Describing cough symptoms before calling a clinic | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 기침이 나아지지 않아서 병원에 전화해야 해요.

   I need to call the clinic because my cough is not getting better.

   기침

   cough

   나아지지 않아서

   because it is not getting better

   병원

   clinic

   전화해야 해요

   need to call

   More detail

   기침 means “cough” here. It is a noun, so it can be used as the topic or subject of a sentence. For example, 기침이 있어요 means “I have a cough.” The particle 이 marks 기침 as the subject in the fixed sentence. 나아지지 않아서 describes the cough as not improving and gives the reason for the next clause. The useful base form is 나아지다, “to get better” or “to improve.” -지 않다 makes a verb or adjective negative, so 나아지지 않다 means “not get better.” The ending -아서 connects this reason to what follows: 나아지지 않아서 means “because it is not getting better.” This is the form of 나아지다 used here; it is not the separate observed word 기침 that carries the improvement meaning. 병원 means “hospital” or, in this translation and situation, “clinic.” It is a noun. 병원에 adds 에, which marks the destination or target of an action: 병원에 전화하다 means “call the hospital/clinic.” 전화해야 해요 expresses that the speaker needs to call. 전화하다 means “to call” and is the base form. The pattern -아야/어야 하다 expresses necessity or obligation. Here, 전화해야 하다 literally has the structure “have to call”; 해요 is the polite present form of 하다 in this construction. For example, 약을 먹어야 해요 means “I need to take medicine.” Together, 기침이 나아지지 않아서 gives the reason, “because my cough is not getting better,” and 병원에 전화해야 해요 gives the required action, “I need to call the clinic.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I need to call the clinic because my cough is not getting better.”

2. 무엇이 달라졌고 무엇이 가장 걱정되는지 병원에 말해 보세요.

   Tell them what has changed and what worries you most.

   무엇이

   what

   달라졌고

   changed, and

   가장

   most

   걱정되는지

   is concerning

   병원에

   to the hospital or clinic

   말해 보세요

   please tell them

   More detail

   무엇이 means “what” and marks the unknown thing as the subject with 이. It can ask which thing has a property or undergoes a change. For example, 무엇이 필요해요? means “What is needed?” 달라졌고 comes from 달라지다, “to become different” or “to change.” 달라졌- is the past form, showing that the change has happened, and -고 links this clause to the next one. Here it gives the first clause the meaning “has changed, and.” 가장 means “most” or “to the greatest degree.” It commonly comes before an adjective or descriptive verb: 가장 중요해요 means “is the most important.” Here it marks the greatest degree of concern. 걱정되는지 comes from 걱정되다, “to be concerning” or “to cause concern.” The ending -는지 turns the clause into an embedded question, roughly “whether/what ...” depending on the clause around it. In 무엇이 가장 걱정되는지, 무엇이 is the subject, so the whole embedded question means “what is most concerning,” matching the fixed translation “what worries you most.” For example, 무엇이 걱정되는지 말해 주세요 means “Please tell me what is worrying you.” 병원에 uses 병원, “hospital,” with the particle -에. In this sentence, -에 marks the medical institution as the destination or recipient of the telling; the context and translation support “to the hospital/clinic.” 말해 보세요 combines 말하다, “to tell” or “to say,” with -아/어 보다, which adds the idea of trying an action, and the polite request ending -세요. Together, it is a polite request meaning “please tell them.” The pattern 말해 보세요 is reusable; for example, 의사에게 증상을 말해 보세요 means “Please try telling the doctor your symptoms.” Together, 무엇이 달라졌고 means “what has changed,” and 무엇이 가장 걱정되는지 means “what worries you most.” These embedded questions are followed by 병원에, “to the hospital/clinic,” and the request 말해 보세요, “please tell them.” The whole utterance means: “Tell them what has changed and what worries you most.”

3. 더 심해졌고 열이 나는 것 같고 피곤해요.

   It has gotten worse, and I feel feverish and tired.

   더

   more

   심해졌고

   has gotten worse, and

   열이 … 나는

   have a fever / feel feverish

   것 같고

   seems like, and

   피곤해요

   am tired

   More detail

   더 means “more” here and increases the degree of the following condition. It is useful with comparisons or changes in degree: 더 아파요 means “It hurts more,” while 덜 아파요 means “It hurts less.” 심해졌고 comes from 심하다 (“to be severe”) through 심해지다 (“to become severe”): 심하다 → 심해지다 → 심해졌고. The -졌- part shows that the condition became that way, and -고 links this clause to the next one. Thus, 더 심해졌고 says that the condition has become worse or more severe, not merely that it is severe. Example: 통증이 심해졌어요. — “The pain has gotten worse.” 열이 나는 is the form of the expression 열이 나다, literally “heat arises,” used for having a fever or feeling feverish. 열 is the noun “fever/heat,” and 나는 is the present modifier form of 나다; it is not the first-person pronoun “I.” Here, 열이 나는 modifies the following 것 in 열이 나는 것 같다. Example: 아이가 열이 나요. — “The child has a fever.” 것 같고 contains 것 같다, a pattern meaning “seem to be” or “feel like,” followed by -고 to connect to the next condition. In 열이 나는 것 같고, the speaker presents the feverish feeling as an impression rather than a definite medical diagnosis. Example: 비가 오는 것 같아요. — “It seems to be raining.” 피곤해요 comes from the adjective 피곤하다 (“to be tired”) and is its polite present form. Korean descriptive adjectives can take this -해요 ending for a polite statement: 피곤하다 → 피곤해요. Example: 오늘 피곤해요. — “I’m tired today.” Together, 더 심해졌고 says that the condition has become worse, 열이 나는 것 같고 says that the speaker feels feverish, and 피곤해요 adds that the speaker is tired. The whole utterance is therefore: “It has gotten worse, and I feel feverish and tired.”

4. 언제 시작됐는지, 도움이 된 것이 있었는지도 말해 보세요.

   Mention when it started and whether anything has helped.

   언제

   when

   시작됐는지

   when it started

   도움이 된 것이 있었는지도

   whether anything has helped

   말해 보세요

   please tell me

   More detail

   언제 means “when.” It is a question word for asking about time. In an embedded question, it can come before a verb: 언제 왔는지 모르겠어요 means “I don’t know when (someone) came.” The person who came is not specified by this example. 시작됐는지 is based on 시작되다, “to start” or “to begin.” 시작됐- is the contracted past form of 시작되었-, and -는지 turns the clause into an embedded question or uncertainty clause. Thus 언제 시작됐는지 means “when it started.” The target sentence does not state who or what started it; in this context, the omitted subject is understood from the ongoing topic. 도움이 된 것이 있었는지도 combines the useful pattern 도움이 되다, “to be helpful,” with 것, “thing,” and 있다, “to exist” or “to be present.” 도움이 된 is the past form of 도움이 되다 used before 것, so it describes a thing that was helpful. 있었는지 asks whether such a thing existed, and 도 adds “also.” The whole chunk therefore asks “whether there was anything that helped, too.” Example: 도움이 된 방법이 있었어요 means “There was a method that helped.” 말해 보세요 comes from 말하다, “to tell” or “to say,” followed by -아/어 보다, which adds the idea of trying an action. 말해 is the connective form of 말하다, and 보세요 makes the request polite. In this sentence, 말해 보세요 functions as a polite request meaning “please tell me” or “try telling me.” Example: 한번 말해 보세요 means “Try saying it once.” The first embedded question, 언제 시작됐는지, supplies the time information to be told. The second, 도움이 된 것이 있었는지도, asks additionally whether anything has been helpful. Together they are coordinated before the request 말해 보세요, producing: “Mention when it started and whether anything has helped.”

5. 오늘 밤에 더 심해지면 어떻게 해야 하는지도 알고 싶어요.

   I also need to know what to do if it gets worse tonight.

   오늘 밤에

   tonight

   더 심해지면

   if it gets worse

   어떻게 해야 하는지

   what to do

   알고 싶어요

   want to know

   More detail

   오늘 밤에 combines 오늘 (“today”) and 밤 (“night”) with the time particle 에, so here it means “tonight.” 에 commonly marks a point or period in time: 아침에 means “in the morning.” 더 심해지면 means “if it gets worse.” 더 means “more,” while 심해지다 is the verb “to become severe/worse”; its base form is 심해지다, not the nearby 더. The ending -면 makes a condition: 비가 오면 means “if it rains.” 어떻게 해야 하는지 is an embedded question meaning “what to do” or, more literally, “how one should act.” 어떻게 asks “how,” and 해야 하다 expresses what one must or should do. In 해야 하는지, the ending -는지 turns the question into information that can be known, asked, or checked. Example: 어디로 가야 하는지 알아요. — “I know where I should go.” 알고 싶어요 means “want to know.” 알다 is the base verb “to know,” and -고 싶다 expresses the subject’s desire to do or experience something: 배우고 싶어요 means “I want to learn.” 싶어요 is the polite present form used here. Together, the sentence is structured as [condition] + [embedded question] + 알고 싶어요: “I want to know what to do if it gets worse tonight.” The condition is 오늘 밤에 더 심해지면, and the information being sought is 어떻게 해야 하는지. In the supplied English translation, “also” presents this as an additional thing to know; the Korean sentence itself contains no separate 또 or 도 marker.

6. 빨리 도움이 필요하면 어디로 가야 하는지 물어보세요.

   Ask where you should go if you need help quickly.

   빨리

   quickly

   도움

   help

   필요하면

   if needed

   어디로

   to where

   가야

   should go

   물어보세요

   ask

   More detail

   빨리 means “quickly” here. It is an adverb describing the urgency or speed associated with the situation. Example: 빨리 와요 means “Come quickly.” 도움 is the noun “help.” A useful pattern is 도움이 필요하다, “need help,” where 이 marks 도움 as what is needed. 도움 is a noun, while the related verb 돕다 means “to help.” 필요하면 means “if it is needed”; with 도움이, the intended meaning is “if you need help.” Its base form is the descriptive verb 필요하다, “to be necessary” or “to be needed.” The conditional ending -면 changes 필요하다 to 필요하면, meaning “if/when it is needed.” 어디로 means “to where.” 어디 is “where,” and -로 marks direction or destination. 어디에 can indicate a place or destination, whereas 어디로 focuses on the direction or destination of movement. 가야 comes from 가다, “to go.” In 가야 하다, the pattern -아야 하다 expresses necessity, so 가야 하다 means “must/should go.” Here it continues into 가야 하는지: the ending -는지 turns the clause into an indirect question, “where one should go.” The observed 가야 alone is not the complete indirect-question expression. 물어보세요 means “please ask” or “ask.” It is a polite request or instruction. The underlying verb 묻다 means “to ask,” and its ㄷ changes to ㄹ before the vowel in 물어. In this expression, 물어보다 functions as “to ask/inquire,” and -세요 makes the request polite. Example: 다시 물어보세요 means “Please ask again.” The pattern -아/어 보다 can also mean “try doing” in other contexts, but that is not the intended meaning of 물어보세요 here. Together, 빨리 gives the condition an urgent or quick sense. 도움이 필요하면 means “if you need help,” and 어디로 가야 하는지 means “where you should go.” The polite instruction 물어보세요 completes the utterance: “Ask where you should go if you need help quickly.”

7. 전화하기 전에 중요한 내용을 적어 둘게요.

   I will write the main points down before I call.

   전화하기

   calling

   전에

   before

   중요한

   important

   내용

   content; points

   적어 둘게요

   I’ll write it down

   More detail

   전화하기 전화하기 is 전화하다 (“to make a phone call”) with -기, a form that turns the action into a noun-like expression. Here it means “calling,” and with 전에 it forms the reusable pattern 동사-기 전에 (“before doing ...”). The understood caller is the speaker, as shown by the fixed translation. 전에 전에 means “before” and follows a noun-like expression or time expression. In 전화하기 전에, it places the writing earlier than the call: “before calling.” Compare 후에 (“after”), as in 전화한 후에 (“after calling”). 중요한 중요한 is the noun-modifying form of 중요하다 (“to be important”). The ending -ㄴ lets this descriptive word modify the following noun, so 중요한 내용 means “important points/content.” It is the adjective that carries this form, not 내용. 내용 내용 means the content or information contained in something. In this sentence, the translation specifies the intended sense as “main points.” Korean nouns do not need a plural ending here, so 내용 can refer to the relevant points without marking a number. 적어 둘게요 This combines 적다 (“to write”) with 두다 (“to put/leave”) as an auxiliary: 적어 두다 means to write something down and leave it prepared or retained. -ㄹ게요 presents the speaker’s intention or commitment, so 적어 둘게요 is “I’ll write it down.” The form 적어 is the connective form of 적다 used before the auxiliary 두다; 둘 is the form of 두다 before -ㄹ게요. Whole utterance The pattern is 동사-기 전에 + [noun]을/를 + 동사-아/어 두다 + -ㄹ게요: “Before doing X, I’ll write Y down in advance.” Thus 전화하기 전에 sets the time, 중요한 내용을 identifies what will be written, and 적어 둘게요 expresses the speaker’s intention to have it written down before the call. Together, the sentence means: “I will write the main points down before I call.”

8. 그러면 두 분 모두 통화가 더 명확해질 거예요.

   That should make the call clearer for both of you.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   두 분

   the two of you

   모두

   both; all

   통화

   call

   더

   more

   명확해질

   become clearer

   거예요

   will

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links the sentence to a condition or preceding situation: 그러면 시작해요. = “Then, let’s start.” 두 분 refers respectfully to two people. 두 is the form for “two” before a counting noun, and 분 is the honorific people-counter/noun. Here, the fixed translation identifies the people as “both of you.” 모두 means “both” with two people and “all” with a larger group. Together, 두 분 모두 means “both of you.” Example: 두 분 모두 오셨어요. = “Both of you came.” 통화 is a phone call or phone conversation. It is a noun; the preceding context about calling supports this meaning. Example: 통화 중이에요. = “I’m on the phone.” 더 means “more” and marks an increase in degree. It modifies the following description in 더 명확해질: something will become clearer than before. 명확해질 comes from the adjective 명확하다, “to be clear” or “to be unambiguous.” The change-of-state pattern -아/어지다 makes 명확해지다, “to become clear.” Its -(으)ㄹ form, 명확해질, occurs before the future/prospective expression 거예요. Example: 설명이 명확해졌어요. = “The explanation became clear.” 거예요 is the polite form of the prospective pattern 것이에요, commonly contracted to 거예요. After a verb or change-of-state form such as 명확해질, it presents the result as expected or future: 좋아질 거예요. = “It will get better.” Putting the parts together, 그러면 sets up the result, 두 분 모두 identifies the two people affected, and 통화가 더 명확해질 거예요 says that the call will become clearer. The whole utterance means: “That should make the call clearer for both of you.”