Strengthening a Report with Evidence | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 그 보고서가 널리 공유되기 전에 논의하고 싶었어요.

   I wanted to discuss the report before it is shared widely.

   그

   that; the

   보고서

   report

   널리

   widely

   공유되기

   be shared

   전에

   before

   논의하고

   discuss

   싶었어요

   wanted to

   More detail

   그 is a demonstrative determiner meaning “that” or, in an established context, “the.” It modifies 보고서, so 그 보고서 means “that report” here. Korean demonstratives such as 이 (“this”), 그 (“that/the one already identified”), and 저 (“that over there”) express distance or discourse status; 그 does not itself mark grammatical gender or number. 보고서 means “report.” It is a noun formed from 보고 (“reporting/report”) and 서 (“document”), but it is best learned as the ordinary noun for a report. Korean nouns generally do not change form for singular versus plural, so 보고서 can refer to one report here; the context and determiner provide the relevant identification. 널리 means “widely” or “broadly.” It is the adverbial form used to describe the extent of sharing. Compare 넓게, which more literally means “broadly/widely” in many contexts; 널리 is especially common with things such as information, practices, or documents being spread among many people. Example: 이 소식은 널리 알려졌어요. — “This news became widely known.” 공유되기 is the form of 공유되다, “to be shared,” followed by -기, a nominalizing form. 공유하다 means “to share” actively, while 공유되다 presents the item as receiving the sharing action: 보고서를 공유하다 is “share the report,” and 보고서가 공유되다 is “the report is shared.” Here -기 allows the passive event to combine with 전에, meaning “before.” 전에 means “before.” In 공유되기 전에, it follows the nominalized event and creates the pattern [verb stem + 기] 전에, “before doing/becoming …” or, with a passive form, “before … is done.” The event described by 공유되기 is later than the discussion in the sentence, while 논의하고 싶었어요 expresses the earlier wish. 논의하고 comes from 논의하다, “to discuss,” with -고, a connective ending. The form 논의하고 싶다 means “want to discuss,” not simply “discuss and” in this construction. 논의하다 is somewhat formal and is common for discussing an issue, proposal, or report; 이야기하다 is a more general “talk/tell” verb. 싶었어요 combines 싶다, “to want,” with the past form -었- and the polite sentence ending -어요. In the pattern [verb stem + 고 싶다], 싶다 expresses the subject’s desire to do the action: 가고 싶어요 means “I want to go.” The past form 싶었어요 makes the desire past, so 논의하고 싶었어요 means “I wanted to discuss.” The translation identifies the implicit subject here as “I”; Korean commonly leaves a recoverable subject unspoken. Together, 그 보고서가 marks “the report” as the subject of the passive event, 널리 공유되기 전에 means “before it is shared widely,” and 논의하고 싶었어요 means “I wanted to discuss [it].” The complete utterance is therefore: “I wanted to discuss the report before it is shared widely.”

2. 일부 부분에는 더 많은 근거가 필요할 수도 있다고 생각했어요.

   I suspected some sections might need more evidence.

   일부

   some

   부분에는

   in sections

   더 많은

   more

   근거

   evidence

   필요할 수도

   might be needed

   생각했어요

   thought; suspected

   More detail

   일부 means “some” or “a portion of,” without asserting a specific number. It modifies 부분 here, so 일부 부분 identifies only certain parts rather than all of them. In other contexts, 일부 can also stand on its own: 일부만 남았어요 means “Only some remains.” 부분에는 is 부분 (“part” or “section”) plus -에는. The noun supplies the idea of a section, while -에 marks the place or area where something applies and -는 can add a topic or contrastive nuance. Together with 일부, it means “in some sections/parts.” The marker does not itself specify which sections they are. 더 많은 combines 더 (“more”) with 많은, the form of 많다 (“be much/many”) used before a noun. Thus 더 많은 근거 means “more evidence”: 더 makes the amount greater relative to an understood amount or standard, while 많은 modifies the noun. 더 does not by itself state a precise quantity. 근거 means “evidence” or “basis.” In this sentence it is the support needed for the relevant sections. A useful related contrast is 주장 (“claim/argument”) versus 근거 (“evidence/basis”): a claim is what is asserted, while evidence supports it. Example: 이 주장에는 근거가 필요해요. — “This claim needs evidence.” 필요할 수도 comes from 필요하다 (“be necessary” or “be needed”). The form 필요할 is the -(으)ㄹ form used in the possibility pattern -(으)ㄹ 수도 있다; 수도 contributes the sense “might” or “may.” The rest of that pattern appears immediately afterward as 있다고, before 생각했어요. In this sentence, 필요할 수도 있다고 means “might be needed.” 생각했어요 is the polite past form of 생각하다, “think.” Here it reports the speaker’s earlier thought, and the fixed translation makes that thought “I suspected.” Korean can omit the subject when it is understood, so this form does not itself identify a separate visible subject. Example: 그럴 수도 있다고 생각했어요. — “I thought that might be the case.” As a whole, 일부 부분에는 sets the area under discussion, 더 많은 근거 identifies what is needed, and 필요할 수도 있다고 생각했어요 frames that possibility as the speaker’s past thought: “I suspected some sections might need more evidence.”

3. 주장은 강하지만, 권고안은 뒷받침할 근거가 부족해 보여요.

   The argument is strong, but the recommendations feel unsupported.

   주장은

   the argument

   강하지만

   strong, but

   권고안은

   the recommendations

   뒷받침할

   to support

   근거가

   evidence

   부족해

   insufficient

   보여요

   seems

   More detail

   주장은 means “the argument” here. 주장 is a noun meaning a claim or argument, and -은 marks it as the topic. The topic marker also sets up the contrast with the later topic 권고안은; it does not itself mark a plural. 강하지만 means “is strong, but.” 강하다 is the base adjective meaning “to be strong,” and -지만 connects a statement with a contrast: 강하지만 ... = “although it is strong, ...” The form 강해요 would be a polite standalone present statement, while 강하지만 is the connecting form used here. 권고안은 means “the recommendations” in the fixed translation. 권고안 is a noun for a recommendation or proposed course of action, and -은 marks it as the contrasting topic. Korean does not require this noun to show a plural ending; the intended plural reading comes from the fixed translation and context. 뒷받침할 means “to support” in the phrase “evidence to support.” It comes from the verb 뒷받침하다, “to support or substantiate.” The ending -ㄹ makes the verb modify a following noun, as in 뒷받침할 근거 (“evidence that will support [it]” or “evidence to support [it]”). Example: 주장을 뒷받침할 자료가 필요해요. = “We need data to support the argument.” 근거가 means “evidence” here. 근거 is a noun meaning evidence, grounds, or a basis, and -가 marks it as the subject of 부족하다 (“to be insufficient”). In this sentence, it is the evidence that is described as insufficient, not the recommendations themselves. 부족해 means “is insufficient” or “is lacking.” The base adjective is 부족하다; its -해 form connects it to the following predicate. Thus 근거가 부족해 says that the evidence is lacking. A useful contrast is 충분하다 (“to be sufficient”): 근거가 충분해요. = “The evidence is sufficient.” 보여요 means “seems” or “looks.” It is the polite present form of 보이다, “to appear or seem.” Korean commonly uses -아/어 보이다 after an adjective to express an appearance or assessment: 어려워 보여요 = “It seems difficult.” Here 부족해 보여요 presents the insufficiency as an impression or assessment rather than a bare categorical statement. Together, 주장은 강하지만 establishes the contrast: the argument is strong. 권고안은 shifts attention to the recommendations, and 뒷받침할 근거가 부족해 보여요 says that the evidence needed to support them appears insufficient. The complete meaning is: “The argument is strong, but the recommendations feel unsupported.”

4. 인터뷰에 너무 많이 의존했고 데이터를 충분히 사용하지 않았어요.

   I leaned too heavily on interviews and did not use enough data.

   인터뷰에

   on interviews

   너무 많이

   too heavily

   의존했고

   relied on, and

   데이터를

   data

   충분히

   enough

   사용하지 않았어요

   did not use

   More detail

   인터뷰에 contains 인터뷰 (“interview”) plus the particle -에. Here -에 marks what the speaker relied on, so the chunk means “on interviews.” The same particle has other uses, such as marking a destination or time; its role here comes from the verb 의존하다 (“to depend on, rely on”). 너무 많이 means “too heavily” in this sentence. 너무 expresses excess, while 많이 is the adverbial form of 많다 (“to be much/many”) and means “a lot.” Together they show that the degree of reliance was excessive, not merely that there were many interviews. 의존했고 comes from 의존하다 (“to depend on, rely on”). The ending -었고 marks a completed past situation and connects it to the following clause, roughly “relied on … and.” Thus 의존했고 is the past connective form, not a separate verb meaning “and.” Example: 그 자료에 의존했어요. — “I relied on that material.” 데이터를 contains the noun 데이터 (“data”) and the object particle -를. The particle marks data as what is acted on by the following verb. The particle’s form varies according to the noun’s final sound: -를 follows a vowel-final noun, while -을 follows a consonant-final noun. 충분히 means “sufficiently” or “enough” and modifies the following action. It describes the amount or degree of using the data, not the data noun itself. 사용하지 않았어요 comes from 사용하다 (“to use”). -지 않다 negates the verb, and 않았어요 places that negation in the past with a polite conversational ending. Therefore this chunk means “did not use,” with the negative meaning applying to 사용하다. Example: 자료를 충분히 사용했어요. — “I used the material sufficiently.” Changing 사용했어요 to 사용하지 않았어요 makes it “I did not use the material.” Putting the parts together, 인터뷰에 너무 많이 의존했고 says “relied too heavily on interviews,” while 데이터를 충분히 사용하지 않았어요 says “did not use enough data.” The whole utterance is therefore: “I leaned too heavily on interviews and did not use enough data.”

5. 데이터를 추가하면 결론을 쉽게 일축하기 어려워질 거예요.

   Adding data would make the conclusions harder to dismiss.

   데이터를

   data

   추가하면

   if/when (someone) adds

   결론을

   conclusion(s)

   쉽게

   easily

   일축하기

   to dismiss

   어려워질

   become difficult

   거예요

   will be

   More detail

   데이터를 means “data” here, marked as the object of the following action with 를. 데이터 is a mass noun, so this form does not itself indicate a count. Example: 자료를 읽어요. — “I read the material.” 추가하면 means “if/when [someone] adds [it].” It is the conditional form of 추가하다 (“to add”): 추가하- + -면. The subject is not stated, so do not add a specific person. The form can express either a condition or a time relation, depending on context. 결론을 means “the conclusion(s)” as the object of 일축하다. Korean does not mark singular versus plural here; the translation’s plural “conclusions” gives the intended reading in this sentence. Example: 결론을 바꿨어요. — “I changed the conclusion.” 쉽게 is the adverb “easily,” modifying 일축하기. It comes from the adjective 쉽다 (“to be easy”); 쉽게 is its adverbial form. The contrast is 어렵게 (“with difficulty” / “in a difficult way”), from 어렵다 (“to be difficult”). 일축하기 means “to dismiss” in the nominalized form used inside the larger construction. The verb is 일축하다, meaning to dismiss or reject something summarily, rather than merely to consider it. -기 turns the verb into an action expression, so 쉽게 일축하기 is “to dismiss easily.” Example: 그 주장을 일축하지 마세요. — “Please do not dismiss that claim.” 어려워질 means “become difficult” in a form that modifies what follows in the result construction. It comes from 어렵다 (“to be difficult”) plus -어지다, which expresses a change into a state: 어려워지다 (“become difficult”), followed by the prospective modifier -ㄹ. Thus 일축하기 어려워질 means “become difficult to dismiss,” not simply “be difficult.” Example: 문제가 더 어려워질 거예요. — “The problem will become more difficult.” 거예요 completes the predictive construction -(으)ㄹ 거예요, used here to present an expected result: “will” or “is expected to.” It follows 어려워질, so the full predicate is 어려워질 거예요 — “will become difficult.” This construction does not by itself identify who adds the data. Together, 데이터를 추가하면 sets the condition, 결론을 쉽게 일축하기 names the action that will become difficult, and 어려워질 거예요 expresses the expected change. The whole utterance means: “Adding data would make the conclusions harder to dismiss.”

6. 그 부분을 수정하고 확실하지 않은 점은 분명히 표시할 수 있어요.

   I can revise that section and flag uncertain points clearly.

   그

   that

   부분

   section; part

   수정하고

   revise and

   확실하지 않은

   uncertain

   점

   point

   분명히

   clearly

   표시할

   flag; mark

   수 있어요

   can

   More detail

   그 points to a specific, contextually identifiable thing and modifies the following noun. Here, together with 부분, it refers to “that section.” Korean demonstratives include 이 “this,” 그 “that,” and 저 “that over there”; the choice depends on the speaker’s reference and distance or discourse context. 부분 is a noun meaning “part” or “section.” In this sentence it is the section that can be revised. A useful contrast is 전체 “whole,” as in 전체 부분 is not the usual expression for “the whole”; Korean commonly uses 전체 or 전체적인 with an appropriate noun. 수정하고 comes from 수정하다 “to revise, edit, or correct.” The ending -고 connects this action to the next one: 수정하고 ... 표시할 수 있어요 means “can revise ... and can flag ...” The subject is understood from the sentence rather than stated as a separate pronoun. Example: 문장을 수정하고 저장해요. — “I revise the sentence and save it.” 확실하지 않은 describes the noun that follows it. It is built from 확실하다 “to be certain/clear,” negated with -지 않다, then put into the noun-modifying form -은: 확실하지 않은 점 means “points that are not certain,” or naturally “uncertain points.” The form 않은 is the modifier form of the negative expression 않다; it is not an inflection of 점. 점 is a noun meaning “point,” “matter,” or “aspect.” With 확실하지 않은, it refers to matters whose certainty is lacking, matching the translation’s “uncertain points.” In another context, 점 can also mean a literal dot or a scoring point, so the surrounding modifier determines the relevant sense. 분명히 is an adverb meaning “clearly” or “distinctly.” It modifies the following action, describing how the points are marked. The related adjective 분명하다 means “to be clear”; 분명히 is its adverbial form. 표시할 comes from 표시하다 “to mark, indicate, or flag.” The ending -ㄹ makes it the form used before 수 in the possibility construction: 표시할 수 있다 means “can mark/indicate.” Example: 중요한 부분을 표시할 수 있어요. — “I can mark the important part.” 수 있어요 is the polite present form of the construction -을/ㄹ 수 있다, expressing ability or possibility. After a vowel, -ㄹ 수 있다 is used; after a consonant, -을 수 있다 is used. Here 표시할 수 있어요 means “can flag/mark,” not simply “mark.” 있어요 is the polite spoken form of 있다; the complete negative counterpart is -을/ㄹ 수 없어요, “cannot.” Together, 그 부분을 수정하고 means “revise that section,” with -고 linking it to the next action. 확실하지 않은 점은 marks “uncertain points” as the topic, 분명히 표시할 means “clearly flag,” and 수 있어요 adds the speaker’s ability. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can revise that section and clearly flag uncertain points.”

7. 그러면 전체적인 메시지를 약화시키지 않으면서 신뢰도를 높일 수 있겠어요.

   That would improve credibility without weakening the overall message.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   전체적인

   overall

   메시지

   message

   약화시키지 않으면서

   without weakening

   신뢰도

   credibility

   높일

   raise; improve

   수 있겠어요

   could; would be possible

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It connects the current proposal to a condition or result established by the surrounding context. Example: 그러면 시작할게요. — “Then I’ll start.” 전체적인 describes something as whole or overall. The ending -적 forms an adjective from 전체 (“the whole”), and 전체적인 is the form used before a noun. Here it modifies 메시지. Example: 전체적인 방향을 확인했어요. — “I checked the overall direction.” 메시지 means “message.” It is a noun and can refer to a written communication or to the central meaning conveyed by something, depending on context. Here it is the message whose overall effect should not be weakened. 약화시키지 않으면서 means “without weakening.” The verb is 약화시키다, “to weaken” or “to cause to become weaker.” Its form here combines -지 않다 (“not do”) with -으면서 (“while doing”); together, -지 않으면서 commonly means “without doing.” Example: 의미를 바꾸지 않으면서 문장을 줄였어요. — “I shortened the sentence without changing its meaning.” 신뢰도 means “credibility” or “degree of trust.” It is a noun formed from 신뢰 (“trust”) and 도 (“degree/level”), so it refers to how credible something is rather than to trust as an action. Example: 출처를 밝히면 신뢰도가 높아져요. — “If you identify the source, credibility increases.” 높일 is the modifier form of 높이다, “to raise,” “increase,” or “improve.” 높이다 is the transitive counterpart used when someone raises a level or quality; its base form is 높이다, not the adjective 높다. The ending -ㄹ makes 높일 a prospective modifier before the possibility construction 수 있다: “be able to raise/improve.” Example: 품질을 높일 방법을 찾고 있어요. — “I’m looking for a way to improve the quality.” 수 있겠어요 combines -(으)ㄹ 수 있다, “can/be possible,” with -겠어요. In this sentence, -겠어요 presents the possibility tentatively, so the result is naturally “could improve” or “would be possible,” rather than a firm statement of ability. The subject is understood from context; Korean does not require it to be stated here. Example: 오늘 안에 끝낼 수 있겠어요? — “Would it be possible to finish it today?” Together, 그러면 introduces the proposed result: 높일 수 있겠어요 means “it could be possible to improve,” with 신뢰도를 as the thing improved. The modifying clause 약화시키지 않으면서 says this can happen without weakening the 전체적인 메시지, “the overall message.” Thus the whole utterance means: “Then, it would be possible to improve credibility without weakening the overall message.”

8. 더 넓은 그룹에 전달되기 전에 수정한 버전을 보내 드릴게요.

   I'll send you the updated version before it goes to the wider group.

   더 넓은

   wider

   그룹

   group

   전달되기 전에

   before being delivered

   수정한

   updated

   버전

   version

   보내 드릴게요

   I’ll send it to you

   More detail

   더 넓은 means “wider” here. 넓다 means “to be wide” or “broad,” and its attributive form is 넓은. The preceding 더 makes the comparison explicit: “more wide” → “wider.” Korean places this modifier before the noun it describes. Example: 더 넓은 범위 means “a wider scope.” 그룹 is the noun “group.” With 더 넓은, the phrase means “the wider group.” The particle 에 follows this noun in the full sentence and marks the destination or recipient toward which something is delivered. 전달되기 전에 means “before being delivered.” 전달되다 is the passive/intransitive form meaning “to be delivered,” “transmitted,” or “passed on”; 전달하다 means “to deliver” or “pass on” something actively. The pattern -기 전에 means “before doing” or, with a passive form such as 전달되기, “before being delivered.” Example: 회의가 시작되기 전에 도착하세요. means “Please arrive before the meeting starts.” 수정한 means “revised” or “updated” here. It comes from 수정하다, “to revise” or “modify.” The ending -한 is the attributive form of the past-marked 수정하다, so it describes something that has already been revised: 수정한 문서 means “the revised document.” This form describes 버전, not 그룹. 버전 means “version.” In 수정한 버전, it is the noun being described by 수정한: “the revised version.” Korean commonly places a noun modifier before the noun, as in 새 버전 (“new version”). 보내 드릴게요 means “I’ll send it to you.” 보내다 is “to send,” and 드리다 after another verb expresses doing that action for someone in a respectful or humble way; 보내 드리다 therefore means “to send [something] to someone” politely. -ㄹ게요 marks the speaker’s intention or commitment, often naturally translated as “I’ll …” in a promise or offer. The object and recipient are understood from the surrounding sentence and translation: the object is the version, and the recipient is “you.” Example: 자료를 보내 드릴게요. means “I’ll send you the materials.” Taken together, 더 넓은 그룹에 전달되기 전에 sets the time and destination: “before it is delivered to the wider group.” 수정한 버전을 supplies the object, “the revised version,” and 보내 드릴게요 gives the speaker’s polite commitment to send it to the listener. The whole utterance therefore means: “I’ll send you the updated version before it goes to the wider group.”