Using the Shared Laundry Room Fairly | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 세탁기가 또 전부 사용 중이에요.

   All the washing machines are full again.

   세탁기가

   washing machine

   또

   again

   전부

   all

   사용 중이에요

   are in use

   More detail

   세탁기가 means “the washing machines” here. 세탁기 is the noun “washing machine,” and 가 marks it as the subject. Korean nouns do not normally change form just to show plural; the collective meaning comes from 전부 (“all”) and the context. Example: 세탁기가 고장 났어요. — “The washing machine is broken.” 또 means “again.” It indicates that the situation is recurring. Example: 또 비가 와요. — “It is raining again.” 전부 means “all” or “the whole set.” Here it applies to the washing machines, so the sentence says that none of the relevant machines is available. It is different from 모두, another common word meaning “all”; 전부 often emphasizes the entirety of a set. 사용 중이에요 means “are in use.” 사용 is “use,” and 중 literally conveys being in the middle of or in the state of something. The pattern 명사 + 중이다 describes an activity or process currently underway: 회의 중이에요 means “(Someone) is in a meeting.” In polite present form, 중이에요 follows the noun 중, which ends in a consonant. Here 사용 중이에요 describes the machines’ current unavailable state, rather than saying that someone is merely using one machine at a particular moment. Together, 세탁기가 전부 사용 중이에요 says that all the washing machines are currently in use. Adding 또 gives the complete meaning: “All the washing machines are in use again,” naturally translated as “All the washing machines are full again.”

2. 일정을 확인해서 다음 세탁이 언제 끝나는지 보세요.

   Check the schedule and see when the next load finishes.

   일정

   schedule

   확인해서

   check and then

   다음

   next

   세탁

   laundry; load

   언제

   when

   끝나는지

   when it finishes

   보세요

   see; check

   More detail

   일정 means a schedule or timetable: a plan showing when something is arranged to happen. It is a noun and can be reused in 일정을 확인하다 (“to check the schedule”). 확인해서 comes from 확인하다 (“to check; verify”) plus -아서/어서, which links this action to the next one: “check it and then …” The form 확인해서 does not itself mean “schedule”; the object is 일정을, with -을 marking what is checked. Example: 시간을 확인해서 알려 주세요. — “Please check the time and let me know.” 다음 means “next” and usually comes before the noun it describes. Here, it identifies a later laundry load in the sequence, rather than asserting a numerical count. Example: 다음 버스를 기다려요. — “I’m waiting for the next bus.” 세탁 is a noun related to washing laundry. In this sentence, 다음 세탁 refers to the next washing/load of laundry in the schedule. The noun 세탁 is separate from the verb 세탁하다 (“to do laundry; to wash laundry”), though the two are closely related. Example: 오늘 세탁을 해요. — “I’m doing laundry today.” 언제 is the question word “when.” It asks about the time of an event and can appear inside a larger clause, as it does here. Example: 언제 출발해요? — “When are you leaving?” 끝나는지 is based on 끝나다 (“to end; finish”) plus -는지, which forms an embedded question or expresses uncertainty about whether/when something happens. With 언제, 언제 끝나는지 means “when it finishes.” The form 끝나는 is present-tense attributive form of this verb; it is not an adjective modifying 세탁. Example: 회의가 언제 끝나는지 알아요? — “Do you know when the meeting ends?” 보세요 comes from 보다 (“to see; look; check”) plus the polite -(으)세요 ending. In this context it is a polite request or instruction: “see/check.” It is directed to the listener, while the preceding 확인해서 supplies the action to do first. Together, 일정을 확인해서 means “check the schedule and then,” 다음 세탁이 identifies the next laundry load as the subject of the embedded question, and 언제 끝나는지 보세요 asks the listener to check when it finishes. The whole utterance is therefore: “Check the schedule and see when the next load finishes.” In a practical instruction, -(으)세요 makes the request polite without changing the underlying action.

3. 한 대는 곧 끝날 것 같은데, 시작한 사람은 보이지 않아요.

   One should be done soon, but the person who started it isn't around.

   한 대

   one machine

   곧

   soon

   끝날 것 같은데

   seems likely to finish, but

   시작한 사람

   the person who started it

   보이지 않아요

   isn't visible / isn't around

   More detail

   한 대: 대 is a counter for machines and other pieces of equipment. 한 is the form of 하나 used before a counter, so 한 대 means “one machine” here. The laundry context makes a laundry machine a natural interpretation, but this phrase does not itself identify which machine. 곧: This means “soon,” placing the expected event in the near future. Example: 곧 도착해요. — “It will arrive soon.” 끝날 것 같은데: 끝나다 means “to finish” or “to end.” 끝날 is its future-looking modifier form before 것, and -(으)ㄹ 것 같다 expresses an appearance or expectation: “seems likely to finish.” The ending -는데 leaves the statement open toward what follows and commonly creates a contrast such as “but” in this sentence. Compare 끝나요 (“it finishes/is finishing”) with 끝날 것 같아요 (“it seems likely to finish”). 시작한 사람: 시작하다 means “to start.” Its past modifier form 시작한 describes a noun: 시작한 사람 is “the person who started [it].” The form -한 here marks an action viewed as completed before the person is being identified; it does not mean that the person is still doing the action. 사람 means “person.” Example: 이 일을 시작한 사람을 찾아요. — “I’m looking for the person who started this work.” 보이지 않아요: 보이다 means “to be seen” or “to be visible.” 보이지 않다 is its negative form, and the polite ending -아요 gives 보이지 않아요, literally “is not visible.” In this context, that naturally means the person “isn’t around” or “cannot be seen.” This is different from 보지 않아요, which means that someone does not watch or look; 보이지 않아요 describes the person’s visibility. Together, 한 대는 곧 끝날 것 같은데 says that one machine seems likely to finish soon, while 시작한 사람은 보이지 않아요 identifies the person who started it as not currently visible or present. The complete meaning is: “One should be done soon, but the person who started it isn’t around.”

4. 그 사람의 빨래를 옮기기 전에 몇 분만 더 기다려 주세요.

   Give them a few minutes before moving their laundry.

   그 사람의

   their

   빨래

   laundry

   옮기기

   moving

   전에

   before

   몇 분만 더

   a few more minutes

   기다려 주세요

   please wait

   More detail

   그 사람의 means “that person’s” and, in this translation, “their.” 사람 is the noun “person,” and 의 marks possession or association: 그 사람의 X = “that person’s X.” The form does not itself specify the person’s gender or whether “their” is singular or plural in English. 빨래 means “laundry,” referring here to the laundry being moved. It is a noun; in another context it can also refer to washing clothes as an activity, but here the intended meaning is the laundry itself. 옮기기 comes from the verb 옮기다, “to move” or “to transfer.” The ending -기 turns the verb into a noun-like form: 옮기기 = “moving.” This form appears in the pattern 옮기기 전에, “before moving.” For example, 짐을 옮기기 전에 확인하세요. means “Check before moving the luggage.” 전에 means “before.” With a noun-like action phrase, V-기 전에 means “before doing V.” Thus 옮기기 전에 identifies the time that comes before the moving action. 몇 분만 더 means “just a few more minutes.” 몇 indicates an unspecified small number, 분 is the counter for minutes, 만 adds the limiting sense “only/just,” and 더 means “more” in relation to time already waited. The phrase does not give an exact number. 기다려 주세요 is a polite request meaning “please wait.” It is based on 기다리다, “to wait”; 기다려 is its connective/request form, followed by 주세요, literally “please give [it],” in the conventional request pattern -아/어 주세요. For example, 잠깐 기다려 주세요. means “Please wait a moment.” Together, 그 사람의 빨래를 marks “that person’s/their laundry” as what is moved, 옮기기 전에 means “before moving it,” and 몇 분만 더 기다려 주세요 asks the listener to wait just a few more minutes. The complete utterance therefore means: “Give them a few minutes before moving their laundry.”

5. 얼마나 기다린 뒤에 옮기는 게 공평할까요?

   How long is fair before I move it?

   얼마나

   how long

   기다린

   waited

   뒤에

   after

   옮기는 게

   moving it

   공평할까요?

   would it be fair?

   More detail

   얼마나 asks “how much/how long” or “to what extent.” Here it asks about duration because it modifies 기다리다 (“to wait”): 얼마나 기다리다 means “to wait how long.” For example, 얼마나 기다렸어요? means “How long did you wait?” 기다린 is the form of 기다리다 used before a noun-like element or a following construction. Its -ㄴ ending presents the waiting as completed before the next event: 기다리다 → 기다린. In this sentence, it does not by itself say exactly how long the waiting was; 얼마나 supplies that question. 뒤에 means “after” in the time pattern V-(으)ㄴ 뒤에, “after doing V.” Thus 기다린 뒤에 means “after waiting.” This pattern can be reused with other verbs: 먹은 뒤에 means “after eating,” and 읽은 뒤에 means “after reading.” 옮기는 게 means “moving it” in this sentence. 옮기다 means “to move or transfer something,” and 옮기는 is its present-form modifier used in the nominalized expression 옮기는 것; 것이 is contracted to 게. The translation identifies the object as “it,” but the Korean form itself does not encode the object’s identity. 공평할까요? asks whether something would be fair. 공평하다 means “to be fair/equitable,” and -ㄹ까요? forms a polite question about a possibility, judgment, or proposed course of action. The -ㄹ here belongs to 공평하다, not to the nearby noun-like expression. A related contrast is 공평해요?, a more direct present-tense question, “Is it fair?” Together, 얼마나 기다린 뒤에 sets the condition “after waiting how long,” and 옮기는 게 공평할까요? asks whether moving it at that point would be fair. The whole utterance therefore means: “How long is fair before I move it?”

6. 다른 사람들이 기다리고 있다면, 잠깐 기다려 주는 것만으로 충분해요.

   A short grace period is enough if other people are waiting.

   다른

   other; different

   사람들

   people

   기다리고 있다면

   if ... are waiting

   잠깐

   for a moment

   기다려 주는 것만으로

   merely by waiting as a favor

   충분해요

   is enough

   More detail

   다른 means “other” here and comes before the noun it describes. It contrasts the relevant people with some already established people or group. A useful pattern is 다른 + noun: 다른 방법 means “another method.” 사람들 means “people.” Its base noun is 사람 (“person”), and -들 marks a plural group here. Korean can sometimes leave plurality unmarked when context is clear, but this form explicitly presents multiple people. 기다리고 있다면 says “if [they] are waiting.” The verb 기다리다 means “to wait.” In 기다리고 있다, -고 있다 presents the waiting as ongoing; -다면 adds the conditional meaning “if” or “supposing that.” The subject is understood from 사람들, so the clause means that the people are the ones waiting. Example: 비가 오고 있다면, 우산을 가져가세요. — “If it is raining, take an umbrella.” 잠깐 means “for a short while” or “briefly.” It gives an approximate short duration, not an exact number of minutes. Example: 잠깐 기다려 주세요. — “Please wait a moment.” 기다려 주는 것만으로 is a nominalized pattern meaning “merely by waiting as a favor” or “just by doing the waiting.” 기다려 is the connective form of 기다리다 before 주다; -아/어 주다 presents an action as being done for someone’s benefit. 기다리는 것 would simply mean “waiting,” while 기다려 주는 것 adds the favor-for-someone nuance. The ending -만으로 means “with/by only” or “merely by.” Example: 도와주는 것만으로 충분해요. — “Just helping is enough.” 충분해요 means “is enough” or “is sufficient.” The base form is the descriptive predicate 충분하다; 충분해요 is its polite present form. The -해요 ending is polite and conversational. Example: 이 정도면 충분해요. — “This much is enough.” As a whole, 다른 사람들이 기다리고 있다면 sets the condition: other people are waiting. 잠깐 기다려 주는 것만으로 presents a brief wait done for their benefit as the only needed action, and 충분해요 says that this is sufficient. Thus the utterance means: “A short grace period is enough if other people are waiting.”

7. 제 세탁이 끝나자마자 돌아오도록 알림을 설정할게요.

   I'll set a reminder so I come back as soon as my load is done.

   제

   my

   세탁

   laundry

   끝나자마자

   as soon as it ends

   돌아오도록

   so that I come back

   알림

   reminder

   설정할게요

   I’ll set

   More detail

   제 means “my” here. It is the possessive form of 저 (“I,” in humble/polite reference), used before a noun: 제 + noun means “my noun.” It does not itself specify a number. 세탁 means “laundry” here, and the translation makes the intended sense more specifically “my load” or “my laundry.” It is a noun; in this sentence it is the thing whose completion is being awaited. A useful pattern is 세탁이 끝나다, “the laundry is finished.” 끝나자마자 means “as soon as it ends/is finished.” The base verb is 끝나다, “to end” or “be finished,” and -자마자 attaches to a verb to mark an event that happens immediately after it. Thus 세탁이 끝나자마자 means “as soon as the laundry is finished.” Example: 수업이 끝나자마자 집에 갔어요. — “I went home as soon as class ended.” 돌아오도록 means “so that I come back” in this sentence. Its base verb is 돌아오다, “to come back,” and -도록 can mark a purpose or intended result. Here the understood person returning is the speaker, matching the translation. Example: 잊지 않도록 메모했어요. — “I wrote it down so that I would not forget.” 알림 means “reminder” here. It is a noun, and it is the thing being set up. The following verb makes the reusable combination 알림을 설정하다, “to set a reminder.” 설정할게요 means “I’ll set [it].” Its base verb is 설정하다, “to set” or “configure.” -ㄹ게요 marks the speaker’s intention or commitment to do something, often as a response to the situation or for someone’s benefit. In this form, the speaker is the subject; the object is supplied by 알림을. Example: 제가 알림을 설정할게요. — “I’ll set the reminder.” Together, 제 세탁이 끝나자마자 sets the time: “as soon as my load is done.” 돌아오도록 gives the purpose of the reminder: “so that I come back.” 알림을 설정할게요 states the speaker’s commitment to set it. The whole utterance means: “I’ll set a reminder so I come back as soon as my load is done.”

8. 그러면 다른 사람들에게도 똑같이 요구하기가 더 쉬워져요.

   That makes it easier to ask the same of everyone else.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   다른

   other; different

   사람들

   people

   에게도

   to ... too

   똑같이

   in the same way; equally

   요구하기

   asking; requesting

   더

   more

   쉬워져요

   becomes easier

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links this sentence to a condition or situation just mentioned. Korean also commonly uses 그러면 to introduce the result that follows from that situation. 다른 is the form of 다르다 (“to be different”) used before a noun. In 다른 사람들, it means “other” people, contrasting them with people already under discussion. The useful pattern is 다른 + noun: 다른 방법 means “another/different method.” 사람들 means “people.” It is 사람 (“person”) plus 들, a plural marker. 들 is not required whenever plurality is obvious, but it makes the plural reading explicit here. 에게도 combines 에게 (“to” a person or people) with 도 (“also/too”). Thus it marks the people who receive the request and adds the meaning “to them as well.” 에게 is used for human recipients; 에 is commonly used for destinations or locations instead. 똑같이 is the adverbial form of 똑같다, “to be exactly the same.” It means that the requesting is done in the same way or to the same standard. For example, 모두를 똑같이 대하다 means “to treat everyone equally.” 요구하기 comes from 요구하다, “to request” or “to demand,” plus -기, which turns the verb into a noun-like form: “requesting.” 요구하다 can sound firmer than 부탁하다, “to ask a favor,” so the appropriate choice depends on how forceful the request is. Here, 요구하기 refers to making the same request or demand. 더 means “more.” It marks a comparison: the action is easier than it was before or than it would be under another condition. The word being compared here is 쉬워져요, not 더 itself. 쉬워져요 comes from 쉬워지다, “to become easy/easier.” Its base adjective is 쉽다 (“easy”); 쉽다 changes to 쉬워 before 지다, and -어요 gives the polite present-style ending. The pattern adjective stem + -아/어지다 describes a change of state: 조용해지다 means “to become quiet.” In this sentence, 쉬워져요 says that the action becomes easier. Together, 요구하기가 makes “requesting” the subject of 쉬워져요: the nominalizer -기 is followed by the subject marker 가. 다른 사람들에게도 identifies the additional recipients, while 똑같이 says that the same standard is used for them. Therefore, 그러면 다른 사람들에게도 똑같이 요구하기가 더 쉬워져요 means, “Then it becomes easier to ask the same of everyone else.”

9. 저도 제 빨래를 거기에 두고 가면, 남이 두고 간 빨래에 대해 불평할 수 없어요.

   I can't complain about abandoned laundry if I leave mine there too.

   저도

   I too

   제

   my

   빨래

   laundry

   거기에

   there

   두고 가면

   if one leaves something and goes

   남이

   someone else

   두고 간

   left behind

   에 대해

   about

   불평할 수 없어요

   can't complain

   More detail

   저도 combines 저 (“I,” the humble first-person pronoun) with 도 (“also/too”). Here it marks the speaker as included in the same situation: “I too.” 저 is a respectful or humble way to refer to oneself; 나 is the corresponding plain or informal first-person form in contexts where that distinction applies. 제 is the contracted possessive form of 저의, meaning “my.” It identifies the laundry as belonging to the speaker. 빨래 is a noun for laundry, including clothes being washed or the laundry itself. In this sentence it means the speaker’s laundry. 거기에 means “there”: 거기 (“there”) plus the location particle 에. The specific place is understood from the situation; this form marks it as the place where the laundry is left. 여기에 means “here,” while 거기에 means “there.” 두고 가면 expresses “if one leaves something and goes.” It comes from 두고 가다, a construction meaning to leave something behind while going away: 두다 means “to put or leave,” and 가다 means “to go.” The ending -면 makes the clause conditional, “if” or “when.” In this utterance, the understood subject is the speaker, and the earlier 제 빨래 is the thing being left at the place marked by 거기에. 남이 means “someone else” or “another person” and consists of 남 plus the subject marker 이. It contrasts with the speaker in this context. The form does not itself specify which particular person is meant. 두고 간 is the noun-modifying form of 두고 가다. The completed-action modifier -ㄴ turns the action into a description of a noun: 두고 간 빨래 is “laundry that someone left behind.” This is separate from the conditional 두고 가면 earlier: 두고 간 describes a completed leaving action, while -면 presents the speaker’s leaving as a condition. 에 대해 means “about” or “regarding.” It attaches to 두고 간 빨래, so the complaint concerns that left-behind laundry. A related pattern is N에 대해 말하다, “talk about N.” 불평할 수 없어요 means “cannot complain.” 불평하다 is the verb “to complain,” and -ㄹ 수 없다 expresses inability or impossibility: 불평할 수 없어요 presents complaining as not possible. 없어요 is the polite present form of 없다 (“not exist/be absent”); in this pattern it supplies the negative part of “cannot.” For example, 지금은 말할 수 없어요 means “I can’t speak now.” Together, 저도 제 빨래를 거기에 두고 가면 means “if I also leave my laundry there,” and 남이 두고 간 빨래에 대해 불평할 수 없어요 means “I can’t complain about laundry that someone else left behind.” The whole utterance therefore says: “I can’t complain about abandoned laundry if I leave mine there too.”

10. 사람들이 세탁 시간을 확인하면 공용 세탁실이 더 순조롭게 운영돼요.

    Shared laundry goes more smoothly when people watch the cycle times.

    사람들

    people

    세탁

    laundry

    시간

    time

    확인하면

    if/when checking

    공용

    shared

    세탁실

    laundry room

    더

    more

    순조롭게

    smoothly

    운영돼요

    operates

    More detail

    사람들 means “people” here. It is the plural form of 사람 (“person”); the plural marker 들 presents the people as a group. Korean can sometimes omit 들 when plurality is clear, but it is stated here. 세탁 means “laundry” or “washing.” It is a noun that can combine with other nouns, as in 세탁 시간 (“laundry time”) and 세탁실 (“laundry room”). 시간 means “time.” In the full phrase 세탁 시간을, it is the object of “confirm/check”: 세탁 시간 is “laundry time,” and 을 marks that noun phrase as the object. The supplied entry quotes only 시간, so its direct meaning is simply “time.” 확인하면 means “when/if [someone] checks or confirms.” Its base form is 확인하다 (“to check, confirm”), and -면 forms a condition or time-linked clause: 확인하면 can mean “if one checks” or “when one checks.” Here, the intended reading is that checking the laundry times is the condition under which the shared laundry operation becomes smoother. The subject is understood from 사람들이, which appears earlier in the sentence. 공용 means “shared” or “for common use.” It describes something intended for use by multiple people, as in 공용 세탁실 (“shared laundry room”). It is not the noun “room” itself; it modifies 세탁실. 세탁실 means “laundry room.” It combines 세탁 (“laundry/washing”) with 실 (“room”), forming a useful compound noun. In this sentence, it is the shared laundry room whose operation is being described. 더 means “more.” It compares the described degree of smoothness with a relevant baseline: the laundry room operates more smoothly when the condition in the first clause is met. It does not itself mean “very”; 더 indicates an increase or comparison. 순조롭게 means “smoothly” or “without problems.” It is the adverbial form related to 순조롭다 (“to be smooth, proceed well”). The adverb modifies how the operation proceeds. For example, 일이 순조롭게 진행돼요 means “The work proceeds smoothly.” 운영돼요 means “is operated” or, in this context, “operates/is run.” Its base form is 운영되다 (“to be operated, to run”), and -어요 gives the polite present form 운영돼요. The 되다 part makes this a -되다 form, so the sentence focuses on the laundry room’s operation rather than explicitly naming an operator. The form is not the same as active 운영해요 (“[someone] operates/runs [it]”). Together, 사람들이 세탁 시간을 확인하면 means “when people check the laundry times,” and 공용 세탁실이 더 순조롭게 운영돼요 means “the shared laundry room operates more smoothly.” The whole utterance therefore says: “Shared laundry goes more smoothly when people watch the cycle times.” Here, 세탁 시간 expresses the relevant laundry or cycle times, while 더 순조롭게 describes the improved way the shared laundry room operates.