Choosing the Highest-Impact Task | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 저는 네 가지 작업이 있는데, 모두 중요하게 느껴져요.

   I have four tasks, and they all feel important.

   저는

   as for me; I

   네 가지

   four items

   작업

   task; work

   있는데

   there is/are, and

   모두

   all

   중요하게

   importantly; as important

   느껴져요

   feels; is felt

   More detail

   저는 marks the topic as the speaker: “as for me.” 저 is the humble first-person pronoun, and 는 is the topic marker. It does not itself mean that the speaker performs the action; it frames the following statement around the speaker. 네 가지 means four items or things, using 가지 as a counting word for kinds or items. The number is expressed by 네, the form of 넷 used before a counting word. For example, 세 가지 이유 means “three reasons.” 작업 means a task or piece of work. In this sentence, 네 가지 작업 is the noun phrase “four tasks.” The particle 이 after 작업 marks this phrase as the grammatical subject of the following clause. 작업 can also refer more generally to work, depending on context. 있는데 comes from 있다, “to exist” or “to have.” Here it presents the tasks as existing or being available and links to the next clause: “I have four tasks, and …” The ending -는데 commonly supplies background before a related statement; it does not by itself assert a contrast. 모두 means “all” or “all of them.” Here it refers to the four tasks just mentioned. It is a useful general word for referring collectively to every member of an already established group. For example, 학생들이 모두 왔어요 means “All the students came.” 중요하게 is the adverbial form of 중요하다, “to be important.” The ending -게 changes the descriptive form into an adverb, so it describes how something is experienced: “as important” or “importantly” in this construction. 중요한 작업 instead uses the adjective directly before a noun and means “an important task.” 느껴져요 comes from 느껴지다, “to feel” or “to be perceived as.” It is the polite present form ending in -어요. In 중요하게 느껴져요, the tasks are experienced or perceived as important; this is different from 느껴요, “feel,” which presents a person as the experiencer, and from 느끼다, the base form “to feel.” Together, 저는 네 가지 작업이 있는데 gives the background “I have four tasks,” while 모두 중요하게 느껴져요 says that all of those tasks are perceived as important. The complete meaning is: “I have four tasks, and they all feel important.”

2. 순서를 정하기 전에 긴급성과 영향력을 구분하세요.

   Separate urgency from impact before you choose the order.

   순서를

   the order

   정하기

   choosing; deciding

   전에

   before

   긴급성

   urgency

   영향력

   impact; influence

   구분하세요

   separate; distinguish

   More detail

   순서를 means “the order” here. 순서 is a noun meaning an order or sequence, and -를 marks it as the object of the following action. The form 순서를 therefore means that the order is what someone will decide. 정하기 comes from 정하다, “to decide” or “to set.” The ending -기 turns the verb into a noun-like form, so 정하기 is “deciding” or “setting.” In this sentence, it combines with 전에 to make the reusable pattern V-기 전에, “before doing V.” 전에 means “before.” After a verb in the -기 form, it places the next action before that activity in time: 자기 전에 means “before sleeping,” for example. Here, the activity is deciding the order. 긴급성 means “urgency,” the quality of needing attention quickly. It is a noun. The following -과 in the sentence links it with another noun; after a consonant-final noun such as 긴급성, this form means “and” or “with.” 영향력 means “impact” or “influence,” especially the power to affect something. It is also a noun. The following -을 marks it as the object of 구분하다; because 영향력 ends in a consonant, -을 is used rather than -를. 구분하세요 means “separate” or “distinguish.” Its base form is 구분하다, “to distinguish/separate,” and -세요 makes a polite directive: “please distinguish” or “distinguish.” The sentence uses this as an instruction to treat urgency and impact as different criteria, not as the same thing. Putting the parts together, 순서를 정하기 전에 means “before deciding the order.” 긴급성과 영향력을 links “urgency” and “impact” as the two objects being distinguished. The whole utterance is therefore: “Separate urgency from impact before you choose the order.”

3. 이메일은 긴급하지만, 보고서는 내일 고객 회의에 영향을 줘요.

   The email is urgent, but the report affects tomorrow's client meeting.

   이메일

   email

   긴급하지만

   is urgent, but

   보고서

   report

   내일

   tomorrow

   고객

   client

   회의

   meeting

   영향을 줘요

   affects

   More detail

   이메일 means “email.” It is a noun and can be reused with topic marking: 이메일은 ... means “as for the email ...”. Example: 이메일을 확인해요. — “I check the email.” 긴급하지만 means “is urgent, but.” 긴급하다 is a descriptive verb meaning “to be urgent”; 긴급하지만 combines its present stem with -지만, which connects a contrast: “although it is urgent” or “it is urgent, but ...”. The -지만 clause comes before the contrasting clause here. Example: 바쁘지만 도와줘요. — “I’m busy, but I help.” 보고서 means “report.” Here 보고서는 marks the report as the topic of the second clause, and the fixed translation identifies it as the thing that affects the meeting. Example: 보고서를 읽어요. — “I read the report.” 내일 means “tomorrow.” It is a time word and does not need a particle in this position. It directly modifies the following noun phrase: 내일 고객 회의 means “tomorrow’s client meeting.” Example: 내일 만나요. — “See you tomorrow.” 고객 means “client” or “customer.” Here it modifies 회의, forming the noun phrase “client meeting.” Example: 고객에게 연락해요. — “I contact the client.” 회의 means “meeting.” In 고객 회의, it is the head noun, while 고객 specifies what kind of meeting it is. Example: 회의가 있어요. — “There is a meeting.” 영향을 줘요 means “affects” in this sentence. The reusable expression is 영향을 주다, literally “to give influence,” used with an object marked by 을/를: A가 B에 영향을 주다 means “A affects B.” 줘요 is the polite present form of 주다; the form contracts from 주어요 to 줘요. Here 영향을 marks “influence” as the object, and 에 marks the meeting as the target of the effect. Example: 날씨가 일정에 영향을 줘요. — “The weather affects the schedule.” Taken together, 이메일은 긴급하지만 sets up a contrast: the email is urgent. 보고서는 내일 고객 회의에 영향을 줘요 then states that the report affects tomorrow’s client meeting. The whole utterance therefore means: “The email is urgent, but the report affects tomorrow’s client meeting.”

4. 특히 다른 사람들이 그 보고서에 의존한다면, 보고서의 영향력이 더 커요.

   The report has higher impact, especially if others depend on it.

   특히

   especially

   다른

   other; different

   사람들

   people

   그

   that; the

   보고서

   report

   의존한다면

   if they depend

   영향력

   impact

   더 커요

   is greater

   More detail

   특히 means “especially” and highlights the condition that follows as a particularly relevant case. It can also highlight another part of a sentence; for example, 특히 겨울에 추워요 means “It is especially cold in winter.” 다른 means “other” or “different.” It marks people as distinct from some understood reference group. 사람들 means “people”; 사람 is “person,” and 들 can mark a plural group. The 들 ending is not a separate word meaning “other.” 그 is a demonstrative determiner meaning “that” or, with an already identifiable noun, “the.” Here it directly modifies 보고서, producing 그 보고서 (“that/the report”). The fixed translation and context support the reading that this is the report already under discussion. 보고서 means “report.” It appears in 그 보고서 and again in 보고서의. In 보고서의, 의 marks the relationship between the report and the following noun: 보고서의 영향력 means “the report’s impact.” 의존한다면 comes from the verb 의존하다, “to depend on” or “to rely on.” The ending -다면 gives a conditional meaning such as “if” or “assuming that.” Thus 다른 사람들이 그 보고서에 의존한다면 means “if other people depend on that report.” The particle 에 marks what the dependence is directed toward, and 다른 사람들이 supplies the subject of this conditional clause. 영향력 means “influence” or “impact,” especially the power to affect something. In 영향력이, the particle 이 marks 영향력 as the subject of the following description. This noun differs from the verb phrase 영향을 주다 (“to affect” or “to have an effect on”), which appears in the preceding context. 더 커요 means “is greater” or “is larger.” The adjective 크다 means “to be big” and changes to the polite present form 커요; the ㅡ in the base form is not retained in this form. 더 means “more” or “greater,” so it creates a comparison with an understood reference point. Here 더 modifies the predicate 커요: the impact is greater, rather than the report itself being physically bigger. For example, 이 영향력이 더 커요 means “This influence is greater.” Together, 특히 highlights the conditional clause 다른 사람들이 그 보고서에 의존한다면 (“especially if other people depend on that report”). The main clause 보고서의 영향력이 더 커요 says that the report’s impact is greater. The complete meaning is: “The report has higher impact, especially if others depend on it.”

5. 디자인 검토 때문에 다른 팀원도 일을 진행하지 못하고 있어요.

   The design review also blocks another teammate.

   디자인

   design

   검토

   review

   때문에

   because of

   다른

   another; different

   팀원

   team member

   일

   work; task

   진행하지 못하고 있어요

   is unable to proceed

   More detail

   디자인 means “design.” It is a noun and can modify another noun directly in a compound: 디자인 검토 means “design review.” 검토 means “review” or “examination.” Here it is the noun in 디자인 검토, naming the review that creates the situation described. 때문에 follows a noun and gives the cause: 명사 + 때문에 means “because of [the noun]” or “due to [the noun].” Thus 디자인 검토 때문에 means “because of the design review.” It expresses a cause, not merely a time or location. 다른 is the attributive form of 다르다, “to be different,” and comes before a noun. In 다른 팀원, the context-supported meaning is “another team member.” A useful contrast is 같은 팀원, “the same team member.” 팀원 means “team member.” It is a noun; Korean does not require a plural ending here, so the form itself does not state whether there is more than one team member. The attached particle 도 in 팀원도 means “also/too,” connecting this participant with something previously mentioned. 일 means “work” or “task.” With the object marker 을, 일을 is the object of 진행하다: the person is unable to carry out or advance the work. 진행하지 못하고 있어요 combines 진행하다, “to proceed, advance, or carry out,” with two useful patterns. -지 못하다 expresses inability or failure to do something, and -고 있다 presents that situation as ongoing. So 진행하지 못하고 있어요 means that the person is currently unable to proceed with the work. The ending -어요 is polite. The form is not simply a past statement that the work failed; it presents the inability as continuing now. Putting the parts together, 디자인 검토 때문에 gives the cause, 다른 팀원도 identifies another team member as also affected, and 일을 진행하지 못하고 있어요 says that this person cannot currently move the work forward. The complete meaning is “The design review also blocks another teammate.”

6. 그렇다면 금방 끝낼 수 있을 때 팀원의 일을 막고 있는 디자인 검토부터 처리하세요.

   Then handle the review that is blocking your teammate first if it will be quick.

   그렇다면

   then; in that case

   금방

   quickly; soon

   끝낼 수 있을 때

   when it can be finished

   팀원

   teammate; team member

   일

   work; task

   막고 있는

   blocking

   디자인 검토

   design review

   부터

   starting with; first

   처리하세요

   please handle it

   More detail

   그렇다면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links this instruction to an earlier condition or conclusion. 그렇다 is the base form meaning “to be so”; 그렇다면 combines that idea with -다면, “if that is so.” 금방 means “quickly” or “soon.” Here it describes the finishing time: the review is suitable to handle first if it can be finished without taking long. 곧 can also mean “soon,” but 금방 commonly emphasizes a short amount of time or an event happening shortly. 끝낼 수 있을 때 means “when/if it can be finished.” 끝내다 is the transitive verb “to finish something”; its form here is 끝낼, the -(으)ㄹ form used before 수 있다 and before 때. -을 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility, and -을 때 means “when.” The subject of “can finish” is not stated in the sentence; the fixed translation supports the condition that the review will be quick to finish. 팀원 means “teammate” or “team member.” The form itself is a noun and does not show a special gender distinction. With 의, as in 팀원의, it marks a possessive or related noun phrase: “the teammate’s.” 일 means “work” or “task.” In 팀원의 일, it is the work or task associated with the teammate. The meaning is context-dependent, so this form does not by itself specify one particular task. 막고 있는 means “blocking.” The base verb is 막다, “to block” or “to prevent.” -고 있다 presents an ongoing situation, and 있는 makes that ongoing verb phrase modify a noun. Thus, the review is currently preventing the teammate’s work from progressing. This is different from the simple past form 막은, “that blocked.” 디자인 검토 means “design review.” 디자인 means “design,” and 검토 means “review” or “examination.” Together they form the item being handled. The phrase is a noun phrase, not a verb; 처리하다 later supplies the action “handle/process.” 부터 means “starting with” or “first.” Attached to the relevant item, it marks the first item in an order of handling. Here it gives 디자인 검토 priority: handle the design review before the other implied tasks. 처리하세요 means “please handle it” or “handle it.” The base verb is 처리하다, “to handle, process, or deal with.” -세요 forms a polite directive. The object is understood from the preceding noun phrase, 디자인 검토; the quoted form itself supplies the handling instruction, while the preceding words identify what should be handled. Together, 팀원의 일을 막고 있는 디자인 검토 is “the design review that is blocking the teammate’s work.” The relative modifier 막고 있는 comes before the noun it describes, 디자인 검토. 금방 끝낼 수 있을 때 supplies the condition “if/when it can be finished quickly,” and 디자인 검토부터 처리하세요 means “handle the design review first.” With 그렇다면, the whole utterance means: “Then handle the design review that is blocking your teammate first if it will be quick.”

7. 그다음에는 아무도 방해하지 않고 제가 보고서에 집중할 수 있어요.

   After that, I can focus on the report without interrupting anyone.

   그다음에는

   after that

   아무도

   anyone

   방해하지 않고

   without interrupting

   제가

   I

   보고서에

   on the report

   집중할 수 있어요

   can focus

   More detail

   그다음에는: 그다음 means “after that” or “then.” The ending -에는 marks this time as the setting for what follows; 는 can also give the time phrase a topic-like or contrastive feel. The form is useful for ordering actions: 먼저 …, 그다음에는 … means “first …, then … .” 아무도: 아무도 means “anyone/no one” according to the polarity of the clause. With the negative form 방해하지, 아무도 방해하지 … means “no one interrupts …,” rather than an affirmative “anyone.” This is a pronoun-like form, not a noun naming a particular person. 방해하지 않고: The base verb is 방해하다, “to interrupt, disturb, or interfere with.” 방해하지 is its negative form, “not interrupting,” and -고 in this construction connects it to the following clause as “without …” or “while not … .” Here it presents an interruption-free condition for focusing. A reusable pattern is V-지 않고 + another clause: “without V-ing” or “not V-ing and … .” 제가: 제가 is the first-person subject form of 저, “I,” with the subject marker -가. 저 + 가 contracts to 제가; it is not a separate base pronoun. 저 is the humble/polite first-person form used in polite speech, while 나 is the less formal counterpart. The subject here is the speaker. 보고서에: 보고서 means “report.” The noun is followed by -에, which marks the target or domain toward which an action is directed. 집중하다 commonly uses this marker: 보고서에 집중하다, “to focus on a report.” The -에 here does not mean that the report is a physical destination. 집중할 수 있어요: The base verb is 집중하다, “to focus” or “to concentrate.” Its stem combines with -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 to express ability or possibility: 집중할 수 있다, “can focus.” Because the stem ends in a vowel, the form is 집중할 수, not 집중을 수. 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다 in the expression. For example, 오늘은 일에 집중할 수 있어요 means “I can focus on work today.” Together, 그다음에는 sets the time as “after that.” 아무도 방해하지 않고 gives an interruption-free condition, and 제가 보고서에 집중할 수 있어요 states that the speaker can focus on the report. The whole utterance therefore means “After that, I can focus on the report without interrupting anyone,” with polite 해요-style wording.

8. 작업 간 의존 관계에 따라 어떤 작업을 먼저 해야 하는지가 달라질 수 있어요.

   Dependencies can change which task should come first.

   작업

   task; work

   간

   between; among

   의존 관계

   dependency relationship

   에 따라

   depending on

   어떤

   which; what kind of

   먼저

   first; beforehand

   해야 하는지

   should be done; needs to be done

   달라질 수 있어요

   can differ; may change

   More detail

   작업 means a task or piece of work. The same noun appears again in 어떤 작업, where it means the task being selected. Korean nouns do not change form for singular versus plural in this expression; context supplies whether one or more tasks are meant. 간 is a bound noun meaning “between” or “among” when it follows nouns. In 작업 간, it creates the pattern A 간 = “between/among A,” here referring to relationships between tasks. It is not the ordinary standalone word for a general location between two objects. 의존 관계 means a dependency relationship: one task relies on another task or on its completion. 의존 is the dependency element, and 관계 makes the relationship explicit. 에 따라 is the pattern “depending on” or “according to.” In 작업 간 의존 관계에 따라, it marks the condition that determines what follows: the ordering can vary according to the dependencies between tasks. The noun before 에 따라 is the basis or criterion for the variation. 어떤 asks or specifies which one(s) or what kind, depending on context. Here it works with the following 작업 in 어떤 작업 to mean “which task,” rather than adding a specific task identity itself. Example: 어떤 책을 읽어요? — “Which book are you reading?” 먼저 means “first” or “beforehand,” and it indicates earlier order. Here it applies to the task that should be done first. Example: 이 작업을 먼저 하세요. — “Please do this task first.” 해야 하는지 presents the question or issue of what needs to be done. 해야 is the form of 하다 used in the obligation pattern 해야 하다, “must/need to do”; 하는지 adds the indirect-question ending -는지. Together, 어떤 작업을 먼저 해야 하는지 means “which task needs to be done first.” The ending -는지 turns the embedded question into something that can be the subject or topic of another statement, rather than making the whole sentence a direct question. 달라질 수 있어요 says that something can differ or change. 달라지다 is the base form meaning “to become different” or “to vary”; 달라질 is its form before 수 있다, and 수 있어요 expresses possibility in a polite style. Thus 달라질 수 있어요 means “can vary” or “may change,” without asserting that it definitely changes every time. Putting the chunks together, 작업 간 의존 관계에 따라 sets the determining condition, 어떤 작업을 먼저 해야 하는지 identifies the issue of which task needs to come first, and 달라질 수 있어요 states that the answer may vary. The whole utterance therefore means: “Dependencies can change which task should come first.”

9. 긴급한 이메일은 보고서 초안을 먼저 작성한 뒤에 처리해도 돼요.

   The urgent email can wait until after the report draft.

   긴급한

   urgent

   이메일

   email

   보고서

   report

   초안

   draft

   먼저

   first

   작성한 뒤에

   after writing

   처리해도 돼요

   can be handled

   More detail

   긴급한 means “urgent” here and comes from the descriptive verb 긴급하다. Before a noun, it takes the attributive form 긴급한: 긴급한 이메일 = “an urgent email.” This form describes the email; it is not the noun’s inflection. 이메일 is the noun “email.” The combination 긴급한 이메일 identifies the item being discussed as urgent. 보고서 means “report.” It is a noun that can directly modify another noun: 보고서 초안 means “report draft,” with 보고서 specifying the type of draft. 초안 means “draft,” a preliminary version of a document. In this sentence, 보고서 초안 is the object of 작성하다, “to write/prepare,” so the intended action is preparing the report draft. 먼저 is the adverb “first.” It marks the report-draft preparation as the action to do before the email is handled. A reusable pattern is A를 먼저 하다 = “do A first.” 작성한 뒤에 means “after writing/preparing.” 작성하다 is the base form “to write or prepare” in a document-related context. Its -한 form connects the completed action to what follows, and 뒤에 means “after/behind”; together, 작성한 뒤에 means “after [someone] has written/prepared [it].” The omitted subject is understood from context, and the sentence does not specify a different actor. 처리해도 돼요 expresses permission or acceptability: “it is okay to handle/deal with it.” 처리하다 means “to process, handle, or deal with,” while -아/어도 되다 forms the pattern “may/can do.” Here, 처리해도 돼요 says that handling the email later is acceptable; it does not itself mean that the email is impossible to handle now. Putting the parts together: 긴급한 이메일은 sets the urgent email as the topic, 보고서 초안을 먼저 작성한 뒤에 places email handling after preparing the report draft, and 처리해도 돼요 says that this order is acceptable. The whole utterance therefore means: “The urgent email can wait until after the report draft.”

10. 우선순위를 정할 때는 압박감만이 아니라 결과도 생각해야 해요.

    Prioritizing is about consequences, not just pressure.

    우선순위를

    priorities

    정할 때는

    when deciding

    압박감

    pressure

    만이 아니라

    not just

    결과

    consequences

    도

    also

    생각해야 해요

    have to think

    More detail

    우선순위를 means “priorities” here. 우선순위 is a noun meaning “priority,” and 를 marks it as the object of the following action. Korean nouns do not change form for singular versus plural, so this can refer to priorities in general rather than a specifically marked plural. 우선순위 can combine with 정하다 in the reusable pattern 우선순위를 정하다, “to set priorities.” 정할 때는 comes from 정하다, “to decide” or “to set.” The form 정할 is the future/attributive form of the verb before 때, producing the pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 때, “when doing something.” Thus 정할 때 means “when deciding/setting.” The final 는 marks this time situation as the topic or point under discussion. Example: 회의할 때는 메모해요. — “When having a meeting, I take notes.” 압박감 is a noun meaning “pressure” or “a feeling of pressure.” The ending 감 appears in nouns describing a felt sense, as in 책임감, “a sense of responsibility.” In this sentence, 압박감 is the first item in a contrast: pressure is considered, but it is not the only consideration. 만이 아니라 forms the important pattern A만이 아니라 B도, “not only A but also B.” 만 limits the preceding noun to “only,” while 이 아니라 means “is not” after a noun ending in a consonant. The full construction is stronger and more specific than simply saying “not A”; it rejects A as the sole item and introduces an additional item. Example: 가격만이 아니라 품질도 중요해요. — “Not only the price but also the quality is important.” 결과 means “result” or “outcome.” In the fixed translation, the intended sense is “consequences,” meaning the outcomes that may follow a choice. 결과 is a noun and is the second item in the A만이 아니라 B도 contrast. 도 means “also” or “too.” Here it attaches to 결과, marking the result as an additional thing to consider: 결과도, “the results too.” In the pattern A만이 아니라 B도, 도 is the element that explicitly marks the added item. 생각해야 해요 means “have to think [about it].” The base verb is 생각하다, “to think” or “to consider.” 해야 하다 expresses obligation: 생각해야 하다 literally presents thinking as something that must be done, and the polite present form 생각해야 해요 is used in this sentence. Example: 안전을 생각해야 해요. — “We have to consider safety.” The object or topic being considered can be understood from the surrounding noun phrase; here, the contrast identifies pressure and results. Together, 우선순위를 정할 때는 sets the situation as “when setting priorities.” 압박감만이 아니라 결과도 says that the consideration is not pressure alone but results as well. 생각해야 해요 adds the obligation to consider them. The whole utterance therefore means: “When setting priorities, you have to think about consequences, not just pressure.”