Confirming Delay Information and Where to Wait | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 안내 방송에 지연이 있다고 나오지만, 이유는 말해 주지 않네요.

   The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.

   안내

   information; guidance

   방송

   announcement; broadcast

   지연

   delay

   있다고

   that there is

   나오지만

   says; indicates, but

   이유

   reason; why

   말해

   say; tell

   주지 않네요

   does not provide, apparently

   More detail

   안내 means guidance or information. In 안내 방송, it helps specify the kind of broadcast: an informational announcement. Example: 안내를 확인하세요. — “Please check the information.” 방송 means a broadcast or announcement. 안내 방송 is a reusable noun combination for an informational announcement, and 에 marks it as the source in which something is presented here: 안내 방송에 ... 나오다 means that something appears or is stated in the announcement. 지연 means a delay. It is a noun, so 지연이 있다 literally expresses that a delay exists. Example: 버스에 지연이 있어요. — “There is a delay with the bus.” 있다고 is 있다 (“to exist; to be present”) followed by -다고, which marks the content of what is said, reported, or presented. Here it connects 지연이 있다 to 나오다: the announcement presents the content “there is a delay.” The noun 지연 takes the subject marker 이 because it is the thing said to exist. 나오지만 comes from 나오다 (“to come out; to appear; to be stated”) plus -지만 (“but; although”). In this sentence, 나오다 does not mean physically coming out; it means that information appears or is stated in the announcement. The ending -지만 links that fact to the contrasting clause that follows. Example: 화면에 시간이 나와요. — “The time appears on the screen.” 이유 means reason or cause. With the topic marker 는, 이유는 introduces the reason as the information being contrasted: the announcement gives information about a delay, but not the reason for it. In the fixed translation, this is naturally expressed as “why.” 말해 is the form of 말하다 (“to say; to tell”) used before another verb or ending. In 말해 주다, it combines with auxiliary 주다 to mean telling or providing information for someone’s benefit. Example: 이유를 말해 주세요. — “Please tell me the reason.” 주지 않네요 is the negative pattern 주다 + -지 않다 + -네요. Here 주다 is the auxiliary in 말해 주다, so 말해 주지 않다 means “not tell” or “not provide [the information].” -네요 presents the speaker’s observation or realization with a mild noticing tone; it does not itself mean “apparently” in every context. The subject is not stated in this clause, but the intended source of the information is understood from the announcement context. Example: 자세히 설명해 주지 않네요. — “They are not explaining it in detail.” Together, 안내 방송에 identifies the announcement as the information source, 지연이 있다고 나오지만 says that it states or shows that there is a delay, and 이유는 말해 주지 않네요 contrasts this with its failure to provide the reason. The complete meaning is: “The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.”

2. 사람들이 탑승하기 전에 기차를 점검하고 있는 것 같아요.

   I think they are checking the train before letting people board.

   사람들이

   people

   탑승하기 전에

   before boarding

   기차를

   the train

   점검하고

   checking; inspecting

   있는 것 같아요

   seem to be

   More detail

   사람들이 means “people” here. 사람 is “person,” and 사람들 is its plural form; 이 marks this noun as the subject of 탑승하기, the action in the following time clause. The plural does not by itself state an exact number. For example, 학생들이 와요 means “The students come.” 탑승하기 전에 uses the reusable pattern 동사-기 전에, “before doing [the verb].” 탑승하다 means “to board” or “to get on,” and 탑승하기 turns that action into the setting “before boarding.” 전에 means “before.” In this sentence, the explicit subject 사람들이 supplies who boards: “before people board.” 기차를 means “the train” as the object being checked. 기차 is “train,” and 를 marks it as the object of 점검하다. The object marker does not itself mean that the train is uniquely identifiable in every context; the fixed translation supplies the intended train here. 점검하고 comes from 점검하다, “to inspect” or “to check,” with the connective ending -고. In 점검하고 있다, -고 있다 presents the action as ongoing: “be checking.” The form 점검하고 is therefore the first part of that progressive construction, not a separate past or completed form. For example, 직원이 장비를 점검하고 있어요 means “The staff member is checking the equipment.” 있는 것 같아요 completes -고 있는 것 같아요, a pattern meaning “seem to be doing.” 있는 is the attributive form of 있다 within the progressive expression -고 있다; 것 is the noun in the pattern, and 같아요 is the polite form of 같다, “seem” or “be like.” This pattern presents the speaker’s conclusion as an impression rather than a directly asserted fact. For example, 비가 오고 있는 것 같아요 means “It seems to be raining.” Together, 사람들이 탑승하기 전에 sets the time as before people board, 기차를 점검하고 describes the ongoing inspection of the train, and 있는 것 같아요 marks that description as the speaker’s inference. The whole utterance means: “I think they are checking the train before letting people board.”

3. 여기 있어야 할까요, 아니면 다른 승강장을 찾아봐야 할까요?

   Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?

   여기

   here

   있어야 할까요

   should we stay/be

   아니면

   or else

   다른

   another; different

   승강장

   platform

   찾아봐야 할까요

   should we look for

   More detail

   여기 means “here.” It is a location adverb, so it points to the relevant place without changing for number or gender. Example: 여기에 있어요. means “I’m here.” 있어야 할까요 combines 있다 (“to be; to stay in a place”) with -어야 하다, which expresses necessity, and -ㄹ까요?, which makes a question about what to do. In this sentence, the result is a polite “Should we stay/be here?” The form 있어야 is built from 있다 with the vowel-based form -어야; 할까요 comes from 하다 plus -ㄹ까요. Example: 지금 여기 있어야 해요. means “We have to stay here now.” 아니면 introduces the alternative in a choice: “or.” It is useful for connecting two options, often in the pattern A, 아니면 B? (“A, or B?”). 다른 means “another” or “different.” It is the form of 다르다 used before a noun; here it describes 승강장. It does not by itself assert a numerical count. Example: 다른 방법을 찾아요. means “Let’s look for a different way.” 승강장 means “platform,” especially a train or subway platform. It is a noun and can combine with location particles, as in 승강장에 있어요 (“[someone] is on the platform”). 찾아봐야 할까요 contains 찾다 (“to look for; find”), -아/어 보다 (“try doing”), -아/어야 하다 (“need to”), and -ㄹ까요? (“shall/should we?”). Together here, it asks whether the speakers should try looking for another platform. 찾아보다 is a commonly used combined verb meaning “try to find” or “look into,” rather than merely presenting 찾다 and 보다 as two separate actions. Example: 다른 출구를 찾아볼까요? means “Shall we try looking for another exit?” As a whole, 여기 있어야 할까요 asks whether the speakers should remain at the current place. 아니면 다른 승강장을 찾아봐야 할까요? offers the alternative of trying to find a different platform. The complete meaning is: “Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?”

4. 일단 이 근처에 있어요. 상황이 바뀌면 직원들이 어디로 가야 하는지 알려 줄 거예요.

   Stay close for now. If it changes, staff will say where to go.

   일단

   for now

   이

   this

   근처

   vicinity; nearby area

   있어요

   stay; be

   상황

   situation

   바뀌면

   if it changes

   직원들

   staff

   어디로

   where to

   가야 하는지

   whether one has to go

   알려 줄 거예요

   will let someone know

   More detail

   일단 means “for now” here: it sets a temporary arrangement without saying how long it will last. It is a useful way to frame an action as the current first step. Example: 일단 기다려요. — “Let’s wait for now.” 이 is a demonstrative meaning “this” and normally appears directly before a noun, as in 이 근처 (“this vicinity”). Its form does not itself identify a particular person or object; the surrounding situation supplies what is being indicated. 근처 is “the vicinity” or “nearby area.” It is a noun, so 이 근처 literally combines “this” with “vicinity.” Example: 역 근처에 있어요. — “I’m near the station.” 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다, used here for being or staying in a place. With a location marked by -에, A에 있어요 means “be/stay at A.” The form 있어요 can also mean “there is/are” in other contexts, so its exact English rendering depends on the construction. 상황 means “situation” or “circumstances.” In 상황이, the particle -이 marks it as the subject of the following change. Example: 상황을 확인해요. — “I check the situation.” 바뀌면 comes from 바뀌다, “to change,” plus -면, a conditional ending meaning “if/when.” Here 상황이 바뀌면 means “if the situation changes.” The subject of 바뀌다 is 상황; the form does not say that an unnamed person changes it. Example: 시간이 바뀌면 알려 주세요. — “Please let me know if the time changes.” 직원들 means “staff members” or “employees.” 직원 is the noun “staff member/employee,” and -들 marks a plural group here. The subject particle in 직원들이 marks the staff as the ones who will give the information. 어디로 asks “to where” or “where to.” 어디 means “where,” and -로 marks the destination or direction. It is different from 어디에, which commonly asks where someone or something is located. Example: 어디로 가요? — “Where are you going?” 가야 하는지 contains 가다 (“go”), -아야 하다 (“have to/must”), and -는지, which embeds an indirect question. In this sentence, it means “where one has to go”: 어디로 가야 하는지 is the information being communicated. The embedded question is not itself a direct command. Example: 무엇을 해야 하는지 알아요. — “I know what I have to do.” 알려 줄 거예요 is built from 알리다 (“inform/let someone know”), 주다 (“give”), and -ㄹ 거예요, a common future or expected-action form. 알려 주다 means “tell someone” or “let someone know,” and 알려 줄 거예요 says that the staff will do this. The recipient is understood from the situation rather than stated in this phrase. Example: 결과를 알려 줄 거예요. — “They will let me know the result.” Together, 일단 이 근처에 있어요 means “Stay close for now.” Then 상황이 바뀌면 sets the condition “if the situation changes,” and 직원들이 어디로 가야 하는지 알려 줄 거예요 says that the staff will tell people where they need to go. The complete utterance therefore means: “Stay close for now. If the situation changes, staff will say where to go.”

5. 짐이 있어서 계속 이리저리 이동하고 싶지 않아요.

   I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.

   짐

   luggage

   있어서

   because something exists/is present

   계속

   continuously; keep on

   이리저리

   around from place to place

   이동하고

   moving

   싶지 않아요

   do not want to

   More detail

   짐 means luggage or baggage here. It is a noun for belongings being carried; it is not itself a word meaning “heavy” or “many.” For example, 짐을 찾았어요 means “I found my luggage.” 있어서 comes from 있다, “to exist” or “to have,” plus -어서, which links a reason to a result. In this sentence, 짐이 있어서 means “because I have luggage.” The subject marker 이 marks 짐 as the thing that exists or is possessed. The form 있어서 can also mean “because it exists” when the context is different; here the translation supports the possession reading. 계속 means “continuously” or “still/keep on,” depending on the sentence. Here it says that the moving would continue. It modifies the following action rather than expressing a separate action. For example, 계속 기다렸어요 means “I kept waiting.” 이리저리 describes movement from place to place, or in various directions. It is a reduplicated adverbial expression: 이리 means “this way” and 저리 means “that way,” but together they give the broader meaning “around from place to place.” 이동하고 comes from the verb 이동하다, “to move” or “to relocate,” with -고, a linking ending. In 이동하고 싶지 않아요, it connects 이동하다 to the desire expression that follows. The -고 here does not mean that the speaker wants to do two separate actions; it forms the pattern verb stem + 고 싶다, “want to do.” 싶지 않아요 expresses not wanting to do something. 싶다 means “to want,” and -지 않아요 negates it, producing “do not want.” With an action verb, the reusable pattern is verb stem + 고 싶지 않아요: 가고 싶지 않아요 means “I do not want to go.” The polite ending -아요 makes the statement polite; the negative meaning comes from 않아요. Together, 짐이 있어서 gives the reason, 계속 이리저리 이동하고 describes repeatedly moving from place to place, and 싶지 않아요 states the speaker’s unwillingness. The whole utterance means: “I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.”

6. 승강장을 바꿔야 할 경우 직원들이 도와줄 수 있는지 물어볼게요.

   I will ask whether they can help if we need to switch platforms.

   승강장

   platform

   바꿔야

   must change

   할 경우

   if; in the case of

   직원들

   staff

   도와줄 수 있는지

   whether they can help

   물어볼게요

   I’ll ask

   More detail

   승강장 means “platform,” especially a station platform. The object marker -을 in 승강장을 is attached to this noun, marking it as what is changed. A useful related noun is 역 (“station”), but 승강장 specifically refers to the platform rather than the whole station. 바꿔야 comes from 바꾸다 (“to change; switch”) plus -어야, which expresses necessity: 바꾸다 → 바꿔야 (“must change / need to change”). Here the understood object is the platform, so it means “need to switch the platform.” The form 바꿔야 itself does not state who must make the change; the surrounding sentence supplies that situation. 할 경우 is 하다 (“do”) plus -(으)ㄹ 경우 (“if; in the case of”). In this sentence, -ㄹ connects 경우 to the preceding necessity phrase: 바꿔야 할 경우 means “if it is necessary to change [it]” or “in the case that [we] need to change [it].” This is a somewhat formal, useful conditional pattern. For example, 비가 올 경우 일정을 바꿔요. means “If it rains, we change the schedule.” 직원들 means “staff members” or “employees.” The plural marker -들 is attached to 직원, so the observed form refers to staff members rather than one staff member. In the fixed translation, these staff members are the people being asked about as possible helpers. 도와줄 수 있는지 asks whether someone can help. 도와주다 is the useful verb “to help someone,” and 도와줄 contains its connective form before 수 있다: 도와주다 → 도와줄 수 있다 (“can help”). 수 있다 expresses possibility or ability; 있는지 turns that question into an embedded yes-or-no question: 도와줄 수 있는지 = “whether [they] can help.” The subject is omitted in Korean, but the fixed translation identifies it here as the staff members. Example: 친구가 도와줄 수 있는지 물어볼게요. means “I’ll ask whether my friend can help.” 물어볼게요 uses 물어보다, “to ask” or “to inquire,” followed by -ㄹ게요. The form -ㄹ게요 commonly presents the speaker’s intention or commitment to do something, so 물어볼게요 means “I’ll ask.” It is not merely a neutral dictionary future; it presents asking as the speaker’s chosen next action. Example: 직원에게 물어볼게요. means “I’ll ask a staff member.” Together, 승강장을 바꿔야 할 경우 sets the condition “if we need to switch platforms.” Inside that condition, 직원들이 도와줄 수 있는지 means “whether the staff members can help,” and 물어볼게요 makes the complete statement “I’ll ask whether the staff members can help if we need to switch platforms.”

7. 변경 사항이 막판에 생기면 그게 도움이 될 거예요.

   That would help if the change comes at the last minute.

   변경 사항

   change

   막판에

   at the last minute

   생기면

   if it arises

   그게

   that

   도움이 될 거예요

   would help

   More detail

   변경 사항 means “change” here: 변경 is a change or alteration, and 사항 is an item or matter. Together, this is a useful noun phrase for a change or changed detail. The 이 after it marks the phrase as the subject of the conditional clause. Example: 변경 사항이 있습니다. — “There is a change.” 막판에 means “at the last minute.” 막판 refers to the final stage or last stretch, and -에 marks the time when something happens. This is a time expression, not a description of the change itself. Example: 막판에 계획이 바뀌었어요. — “The plan changed at the last minute.” 생기면 comes from 생기다, “to arise,” “to occur,” or “to come into existence.” The ending -면 makes an if/when clause: 생기면 means “if it arises” or “when it occurs.” In this sentence, it describes a change occurring at the last minute. Example: 문제가 생기면 알려 주세요. — “If a problem arises, please let me know.” 그게 is the contracted form of 그것이: 그것 (“that thing”) plus the subject marker 이. Here, the fixed translation identifies its referent as the change, so it means “that” referring to the change just mentioned. -이 is reduced to -게 in this contraction. 도움이 될 거예요 is built from 도움이 되다, “to be helpful,” plus -ㄹ 거예요, a form used for a prospective result or expectation. 될 is the prospective form of 되다; the base form is 되다, not 도움. In this conditional sentence, the intended meaning is “would help.” The noun 도움 means “help,” and 이 marks it as the subject of 되다. Example: 이 정보가 도움이 될 거예요. — “This information will be helpful.” The complete structure is 변경 사항이 막판에 생기면 (“if a change occurs at the last minute”) followed by 그게 도움이 될 거예요 (“that would help”). Together, the utterance means: “That would help if the change comes at the last minute.”

8. 직원들이 전광판을 업데이트하면 추측하지 않고 이동할 수 있겠어요.

   Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.

   직원들

   staff members

   전광판

   display board

   업데이트하면

   if/when updating

   추측하지 않고

   without guessing

   이동할

   move

   수 있겠어요

   can / would be able to

   More detail

   직원들 means “staff members” here. The plural marker -들 marks multiple people: 직원 is “staff member/employee,” while 직원들 is “staff members.” Example: 직원들이 왔어요. — “The staff members came.” 전광판 is a compound noun for a display board or electronic information board. It is the object of the following action, so the intended meaning is “the board” being updated. 업데이트하면 is 업데이트하다 (“to update”) with -면, an if/when condition: 업데이트하다 → 업데이트하면 (“if/when updating”). The subject is supplied by 직원들이, and the object is supplied by 전광판. Example: 파일을 업데이트하면 확인해 주세요. — “If you update the file, please check it.” 추측하지 않고 means “without guessing.” It is formed from 추측하다 (“to guess”) → 추측하지 않다 (“not guess”) with the connective -고, giving the pattern -지 않고 (“without doing ...”). Example: 추측하지 않고 물어봤어요. — “I asked without guessing.” 이동할 is the -ㄹ form of 이동하다 (“to move”). Here it comes before 수 있다, forming 이동할 수 있다 (“can move”); 이동할 itself does not mean “can.” The -ㄹ form is used in this construction to connect the verb to 수 있다. 수 있겠어요 completes the ability construction. 수 있다 expresses possibility or ability, and -겠어요 presents that possibility as an expected or prospective assessment in polite speech. Thus 이동할 수 있겠어요 means “we can/would be able to move.” The omitted subject in this latter clause is understood as “we” from the fixed translation; it is not stated by 직원들. Together, 직원들이 전광판을 업데이트하면 sets the condition, 추측하지 않고 says that the action will happen without guessing, and 이동할 수 있겠어요 says that we will be able to move. The whole utterance means: “Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.”