether continuing to wait is worthwhile, and 결정하려고 하시는 건가요? asks whether the listener is trying to decide that. The complete meaning is: “Are you trying to decide whether it is worth staying?”

3. 네, 맞아요. 서비스 데스크 업무가 밀리고 있는지 아세요?

   I am. Do you know if the service desk is running behind?

   네, 맞아요

   Yes, that’s right.

   서비스 데스크

   service desk

   업무

   work; tasks

   밀리고

   being backed up

   있는지

   whether it is

   아세요?

   do you know?

   More detail

   네, 맞아요 is an affirmative response meaning “Yes, that’s right.” 맞아요 is the polite present form of 맞다 (“to be correct” or “to be right”). It can confirm a preceding statement or question without repeating all of it. 서비스 데스크 is a noun compound meaning “service desk.” The following 업무 specifies the kind of work: 서비스 데스크 업무 means “service-desk work” or “service-desk tasks.” 업무 is a useful formal word for work or duties; the more general word 일 can also mean work, but is broader and less formal. 업무 is marked with 가, making the service-desk work the grammatical subject of what follows. The phrase does not by itself specify how many tasks or workers are involved. 밀리고 comes from the verb 밀리다, which here means “to become backed up” or “to fall behind.” The ending -고 connects it to the next part. In this context, 밀리다 describes work that is not being handled as quickly as it arrives, not someone physically pushing the work. 있는지 is 있다 (“to exist; to be in a state”) plus -는지, a form used inside an indirect yes-or-no question. Here it follows 밀리고 있다: 밀리고 있는지 means “whether it is being backed up” or “whether it is running behind.” The pattern ...는지 알다/모르다 is reusable: 회의가 끝났는지 아세요? means “Do you know whether the meeting has ended?” 밀리고 있다 uses -고 있다 to present an ongoing situation. 업무가 밀리고 있어요 means “The work is currently backed up.” The form 밀리고 itself does not contain the “currently” meaning alone; that meaning comes from its combination with 있다. 아세요? means “Do you know?” It is the polite honorific question form of 알다 (“to know”): 알다 → 아시다 → 아세요. The honorific element -시- shows respect toward the person being addressed. In ...는지 아세요?, the speaker asks whether that person knows the information expressed in the preceding clause. Together, 서비스 데스크 업무가 밀리고 있는지 아세요? asks, politely, whether the service-desk work is currently running behind. The opening 네, 맞아요 adds an affirmative confirmation, so the utterance as a whole is an affirmation followed by that polite question.

4. 더 신경 써서 처리해야 하는 요청이 몇 건 있어서 줄이 천천히 줄어들고 있어요.

   Several requests need extra attention, so the line is moving slowly.

   더

   more; extra

   신경 써서

   with extra care

   처리해야 하는

   that need to be handled

   요청

   request

   몇 건

   several cases

   있어서

   because there are

   줄이

   the line

   천천히

   slowly

   줄어들고 있어요

   is decreasing

   More detail

   더 adds the idea of “more” or “extra” to what follows. Here it increases the amount of attention being given: “with extra attention.” 신경 써서 comes from 신경 쓰다, “to pay attention to” or “to take care.” 쓰다 changes to 써서 before -서; this connective form links the careful handling to the following description. In this sentence, 더 신경 써서 means handling something with extra care, not simply using something more. 처리해야 하는 is a modifier meaning “that must be handled” or, in this context, “that need to be handled.” 처리하다 means “to process” or “to handle.” 해야 하다 expresses necessity: 처리해야 하다 is “must handle.” In 처리해야 하는, the necessity expression modifies the noun that follows. The ending -는 makes the clause a noun modifier in the present-time description. 요청 means “request.” It is a noun and can be used in compounds or with counters, for example 요청을 처리하다, “to handle a request.” 몇 건 means “several cases/items,” with 건 as a counter used for cases, matters, or requests. 몇 indicates an unspecified small number; it does not identify an exact count. Thus 요청이 몇 건 describes several requests, rather than claiming a particular number. 있어서 is the connective form of 있다, “to exist” or “to be present.” In this sentence, it means “because there are.” The pattern N이/가 있어서 can give a reason: 시간이 있어서 도와요 means “Because I have time, I help.” 줄이 is the subject form of 줄, “line” in the queue sense. The subject marker -이 follows this noun because it ends in a consonant. The supplied translation identifies this as the queue whose progress is slow. 천천히 means “slowly” and describes the manner of the change. It is an adverb, so it modifies the following verb phrase rather than naming the speed of a separate object. 줄어들고 있어요 comes from 줄어들다, “to decrease” or “to become smaller.” 줄어들고 있다 uses -고 있다 to present the change as ongoing; 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 in this construction. The observed form therefore means that the line is currently getting shorter or decreasing. This is different from 줄이다, “to reduce something,” which has an agent causing an object to become smaller; 줄어들다 describes the decrease itself. The structure is 더 신경 써서 처리해야 하는 요청이 몇 건 있어서 + 줄이 천천히 줄어들고 있어요: “Because there are several requests that need to be handled with extra care, the line is decreasing slowly.” In the fixed translation and service-desk context, this conveys that several requests require additional attention, so the queue is moving slowly.

5. 저는 여기서 더 오래 기다릴 수 없어요.

   I cannot stay here much longer.

   저는

   as for me

   여기서

   here

   더 오래

   longer

   기다릴

   wait

   수 없어요

   cannot

   More detail

   저는 contains 저 (“I,” in a humble/polite form) plus the topic marker 는. It sets the speaker as the topic: “as for me.” The topic marker does not itself mean “I”; the pronoun does. A useful contrast is 나는, which also means “as for me,” but uses the less formal pronoun 나. 여기서 means “here” as the place where the action happens. It is formed from 여기 (“here”) and the location particle 에서, whose form is shortened to 서 after this word. In this sentence, the waiting takes place here. For example, 여기서 기다려요 means “I wait here.” 더 오래 means “longer” or “for a longer time.” 더 adds “more,” while 오래 describes duration: “for a long time.” Together they compare the possible additional duration with the time already spent waiting. This is about duration, not physical length; 오래 is different from 길다, which describes something being physically long. For example, 조금 더 오래 걸려요 means “It takes a little longer.” 기다릴 comes from the dictionary form 기다리다, “to wait.” The stem 기다리- takes -ㄹ here, producing an attributive form that comes before 수 in the pattern 기다릴 수 있다/없다. In this construction, it presents waiting as an action that may or may not be possible; it is not the ordinary standalone polite form, which is 기다려요 (“wait” or “I wait”). 수 없어요 is the polite form of the negative possibility pattern -을/ㄹ 수 없다, “cannot” or “be unable to.” 수 literally relates to a way or possibility, and 없어요 says that possibility is absent. The full pattern is 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요: 갈 수 없어요 means “cannot go,” while 기다릴 수 없어요 means “cannot wait.” The ending -어요 makes the statement polite; it does not by itself specify why the action is impossible. Putting the parts together, 저는 marks the speaker as the topic, 여기서 gives the place, 더 오래 gives the additional duration, and 기다릴 수 없어요 says that waiting for that duration is not possible. The complete meaning is “I cannot wait here any longer,” naturally rendered by the fixed translation as “I cannot stay here much longer.”

6. 계속 기다리셔도 되고, 데스크에 요청을 남기셔도 돼요.

   You can keep waiting, or leave your request at the desk.

   계속

   continuously; keep on

   기다리셔도 … 돼요

   it is okay to wait

   데스크

   desk

   요청

   request

   남기셔도 … 돼요

   it is okay to leave it

   More detail

   계속 is an adverb meaning “continuously” or “keep on.” Here it modifies 기다리셔도, presenting the waiting as something that may continue. For example, 계속 공부해요 means “I keep studying” or “I continue to study.” 기다리셔도 comes from 기다리다, “to wait.” The ending -시- in 기다리시다 respectfully marks the person who waits; it does not itself mean “you.” The ending -어도 contributes “even if” in some contexts, but in the permission pattern V-아/어도 돼요 it means “it is okay to V” or “may V.” Thus, 기다리셔도 돼요 politely permits the addressee to wait. 돼요 is the polite present form of 되다 in this expression. 데스크 is a noun meaning “desk,” here referring to the desk or service counter where the request can be left. It is a loanword. For example, 안내 데스크 means “information desk.” 요청 is a noun meaning “request.” A useful related expression is 요청하다, “to request,” but 요청 itself is the noun in this sentence. In 요청을 남기다, the object marker 을 marks the request as what is left, so the chunk means “leave a request.” 남기셔도 comes from 남기다, “to leave” or “leave behind.” Here it means leaving the request at the desk, not physically remaining somewhere. As with 기다리셔도, -시- respectfully marks the person carrying out the action, and -어도 forms the permission pattern. 남기셔도 돼요 therefore means “it is okay for you to leave it,” with 요청 supplying what is left. For example, 메시지를 남겨도 돼요 means “You may leave a message.” The connective 되고 links the first permission option to the second. The sequence 기다리셔도 되고 ... 남기셔도 돼요 presents alternatives: “you can keep waiting, or you can leave a request.” In this utterance, 데스크에 indicates the place associated with leaving the request: at the desk. The respectful verb forms and polite 돼요 make the permission courteous. Together, the utterance offers the addressee two options: continuing to wait or leaving a request at the desk.

7. 나중에 누군가 검토해 줄 수 있다면 요청을 남기는 게 도움이 되겠네요.

   Leaving the request would help if someone can review it later.

   나중에

   later

   누군가

   someone

   검토해

   review

   줄 수 있다면

   if [someone] can do it for someone

   요청

   request

   남기는 게

   leaving it

   도움

   help

   되겠네요

   would be; seems likely

   More detail

   나중에 means “later” here. It is a time adverb and can be placed before the event it locates: 나중에 검토하다 means “review later.” 누군가 means “someone.” It is an indefinite pronoun. In this sentence it functions as the subject of the conditional clause; the form itself does not contain a separate subject-marker ending that needs to be explained here. 검토해 comes from 검토하다, “to review.” The form 검토해 connects the lexical verb to 주다. Korean -아/어 주다 presents an action as being done for someone’s benefit. Thus 검토해 주다 is “to review it for someone,” rather than simply “to review.” 줄 수 있다면 contains 주다, the ability expression -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, and the conditional ending -다면. In this sentence, 검토해 줄 수 있다면 means “if someone can review it for the person concerned.” The subject is 누군가, and the understood object of 검토하다 is the request. -다면 presents the condition; it does not itself mean that the condition is true. 요청 is the noun “request.” The following object marker, visible in the sentence as 요청을, marks the request as what is left. Korean 요청 can also occur in compounds or more formal service-related expressions, but its role here is the thing being left for later review. 남기는 게 comes from 남기다, “to leave” or “to leave behind.” 남기는 is the present attributive form of 남기다, and 것이 is shortened here to 게; together, 남기는 게 means “leaving [it]” as the subject of the next clause. The object is 요청을, so the full chunk is “leaving the request.” 도움 is the noun “help” or “assistance.” With 되다, as in 도움이 되다, it forms the useful expression “to be helpful.” The subject marker 이 appears after 도움 in the source: 도움이 되겠네요. 되겠네요 comes from 되다, “to become” or, in this expression, “to be.” -겠- adds a tentative judgment or expectation, and sentence-final -네요 presents that judgment as a noticed or softly shared conclusion. Therefore 도움이 되겠네요 means “that would be helpful” or “that should help,” rather than stating the result as an absolute fact. The sentence first sets the condition: 나중에 누군가 검토해 줄 수 있다면, “if someone can review it later.” It then makes 요청을 남기는 게—“leaving the request”—the subject, and 도움이 되겠네요 says that this action would be helpful. Together: “Leaving the request would help if someone can review it later.”

8. 데스크에서 새로운 소식이 있으면 연락해 드릴 수 있어요.

   The desk can contact you when they have an update.

   데스크

   desk; service desk

   새로운 소식

   new information; update

   있으면

   if there is; when there is

   연락해

   contact; get in touch

   드릴 수 있어요

   can do that for you

   More detail

   데스크 means “desk” here, specifically the service desk as an organization or service point. The following particle 에서 marks the place or source associated with an action; with the fixed translation, it presents the desk as the source of the contact. Korean can use an organization noun this way without stating an individual worker. 새로운 소식 means “new information” or “an update.” 새로운 is the form of the descriptive adjective 새롭다 used before a noun: 새롭다 → 새로운. The adjective describes 소식, “news” or “information.” Example: 새로운 계획 means “a new plan.” 있으면 means “if there is” or, in this time-related context, “when there is.” It is 있다 (“to exist; to be present”) plus the conditional ending -으면. The ending presents the condition, not a definite claim that the information already exists. Example: 시간이 있으면 전화하세요. means “If you have time, call.” 연락해 comes from the verb 연락하다, “to contact” or “to get in touch.” The -해 form is the connective form used before the following part of the construction; it is not the final politeness ending here. Korean commonly uses 연락하다 for contacting someone by message, phone, or another channel. 드릴 수 있어요 expresses the ability or possibility to do something for the listener. 드리다 is the humble form used when giving or doing something for another person, and -ㄹ 수 있다 marks ability or possibility; 있어요 is its polite present form here. In 연락해 드릴 수 있어요, the understood action is “can contact [you] for you.” The translation identifies the listener as the recipient, although Korean leaves that object unspoken. Together, 새로운 소식이 있으면 sets the condition “when there is an update,” and 연락해 드릴 수 있어요 says that the desk can contact the listener. Thus the whole utterance means: “The desk can contact you when they have an update.”

9. 이제 선택이 분명해졌어요.

   That gives me a clear choice.

   이제

   now

   선택

   choice

   분명해졌어요

   became clear

   More detail

   이제 means “now” in this sentence, marking the point in time at which the situation has changed or is being assessed. It can also introduce a new stage: 이제 시작해요 means “We start now.” 선택 is the noun “choice” or “selection.” A useful related contrast is 결정, “decision”: 선택 focuses on the option chosen or available, while 결정 focuses more on the act or result of deciding. Here, 선택 is the choice that has become clear; the sentence does not specify which option it is. 분명해졌어요 means “became clear.” Its base adjective is 분명하다, “to be clear.” The form 분명해지다 combines that adjective with -아/어지다, which expresses a change into a state: 분명하다 → 분명해지다, “become clear.” 분명해졌어요 is the polite past form, so it presents the becoming-clear as already completed. Example: 상황이 분명해졌어요. — “The situation became clear.” Together, 이제 + 선택 + 분명해졌어요 means, literally, “Now the choice has become clear.” The fixed translation, “That gives me a clear choice,” expresses the same intended result from the speaker’s perspective: the available or relevant choice is now clear. Korean does not state an explicit agent in this utterance; -어졌어요 presents the change of state rather than naming who caused it.

10. 그렇다면 다음 일정이 기다려 주지 않는다면 요청을 남기는 게 더 좋을 수도 있겠네요.

    Then leaving it may be better if your next commitment cannot wait.

    그렇다면

    then, in that case

    다음

    next, following

    일정

    schedule, commitment

    기다려 주지 않는다면

    if it cannot wait

    요청

    request

    남기는

    leaving, posting

    더 좋을 수도 있겠네요

    might be better

    More detail

    그렇다면 means “then” or “in that case.” 그렇다 is the descriptive verb meaning “to be so”; -다면 makes a conditional assumption, so this form connects the situation just mentioned with the suggestion that follows. 다음 means “next” or “following.” It comes before the noun it describes, as in 다음 주 (“next week”). 일정 means a schedule or a planned commitment. In this sentence, the translation identifies the relevant sense as the next commitment, not merely a written timetable. 기다려 주지 않는다면 means “if it cannot wait.” 기다리다 means “to wait,” and -아/어 주다 presents the action as being done for someone’s benefit; the negative form 주지 않다 says that this waiting is not provided. -는다면 forms a conditional based on the present-style form 않는. 요청 means “request.” It is a noun that can be used with verbs such as 하다 (“make a request”) or 남기다 (“leave a request”). 남기는 comes from the verb 남기다, “to leave” or “to post,” and is its -는 form modifying what follows. Here it describes the act of leaving a request. For example, 메시지를 남기는 것이 좋다 means “It is good to leave a message.” 더 좋을 수도 있겠네요 means “might be better.” 좋다 means “to be good” or, in a comparison, “to be better”; 더 supplies the comparative meaning. 좋을 is the form of 좋다 used before the possibility expression 수 있다. The pattern -(으)ㄹ 수도 있다 means “might” or “it is also possible that,” while -겠네요 presents the speaker’s considered inference with a polite, recognizing tone. The 네요 ending does not itself assert certainty. Together, 그렇다면 links the proposal to the preceding situation: if the next commitment cannot wait, 요청을 남기는 게—“leaving a request”—더 좋을 수도 있겠네요—“might be better.” The complete meaning is: “Then leaving it may be better if your next commitment cannot wait.”