Setting Sustainable Work Boundaries | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 생산적으로 일해 왔지만, 이 속도는 지속하기 어려워지고 있어요.

   I have been productive, but the pace is becoming unsustainable.

   생산적으로

   productively

   일해 왔지만

   have worked, but

   이

   this

   속도

   pace

   지속하기

   sustaining

   어려워지고 있어요

   is becoming difficult

   More detail

   생산적으로 means “productively” here. It is the adverbial form of 생산적이다 (“to be productive”): the suffix -으로 turns this descriptive expression into a manner expression. For example, 효율적으로 일해요 means “I work efficiently.” 일해 왔지만 combines 일하다 (“to work”) with -아/어 오다 and -지만. 일해 왔다 presents working as something that began in the past and has continued up to the relevant present; -지만 adds the contrast “but.” For example, 꾸준히 연습해 왔지만 아직 어려워요 means “I have practiced consistently, but it is still difficult.” The subject is understood from context rather than stated in this clause. 이 is a demonstrative meaning “this.” Here it directly modifies 속도, so the phrase identifies the pace being discussed as “this pace.” Its form is not an indication of number; it is the demonstrative form used before a noun. 속도 means “pace” or “speed.” In this sentence, the intended sense is the rate at which the work is being done. A useful contrast is 속도 (“speed or pace”) versus 방향 (“direction”); the first concerns how fast something proceeds, while the second concerns where it proceeds. 지속하기 is 지속하다 (“to sustain, continue”) followed by -기, which turns the verb into an activity or proposition: “sustaining/continuing.” In this sentence, it refers to sustaining the pace identified by 이 속도, as confirmed by the translation. For example, 이 속도를 지속하기 어렵습니다 means “It is difficult to sustain this pace.” 어려워지고 있어요 describes a change that is currently underway. 어렵다 means “to be difficult”; -어지다 makes the meaning “become difficult,” and -고 있다 presents that change as ongoing. -어요 is the polite sentence ending. Thus, this part means “is becoming difficult,” rather than simply “is difficult.” Together, 생산적으로 일해 왔지만 means “I have been working productively, but,” while 이 속도는 marks “this pace” as the topic. 지속하기 어려워지고 있어요 says that sustaining it is becoming difficult. The complete utterance is therefore: “I have been productive, but the pace is becoming unsustainable.”

2. 성과가 떨어지기 전에 이 문제를 제기해 줘서 고마워요.

   I appreciate you raising it before performance drops.

   성과

   performance

   떨어지기 전에

   before dropping

   이 문제

   this issue

   제기해 줘서

   for kindly bringing up

   고마워요

   I appreciate it

   More detail

   성과 is a noun meaning performance or results—the outcome being produced. In this sentence, the translation identifies it specifically as performance. A useful related contrast is 성과를 내다, “to produce results,” as in 계속 성과를 낼 수 있어요 (“I can continue delivering results”). 떨어지기 전에 means “before dropping” in the full clause, where 성과가 supplies the subject. The base verb is 떨어지다, “to drop” or “to fall”; here it describes performance declining, not a physical object falling. -기 전에 attaches to a verb to mean “before doing or becoming …”: 출발하기 전에 means “before departing.” The -기 form here turns the verb into the event whose timing is specified, and 전에 means “before.” 이 문제 means “this issue.” 이 is a demonstrative meaning “this,” and 문제 is the noun “issue” or “problem.” Together, they identify the issue as the one relevant in the current situation; the sentence does not specify its content. 제기해 줘서 expresses the reason for the thanks: the action of kindly bringing up the issue. The lexical verb is 제기하다, “to raise” or “bring up” an issue. Its form here is 제기해, the -해 form used before the auxiliary 주다. -아/어 주다 presents an action as being done for someone’s benefit or consideration; with 제기하다, 제기해 주다 means “raise it for me/us” or “be kind enough to raise it.” The final -서 in 줘서 connects this action as the reason for the following appreciation: “because you raised it” or, naturally in English, “for bringing it up.” 고마워요 is a polite expression of thanks, meaning “I appreciate it” or “thank you.” It comes from the adjective 고맙다, “to be thankful,” whose polite present form is 고마워요; the change from 고맙다 to 고마워요 is part of its irregular ㅂ conjugation. In this utterance, it is the speaker’s appreciation for the action expressed by 제기해 줘서. Together, 성과가 떨어지기 전에 sets the deadline—before performance declines. 이 문제를 제기해 줘서 gives the appreciated action—kindly raising this issue. 고마워요 then thanks the listener for doing that. The complete meaning is: “I appreciate you raising it before performance drops.”

3. 우선순위를 줄인다면 계속 성과를 낼 수 있어요.

   I can continue delivering, provided priorities are reduced.

   우선순위를

   priorities

   줄인다면

   if reduced

   계속

   continuously

   성과

   results

   낼 수 있어요

   can produce

   More detail

   우선순위를 contains the noun 우선순위 (“priority”) and the object particle 를. The translation uses the plural “priorities,” but Korean does not require a plural marker here; the context determines the intended number. Because 를 marks what is acted on, these priorities are the thing being reduced. 줄인다면 comes from the verb 줄이다, “to reduce” or “to lower.” The ending -ㄴ다면 presents a condition or assumption: “if” or “provided that.” The person who reduces the priorities is not stated in this sentence. Example: 업무를 줄인다면 더 집중할 수 있어요. — “If we reduce the workload, we can concentrate more.” 계속 is an adverb meaning “ 계속” in the sense of continuing without stopping. Here it modifies the possibility of producing results, so 계속 ... 낼 수 있어요 means “can continue to produce ...” rather than merely “can produce ...” once. 성과 is a noun meaning “results,” “performance,” or an achieved outcome. In the sentence it is followed by the object particle 를, forming 성과를. The useful construction 성과를 내다 means “to achieve results” or “to deliver results”; it is not a literal claim about physically producing an object. Example: 이번 달에도 성과를 냈어요. — “We achieved results this month.” 낼 수 있어요 uses 내다 (“to achieve or produce”) in the form 낼, followed by 수 있어요. The pattern verb-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility; its polite present form here is 있어요. Thus 낼 수 있어요 means “can achieve” or “can deliver.” 낼 is the form of 내다 required before 수, not a separate verb. Together, 우선순위를 줄인다면 sets the condition “provided that priorities are reduced,” while 계속 성과를 낼 수 있어요 states the result “we/I can continue delivering results.” The omitted subject is understood from the surrounding situation, so the complete meaning is: “I can continue delivering, provided priorities are reduced.”

4. 우리는 긴급한 업무와 주로 눈에 보이기 위해 하는 업무를 구분해야 해요.

   We need to distinguish urgent work from work done mainly for visibility.

   우리는

   we

   긴급한

   urgent

   업무

   work; task

   주로

   mainly

   눈에 보이기 위해

   for visibility; to be visible

   하는

   doing

   구분해야 해요

   must distinguish

   More detail

   우리는 means “we” here. 우리 is the first-person plural pronoun, and 는 marks the topic. In this sentence, the topic is the group that needs to make the distinction. Korean also uses 우리 in possessive expressions such as 우리 팀 (“our team”); that is a different use from the pronoun in this sentence. 긴급한 comes from the descriptive verb/adjective 긴급하다 (“to be urgent”). Its -한 form places that description before a noun: 긴급한 업무 = “urgent work.” The observed form describes 업무, not the nearby pronoun. Example: 긴급한 요청을 먼저 처리해요. — “I handle urgent requests first.” 업무 means work or a task, especially work viewed as a responsibility or job duty. In the first noun phrase, 긴급한 업무 is “urgent work.” The same noun appears again later in the longer phrase, where it is the work being done for visibility. 주로 means “mainly” or “primarily.” It limits the purpose of the later work: the work is done mainly for visibility, rather than the sentence claiming that visibility is its only purpose. Example: 주로 온라인으로 공부해요. — “I study mainly online.” 눈에 보이기 위해 expresses purpose: “in order to be visible” or, in this context, “for visibility.” 눈에 보이다 is the expression “to be visible,” and -기 위해 attaches to a verb or descriptive expression to mean “in order to ….” Thus 보이기 위해 하는 업무 is work that is done in order to be visible. Example: 결과를 바꾸기 위해 계획을 수정해요. — “I revise the plan in order to change the result.” 하는 is the modifier form of 하다 (“to do”). Here it modifies the second, understood 업무: 눈에 보이기 위해 하는 업무 = “work done for visibility.” The form 하는 is used for an action presented as ongoing, habitual, or generally characterized; it does not by itself express past completion. In this sentence, it identifies what kind of work is being discussed. 구분해야 해요 is the polite form of the obligation pattern 구분해야 하다, “to need to distinguish” or “must distinguish.” 구분하다 means “to distinguish” or “to separate conceptually.” The -아/어야 하다 pattern marks necessity, and 해요 is the polite present form of 하다. Example: 중요한 일과 덜 중요한 일을 구분해야 해요. — “We need to distinguish important tasks from less important tasks.” The reusable structure is A와 B를 구분해야 해요: “We need to distinguish A from B.” Here, 긴급한 업무 is A, while the second 업무 is B, further described as 주로 눈에 보이기 위해 하는 (“done mainly for visibility”). The whole utterance therefore says that we need to tell urgent work apart from work performed mainly to be visible. It states a need to make that distinction; it does not itself say which tasks belong in either category.

5. 눈에 잘 보이는 업무 중에는 결과를 바꾸지 않으면서 에너지만 소모하는 것도 있어요.

   Some visible tasks consume energy without changing results.

   눈에 잘 보이는

   highly visible

   업무

   work; task

   결과

   result

   바꾸지 않으면서

   without changing

   에너지만

   only energy

   소모하는

   consuming

   것도 있어요

   there are also things

   More detail

   눈에 잘 보이는 describes something that is easy to see or highly visible. 보이다 is the form used for “be seen / be visible,” related to 보다 “see,” while 잘 here strengthens the visibility. In 눈에 보이다, 눈에 literally marks what something is visible to, forming a common expression for “be visible.” The ending -는 makes 보이는 modify the following noun. 업무 means work, duties, or tasks. It is a useful general noun for work-related activities. In the full phrase, 눈에 잘 보이는 업무 means “tasks that are highly visible.” 중에는 then means “among them” or “among such tasks,” setting up the group in which the following kind of task exists. 결과 means result or outcome. 결과를 marks it as the object affected by the following verb. For example, 결과를 확인해요 means “I check the result.” 바꾸지 않으면서 is built from 바꾸다 “change,” the negative form 바꾸지 않다 “not change,” and -면서. Here -지 않으면서 expresses doing something without changing something: 결과를 바꾸지 않으면서 means “without changing the results.” The form 바꾸지 is specifically the negative form of 바꾸다; it is not a form of 결과. 에너지만 means “only energy.” 에너지 is energy, and -만 restricts the focus to that noun. The sentence therefore presents energy as what is consumed, without asserting that energy is the only thing that exists in every possible sense. 소모하는 comes from 소모하다, “consume, use up, or expend.” The -는 form makes it modify the following 것: 에너지를 소모하는 것 means “something that consumes energy.” Here 소모하는 describes the task’s effect; it does not mean that the task itself is energy. 것도 있어요 consists of 것 “thing” plus -도 “also/as well” and 있어요, the polite present form of 있다 “exist / there be.” In this sentence, it means that there are also some things of the type just described. 것 is a general noun that can stand for an action or situation already described, so 소모하는 것 means “something that consumes [it].” Together, 눈에 잘 보이는 업무 중에는 establishes a group of highly visible tasks. The relative description 결과를 바꾸지 않으면서 에너지만 소모하는 says that they consume energy without changing results, and 것도 있어요 states that some tasks of this kind also exist. The whole utterance therefore means: “Among the highly visible tasks, there are some that consume energy without changing results.”

6. 그렇다면 그런 업무는 의도적으로 줄이거나 위임해야 해요.

   Then we should cut or delegate them deliberately.

   그렇다면

   then / in that case

   그런

   such

   업무

   tasks / work

   의도적으로

   deliberately

   줄이거나

   reduce or...

   위임해야 해요

   must delegate

   More detail

   그렇다면 means “then” or “in that case.” It connects the current conclusion to a condition or point established earlier. Example: 그렇다면 지금 시작해요. — “Then let’s start now.” 그런 is the attributive form used before a noun to mean “such” or “that kind of.” Here it modifies 업무, so it points to work of the kind under discussion. Example: 그런 문제는 어렵습니다. — “Problems like that are difficult.” 업무 is a noun meaning “work” or “task-related duties.” Korean commonly leaves number unmarked, so it can refer to work generally or to multiple tasks; the fixed translation identifies it here as “them,” referring to the tasks under discussion. Example: 업무를 나눠요. — “We divide the work.” 의도적으로 is an adverb meaning “deliberately” or “intentionally.” It describes the manner or intention of the actions that follow. The related adjective 의도적이다 means “to be deliberate,” while 의도적으로 is the adverbial form. 줄이거나 comes from the verb 줄이다, “to reduce,” plus -거나, which presents an alternative: “reduce or ….” The ending is attached to the first of the alternatives, and the second alternative follows in 위임해야 해요. Example: 비용을 줄이거나 계획을 바꿔야 해요. — “We have to reduce the cost or change the plan.” 위임해야 해요 comes from 위임하다, “to delegate,” followed by -아/어야 하다, an obligation pattern meaning “must” or “should,” and the polite 해요-style ending. Thus 위임해야 해요 means “must/should delegate.” Example: 이 일은 전문가에게 위임해야 해요. — “We should delegate this work to a specialist.” Together, 그렇다면 그런 업무는 means “Then, as for such work,” and 의도적으로 줄이거나 위임해야 해요 says that it should be deliberately reduced or delegated. The complete meaning is: “Then we should deliberately cut or delegate those tasks.”

7. 업무를 멈출 시점을 더 명확히 정하면 저에게도 도움이 될 것 같아요.

   I would also benefit from clearer stopping points.

   업무를

   work or task

   멈출

   to stop

   시점을

   point in time

   더

   more

   명확히

   clearly

   정하면

   if one sets

   저에게도

   for me too

   도움이

   help

   될 것 같아요

   seems likely to be

   More detail

   업무를 means “the work/task” as the object of the action. 업무 is a noun meaning work or a task, and -를 marks an object after a vowel-final noun. The following action is therefore about stopping the work, not about the stopping point itself. 멈출 comes from 멈추다, “to stop.” Here 멈출 is the form used before a noun to describe a stopping event that is to occur or is being considered: 멈출 시점 means “the point at which [one] will stop.” This is not the past form; the base form is 멈추다. 시점을 means “the point in time” as the object of 정하다, “to set or decide.” 시점 is a time-point noun, useful for specifying when an action should happen. The object marker -을 appears after its consonant-final form. 더 means “more” and increases the degree of the following description. It does not itself mean “clear”; it makes the stopping point clearer than before or clearer than an unstated baseline. 명확히 means “clearly” or “in a clear way.” It is the adverbial form related to 명확하다, “to be clear.” In this sentence it modifies 정하면, describing how the time point is set. 정하면 comes from 정하다, “to set, decide, or determine,” plus -(으)면, a conditional form meaning “if/when.” Because 정하다 ends in a vowel in its stem, the form is 정하면. The clause 시점을 더 명확히 정하면 means “if/when [one] determines the point more clearly.” 저에게도 means “for me too” or “to me as well.” 저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I,” -에게 marks the person affected or receiving something, and -도 adds “also/too.” The phrase identifies the speaker as someone who would benefit; it does not assert a separate numeric count of people. 도움이 means “help” as the grammatical subject of the following expression. 도움 is a noun meaning help or benefit, and -이 marks it as the subject after a consonant-final noun. The useful pattern 도움이 되다 literally presents something as becoming help and naturally means “to be helpful” or “to benefit someone.” 될 것 같아요 comes from 되다, “to become, be, or serve as,” followed by -(으)ㄹ 것 같다, a pattern for an apparent or probable expectation, and the polite ending -어요. Here it expresses a tentative judgment: “it seems it would be” or “I think it would be.” 될 is the prospective form of 되다; 같아요 is not a direct statement that the help is certain. Putting the parts together, 업무를 멈출 시점을 identifies the time point for stopping work, 더 명확히 정하면 says that deciding it more clearly is the condition, and 저에게도 도움이 될 것 같아요 says that this seems likely to help the speaker as well. The complete meaning is: “I would also benefit from clearer stopping points.” The Korean wording presents the benefit tentatively rather than as an absolute assertion.

8. 현재 진행 중인 각 업무의 완료 기준을 정할 수 있어요.

   I can define completion criteria for each active task.

   현재

   currently

   진행 중인

   in progress; active

   각

   each

   업무

   task; work

   완료

   completion

   기준

   criterion; standard

   정할

   set; define

   수 있어요

   can; be able to

   More detail

   현재 means “currently” here and places the situation in the present. It commonly appears before the expression it modifies: 현재 진행 중이다 means “to be currently in progress.” 진행 중인 describes something that is in progress. It is the noun-modifying form of 진행 중이다 (“be in progress”): 진행 중이다 → 진행 중인 업무 (“a task that is in progress”). 중 literally indicates being in the middle of an ongoing process; the complete expression, rather than 진행 alone, gives the intended “active” meaning here. 각 is a determiner meaning “each” or “every individual.” It comes directly before the noun it determines, as in 각 업무 (“each task”). It focuses on the members one by one, not on the group as an undivided whole. 업무 is a noun meaning “work” or “task,” with the task-related meaning intended here. In 각 업무의, the particle 의 links this noun to what follows: 각 업무의 완료 기준 means “the completion criterion for each task.” 완료 is a noun meaning “completion” or “completion status.” It combines with other nouns, as in 완료 기준 (“completion criterion”), to specify what the criterion concerns. The form 완료 itself is not an inflected verb here. 기준 is a noun meaning “criterion” or “standard.” 완료 기준 is a reusable noun combination for a standard used to determine whether something is complete. For example, 평가 기준 means “evaluation criteria”; the first noun identifies what the criteria concern. 정할 is the noun-modifying future/intended form of the verb 정하다, “to set,” “decide,” or “define.” The pattern 정할 수 있다 means “can set/decide,” so 완료 기준을 정할 means “to define the completion criteria.” The object particle 을 marks 완료 기준 as the thing being defined. 수 있어요 expresses ability or possibility in this sentence: 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요 means “can [do the verb].” Here, 정할 수 있어요 means “can define.” 있어요 is the polite present form of 있다; together with 수, it is a fixed grammatical pattern rather than a literal claim that a separate object is present. Putting the parts together, 현재 진행 중인 identifies the tasks that are active now, 각 업무의 완료 기준 means “the completion criteria for each task,” and 정할 수 있어요 says that the speaker can define them. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can define completion criteria for each active task.”