Learn Hardcore Korean: cheongso jigwoni robieseo jamkkan swieoyo. - The cleaning staff rests for a moment in the lobby.

-이/-가 marks the grammatical subject and often introduces or focuses new information.
-은/는 marks the topic or sets up contrast/background.
Here, 청소 직원이 presents “the cleaning staff/employee” as the subject who is doing the action. If you said 청소 직원은, it would sound more like “As for the cleaning staff, (they) …,” often with a contrast implied.

Is 청소 직원 singular or plural here?

Korean often leaves number unspecified, so 청소 직원 can mean “a cleaning worker” or “the cleaning staff” depending on context.
To be explicit:
- Singular: 청소 직원 한 명이…
- Plural: 청소 직원들(이)…
- Polite plural: 청소 직원분들(이)…

Why is it 로비에서 and not 로비에?

-에서 marks the place where an action/activity happens.
-에 marks location of existence or destination.
Since 쉬다 (to rest) is treated as an activity, we use 로비에서 쉬어요. For existence you’d say 로비에 있어요 (“(They) are in the lobby.”).

What exactly does 잠깐 mean and where can it go in the sentence?

잠깐 means “for a moment/a short while.” It’s an adverb here.
Common positions: 로비에서 잠깐 쉬어요 or 잠깐 로비에서 쉬어요. Both are fine; word order is flexible and affects emphasis slightly.
Synonym: 잠시 (a bit more formal). 잠깐만 means “just a moment” and often functions as an interjection.

Does 쉬어요 mean “rests” or “is resting”? What’s the dictionary form?

The polite present 쉬어요 can mean either “rests” (habitually) or “is resting” (right now); context decides.
To be explicitly progressive, use 쉬고 있어요.
Dictionary form: 쉬다. Other forms: 쉬었어요 (past), 쉴 거예요 (future/probable), 쉬겠습니다 (deferential/volitional).

Is 쉬어요 the correct spelling and pronunciation? I’ve seen 쉬여요.

Can I rearrange the word order?

Yes, Korean allows flexible order as long as particles are kept.
- Neutral: 청소 직원이 로비에서 잠깐 쉬어요.
- Emphasizing place: 로비에서 청소 직원이 잠깐 쉬어요.
- Topic on place: 로비에서는 청소 직원이 잠깐 쉬어요.
The verb typically stays at the end.

Can I drop the subject or particles?

In conversation, yes:
- If the subject is clear: 로비에서 잠깐 쉬어요.
- Particle dropping is common in casual speech, but keep them in careful speech/writing for clarity.

Is 청소 직원 the most natural term? What about 청소부 or 미화원?

청소 직원 is neutral and common for building/janitorial staff.
청소부 is dated and can sound disrespectful—avoid it.
미화원/환경미화원 usually refers to municipal sanitation workers (street/garbage), not building janitors.
Polite reference: 청소 직원분 or 청소하시는 분.

How polite is the -요 ending here? What if I need something more formal or more respectful?

-어요/-아요 is polite informal—good for everyday conversation.
More formal (announcements/reports): -습니다 style, e.g., 쉬고 있습니다 or 휴식 중입니다. (Note: 쉽니다 is the formal of 쉬다 but can be confused with 쉽다 “to be easy,” so 쉬고 있습니다 is preferred.)
Honorific for the subject: add -시- and/or use 분: 청소 직원분들이 쉬고 계세요.

How do I say “the” or “that” cleaning staff member?

Korean has no articles. Use demonstratives:
- 그 청소 직원 = “that cleaning employee (previously mentioned)”
- 이 청소 직원 = “this cleaning employee (near me)”
- 저 청소 직원 = “that (over there) cleaning employee”

How do I explicitly count people?

Use the counter 명 (neutral) or 분 (honorific):
- 청소 직원 한 명이… (one person)
- 청소 직원 두 명이…
- Respectful: 청소 직원 두 분이…

Is 잠깐 an object that needs 을/를?

No. 잠깐 is an adverb here, so no object particle is used. If you nominalize duration you might see 잠시 동안, but 잠깐 쉬어요 is already natural.

Could I use 휴식하다 instead of 쉬다?

What’s the nuance difference between 청소 직원 and 청소하는 직원?

청소 직원 = job category (“cleaning staff/employee”).
청소하는 직원 = “an employee who is cleaning” (focus on the action; could be any employee currently cleaning).

How can I make this clearly habitual vs clearly happening right now?

How do I turn it into a question?

Simply use rising intonation or a question mark:
- 청소 직원이 로비에서 잠깐 쉬어요?
- For ongoing action: 쉬고 있어요?

How do I emphasize the location as a contrastive topic?

Use the topic marker on the place: 로비에서는 청소 직원이 잠깐 쉬어요.
This implies “In the lobby (as opposed to elsewhere), the cleaning staff rest briefly.”

Any pronunciation tips?

청소 [청소]
직원 ≈ [지권]; 직원이 ≈ [지권이]
로비에서 [로비에서]
잠깐 [잠깐]
쉬어요 [쉬어요] These are approximations to help your ear; listen to native audio for fine detail.

Can I say 잠깐만 here?

청소 직원이 로비에서 잠깐만 쉬어요 is grammatical and means “(They) rest only for a short while,” adding the sense of “only.” Without 만, it just states the short duration without the “only” emphasis.