ganhosaga che-oneul dasi hwaginhago hwanja-ege mureul masirago haesseoyo.

Questions & Answers about ganhosaga che-oneul dasi hwaginhago hwanja-ege mureul masirago haesseoyo.

Why is it 간호사가 and not 간호사는?

간호사가 uses the subject marker -가, which simply marks the nurse as the subject of the sentence.

  • 간호사가 = the nurse (as the subject)
  • 간호사는 would add more of a topic/contrast feeling, like as for the nurse...

In this sentence, -가 is a natural neutral choice because it is just introducing who did the actions:

  • checked the temperature
  • told the patient to drink water

So 간호사가 sounds like straightforward narration.

What does 체온을 mean exactly?

체온 means body temperature.

So:

  • 체온 = body temperature
  • 체온을 = body temperature + object marker -을

The object marker -을 shows that body temperature is what was being checked.

A quick breakdown:

  • 체온을 확인하다 = to check someone’s body temperature

This is a very common medical expression.

What does 다시 확인하고 mean, and what is -고 doing here?

다시 확인하고 means checked again and... or after checking again...

Breakdown:

  • 다시 = again
  • 확인하다 = to check / confirm
  • 확인하고 = check and...

The ending -고 connects one action to the next, often like and in English.

So:

  • 체온을 다시 확인하고 환자에게... 했어요 = (The nurse) checked the temperature again and told the patient...

Here, -고 simply links the first action to the second. In this sentence, the same person, the nurse, is doing both actions.

Why is it 환자에게 and not 환자를?

환자에게 means to the patient.

Breakdown:

  • 환자 = patient
  • 에게 = to

The nurse is not doing the action to the patient as a direct object here. Instead, the patient is the recipient of what was said.

Compare:

  • 환자에게 말했어요 = said to the patient
  • 환자를 봤어요 = saw the patient

So in this sentence:

  • 환자에게 = to the patient
  • 물을 마시라고 했어요 = told (them) to drink water
Why does it say 물을 마시라고 했어요? What does -라고 했어요 mean here?

-라고 했어요 is used for quoted speech, and here it is used for a command/request being reported.

So:

  • 물을 마시다 = to drink water
  • 물을 마시라고 했어요 = said drink water / told someone to drink water

This is a very common pattern:

  • Verb stem + -(으)라고 하다 = to tell someone to do something

Examples:

  • 앉으라고 했어요 = told (someone) to sit down
  • 조심하라고 했어요 = told (someone) to be careful
  • 물을 마시라고 했어요 = told (someone) to drink water

So the sentence is not saying the nurse drank water. It is saying the nurse told the patient to drink water.

Why is it 마시라고 and not 마신다고?

This is because the nurse is giving a command/instruction, not just stating a fact.

Compare these patterns:

  • -ㄴ/는다고 하다 = says that...
  • -(으)라고 하다 = tells someone to do...

Examples:

  • 물을 마신다고 했어요 = said that (someone) drinks/is drinking water
  • 물을 마시라고 했어요 = told (someone) to drink water

In your sentence, the nurse is giving an instruction to the patient, so 마시라고 했어요 is the correct form.

Is 했어요 just said, or does it mean told here?

Literally, 하다 means to do, and in quoted speech patterns -라고 하다 often gets translated as say or tell, depending on context.

Here, the natural English meaning is told because:

  • there is a listener/recipient: 환자에게 = to the patient
  • the quoted content is a command: 물을 마시라고

So:

  • literal structure: said, “Drink water,” to the patient
  • natural English: told the patient to drink water

That is why 했어요 is best understood as told in this sentence.

Does 다시 mean again, back, or re- here?

Here, 다시 means again.

So:

  • 체온을 다시 확인하다 = to check the temperature again

In English, this could also feel like recheck:

  • The nurse rechecked the patient’s temperature

Korean often uses 다시 + verb where English might use again or a prefix like re-.

Is the subject of both actions the nurse?

Yes. In this sentence, the subject 간호사가 applies to both verbs:

  • 체온을 다시 확인하고
  • 환자에게 물을 마시라고 했어요

So the meaning is:

  • The nurse checked the temperature again
  • and told the patient to drink water

Korean often states the subject once and then continues with connected actions. You do not need to repeat 간호사가 before the second action.

Why isn’t 환자의 체온 used? Whose temperature is it?

Good question. Korean often leaves out information that is obvious from context.

In a medical situation, if a nurse checks a temperature and then speaks to the patient, it is very natural to understand that 체온 means the patient’s body temperature, even without saying 환자의 체온.

So:

  • 체온을 다시 확인하고 = checked the body temperature again
  • understood meaning: checked the patient’s temperature again

If you said 환자의 체온을 다시 확인하고, that would also be correct, but it is more explicit.

How polite is 했어요?

했어요 is in the polite informal style, often called the -아요/어요 style.

It is:

  • polite enough for everyday conversation
  • very common in textbooks and real life
  • less formal than 했습니다

Compare:

  • 했어요 = polite, everyday
  • 했습니다 = more formal, official, or written

So this sentence sounds polite and natural, like something you might hear in conversation or in a simple written explanation.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
How do speech levels work in Korean?
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Korean

Master Korean — from ganhosaga che-oneul dasi hwaginhago hwanja-ege mureul masirago haesseoyo to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • AI tutor to answer your grammar questions