Learn Hardcore Korean: oneureun choedaehan jedaero swija. - Let’s rest properly as much as possible today.

-은/-는 is the topic marker. 오늘은 means “as for today” or “today (at least/especially).”
You use -은 after a noun ending in a consonant (like 오늘), and -는 after a vowel.

Can I drop the topic marker and just say 오늘 최대한 제대로 쉬자?

Yes. Both are natural:

오늘은 최대한 제대로 쉬자 adds a “contrastive” or “as for today” nuance (implying today is special or different).
오늘 최대한 제대로 쉬자 is a neutral statement about today without that contrastive feel.

What does the ending -자 mean, and what’s the politeness level?

-자 is the inclusive proposal ending: “let’s [do X].” It includes speaker + listener(s).
Register: casual/informal. Use with friends, peers, family, or in self-talk. Avoid with seniors/strangers.
Polite alternatives:
- 쉽시다 (formal polite: “let’s rest”)
- 쉴까요? (polite: “shall we rest?”)
- 쉬죠 (soft polite suggestion/agreement: “let’s rest, shall we?”)
Colloquial -자요 appears in some speech, but standard polite Korean uses the forms above.

Is 쉬자 a command?

Not exactly. 쉬자 is a suggestion/proposal (“let’s rest”). For commands:

Casual imperative: 쉬어.
Polite imperative: 쉬세요.

Can -자 be used as self-talk?

Yes. It’s common for self-encouragement:

오늘은 일찍 자자. “Let’s (I should) go to bed early today.”
괜찮아, 천천히 하자. “It’s okay, let’s take it slow.”

What exactly does 최대한 mean and how is it used?

최대한 = “to the maximum extent,” “as much as possible.” It’s an adverb.
Typical placement is before what it modifies: before a verb phrase or another adverb.
- 최대한 빨리 가자. “Let’s go as fast as possible.”
- 최대한 쉬자. “Let’s rest as much as possible.”
Similar expressions:
- 가능한 한 (as … as possible; slightly more formal/literary)
- 되도록 (as … as possible; often with speed/avoidance: 되도록 빨리, 되도록 늦지 않게)

Why use both 최대한 and 제대로? Aren’t they redundant?

They complement each other:

최대한 = degree (“as much as possible”)
제대로 = manner/quality (“properly, in the right way, thoroughly”) Together: “Let’s rest as much as possible, and do it properly.”

Can I swap the adverb order to 제대로 최대한 쉬자?

That sounds odd. In Korean, degree/extent adverbs like 최대한 naturally come before manner adverbs like 제대로. So 최대한 제대로 쉬자 is the natural order.

Is 최대한으로 correct?

It exists but is less common here. 최대한 alone is the idiomatic adverb before verbs/adverbs:

Prefer 최대한 쉬자 over 최대한으로 쉬자.
최대한으로 is more natural when modifying nouns or in certain formal contexts (e.g., 최대한으로 활용), but most speakers still just say 최대한 활용.

What nuance does 제대로 add compared with 잘 or 푹?

제대로: “properly, as it should be, thoroughly,” often contrasting with doing something half-heartedly or wrong.
- 제대로 쉬자 = rest in a proper/meaningful way (no interruptions).
잘: “well,” general positive quality.
- 잘 쉬자 = rest well (less specific than 제대로).
푹: “deeply/soundly/fully,” often about sleep/rest/soaking.
- 푹 쉬자 = rest really deeply/fully (strong “rest a lot” vibe).

What’s the difference between 오늘은, 오늘엔, and 오늘만은?

오늘은: topic “as for today” (most common).
오늘엔: contraction of 오늘에는 (locative + topic). Slightly more colloquial; “on today (as for that time).”
오늘만은: “at least today/only today,” strong contrastive emphasis (“if nothing else, today”).

Can I move 오늘은 to another position?

Topic phrases like 오늘은 typically appear near the beginning. While Korean allows flexible order, fronting the topic is most natural: 오늘은 최대한 제대로 쉬자. Moving it inside (최대한 오늘은 제대로 쉬자) sounds awkward.

Does 쉬다 have other meanings I should know about?

Yes, context matters:

쉬다 = to rest (here).
쉬다 = to go bad/spoil (food): 빵이 쉬었어.
쉬다 = to become hoarse (voice): 목이 쉬었어. In your sentence, adverbs like 최대한, 제대로 make the “rest” meaning clear.

How would I make this more formal/polite?

오늘은 최대한 제대로 쉽시다. (formal polite “let’s”)
오늘은 최대한 제대로 쉴까요? (polite question “shall we?”)
오늘은 최대한 제대로 쉬죠. (soft polite suggestion)