Navigating challenging school assignments like a tricky biology lab becomes easier with a friend’s help. This guide provides essential Korean phrases for students needing assistance from a friend, specifically focusing on discussing a difficult biology experiment or assignment at home. You’ll learn how to express difficulty, ask for help informally, explain the problem, and arrange a study session with your friend.
Table Of Content
Core Expression
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Expression: 나 좀 도와줘
Pronunciation: na jom do-wa-jwo
Meaning: Help me out a bit (Informal request to a friend)
Asking for Help (Informal)
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Expression: 나 좀 도와줄 수 있어?
Pronunciation: na jom do-wa-jul su i-sseo?
Meaning: Can you help me out a bit? -
Expression: 시간 있으면 나 좀 도와줄래?
Pronunciation: si-gan i-sseu-myeon na jom do-wa-jul-lae?
Meaning: If you have time, will you help me? -
Expression: 이것 좀 같이 봐 줄 수 있어?
Pronunciation: i-geot jom ga-chi bwa jul su i-sseo?
Meaning: Can you take a look at this with me? -
Expression: 너 혹시 이거 알아?
Pronunciation: neo hok-si i-geo a-ra?
Meaning: Do you happen to know about this? -
Expression: 나 혼자서는 잘 모르겠어.
Pronunciation: na hon-ja-seo-neun jal mo-reu-ge-sseo.
Meaning: I’m not sure I can figure this out alone. -
Expression: 네 도움이 필요해.
Pronunciation: ne do-u-mi pi-ryo-hae.
Meaning: I need your help. -
Expression: 잠깐 시간 괜찮아?
Pronunciation: jam-kkan si-gan gwaen-cha-na?
Meaning: Do you have a moment? / Are you free for a bit? -
Expression: 물어볼 게 있는데…
Pronunciation: mu-reo-bol ge it-neun-de…
Meaning: I have something to ask you… -
Expression: 부탁 하나만 해도 돼?
Pronunciation: bu-tak ha-na-man hae-do dwae?
Meaning: Can I ask you for a favor? -
Expression: 나 지금 완전 막혔어.
Pronunciation: na ji-geum wan-jeon mak-hyeo-sseo.
Meaning: I’m totally stuck right now.
Describing the Difficulty (Biology Lab)
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Expression: 생물 실험 너무 어려워.
Pronunciation: saeng-mul sil-heom neo-mu eo-ryeo-wo.
Meaning: The biology lab/experiment is too difficult. -
Expression: 이 생물 보고서 진짜 까다로워.
Pronunciation: i saeng-mul bo-go-seo jin-jja kka-da-ro-wo.
Meaning: This biology report is really tricky. -
Expression: 실험 결과 분석하는 게 헷갈려.
Pronunciation: sil-heom gyeol-gwa bun-seok-ha-neun ge het-gal-lyeo.
Meaning: Analyzing the experiment results is confusing. -
Expression: 이해가 잘 안 돼.
Pronunciation: i-hae-ga jal an dwae.
Meaning: I don’t understand it well. -
Expression: 이 개념은 좀 복잡한 것 같아.
Pronunciation: i gae-nyeom-eun jom bok-jap-han geot ga-ta.
Meaning: This concept seems a bit complex. -
Expression: 실험 절차가 너무 복잡해.
Pronunciation: sil-heom jeol-cha-ga neo-mu bok-jap-hae.
Meaning: The experiment procedure is too complicated. -
Expression: 데이터 해석을 어떻게 해야 할지 모르겠어.
Pronunciation: de-i-teo hae-seog-eul eo-tteo-ke hae-ya hal-ji mo-reu-ge-sseo.
Meaning: I don’t know how to interpret the data. -
Expression: 이 용어는 처음 들어봐.
Pronunciation: i yong-eo-neun cheo-eum deu-reo-bwa.
Meaning: I’ve never heard this term before. -
Expression: 교수님 설명이 부족했어.
Pronunciation: gyo-su-nim seol-myeong-i bu-jok-hae-sseo.
Meaning: The professor’s explanation wasn’t enough. -
Expression: 이 실험 설계 자체가 이상해.
Pronunciation: i sil-heom seol-gye ja-che-ga i-sang-hae.
Meaning: This experiment design itself is strange.
Explaining the Problem
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Expression: 특히 이 부분이 이해가 안 가.
Pronunciation: teuk-hi i bu-bu-ni i-hae-ga an ga.
Meaning: I especially don’t understand this part. -
Expression: 이 계산을 어떻게 하는 거야?
Pronunciation: i gye-san-eul eo-tteo-ke ha-neun geo-ya?
Meaning: How do you do this calculation? -
Expression: 결과가 왜 이렇게 나왔는지 모르겠어.
Pronunciation: gyeol-gwa-ga wae i-reo-ke na-wan-neun-ji mo-reu-ge-sseo.
Meaning: I don’t know why the result came out like this. -
Expression: 보고서에 뭘 써야 할지 감이 안 와.
Pronunciation: bo-go-seo-e mwol sseo-ya hal-ji ga-mi an wa.
Meaning: I have no idea what to write in the report. -
Expression: 이 그래프는 뭘 의미하는 걸까?
Pronunciation: i geu-rae-peu-neun mwol ui-mi-ha-neun geol-kka?
Meaning: What could this graph mean? -
Expression: 실험 과정에서 실수를 한 것 같아.
Pronunciation: sil-heom gwa-jeong-e-seo sil-su-reul han geot ga-ta.
Meaning: I think I made a mistake during the experiment process. -
Expression: 이론이랑 결과가 너무 달라.
Pronunciation: i-ron-i-rang gyeol-gwa-ga neo-mu dal-la.
Meaning: The theory and the results are too different. -
Expression: 참고 자료를 봐도 모르겠어.
Pronunciation: cham-go ja-ryo-reul bwa-do mo-reu-ge-sseo.
Meaning: I still don’t get it even after looking at the reference materials. -
Expression: 너는 이 부분 어떻게 했어?
Pronunciation: neo-neun i bu-bun eo-tteo-ke hae-sseo?
Meaning: How did you do this part? -
Expression: 여기서부터 어떻게 진행해야 할지 모르겠어.
Pronunciation: yeo-gi-seo-bu-teo eo-tteo-ke jin-haeng-hae-ya hal-ji mo-reu-ge-sseo.
Meaning: I don’t know how to proceed from here.
Expressing Gratitude and Making Arrangements
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Expression: 도와주면 진짜 고마울 것 같아.
Pronunciation: do-wa-ju-myeon jin-jja go-ma-ul geot ga-ta.
Meaning: I would be really grateful if you helped me. -
Expression: 언제 시간 괜찮아?
Pronunciation: eon-je si-gan gwaen-cha-na?
Meaning: When are you free? / When is a good time for you? -
Expression: 오늘 저녁에 우리 집 올 수 있어?
Pronunciation: o-neul jeo-nyeog-e u-ri jip ol su i-sseo?
Meaning: Can you come over to my place tonight? -
Expression: 집에서 같이 보면 좋을 것 같아.
Pronunciation: jib-e-seo ga-chi bo-myeon jo-eul geot ga-ta.
Meaning: I think it would be good to look at it together at home. -
Expression: 네가 편한 시간에 맞춰갈게.
Pronunciation: ne-ga pyeon-han si-gan-e mat-chwo-gal-ge.
Meaning: I’ll adjust to whenever is convenient for you. -
Expression: 정말 고마워!
Pronunciation: jeong-mal go-ma-wo!
Meaning: Thank you so much! -
Expression: 너밖에 없어 진짜.
Pronunciation: neo-bak-ke eop-seo jin-jja.
Meaning: You’re the only one (I can rely on), really. (Expression of gratitude/reliance) -
Expression: 내가 맛있는 거 사줄게!
Pronunciation: nae-ga ma-sin-neun geo sa-jul-ge!
Meaning: I’ll buy you something delicious! (As a thank you) -
Expression: 그럼 이따가 우리 집에서 볼까?
Pronunciation: geu-reom i-tta-ga u-ri jib-e-seo bol-kka?
Meaning: Then, shall we meet at my place later? -
Expression: 미리 고마워!
Pronunciation: mi-ri go-ma-wo!
Meaning: Thanks in advance!
Cultural Tips
Asking Friends for Help: In Korea, close friends often help each other with studies. Asking for help is common, especially among classmates. Using informal language (반말 – ban-mal) like in the examples is natural between close friends.
Reciprocity: While friends help each other freely, there’s often an unspoken understanding of reciprocity. Offering to treat your friend to a snack or coffee (내가 쏠게! – nae-ga ssol-ge! – I’ll treat!) or helping them later is a nice gesture.
Study Culture: Academic pressure can be high in Korea. Students often study together in libraries, cafes, or homes (집공 – jip-gong – studying at home). Helping each other is part of navigating this environment.
Expressing Difficulty: Being direct about finding something difficult (어려워 – eo-ryeo-wo) or confusing (헷갈려 – het-gal-lyeo) is perfectly acceptable when asking for help from a friend.
Using “우리 집” (u-ri jip): Koreans often say “우리 집” (u-ri jip), literally “our house,” even when referring to their own individual home. It’s a common cultural expression.
Real Conversation Example
Situation: Min-jun (A) is struggling with his biology lab report at home and calls his friend Ji-hye (B) for help.
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Expression: A: 여보세요? 지혜야, 나 민준인데. 지금 뭐해?
Pronunciation: yeo-bo-se-yo? ji-hye-ya, na min-jun-in-de. ji-geum mwo-hae?
Meaning: A: Hello? Ji-hye, it’s Min-jun. What are you doing now? -
Expression: B: 어, 민준아. 나 그냥 쉬고 있었어. 왜? 무슨 일 있어?
Pronunciation: eo, min-jun-a. na geu-nyang swi-go i-sseo-sseo. wae? mu-seun il i-sseo?
Meaning: B: Oh, Min-jun. I was just relaxing. Why? Is something up? -
Expression: A: 다름이 아니라, 생물 실험 보고서 때문에… 나 좀 도와줄 수 있어? 너무 어려워.
Pronunciation: da-reum-i a-ni-ra, saeng-mul sil-heom bo-go-seo ttae-mu-ne… na jom do-wa-jul su i-sseo? neo-mu eo-ryeo-wo.
Meaning: A: It’s about the biology lab report… Can you help me out a bit? It’s so difficult. -
Expression: B: 아, 그거? 나도 좀 헷갈리긴 했는데. 어떤 부분이 어려워?
Pronunciation: a, geu-geo? na-do jom het-gal-li-gin haet-neun-de. eo-tteon bu-bu-ni eo-ryeo-wo?
Meaning: B: Ah, that one? I found it a bit confusing too. Which part is difficult for you? -
Expression: A: 결과 분석하는 거랑 토의 부분 쓰는 게 완전 막혔어. 데이터 해석을 어떻게 해야 할지 모르겠어.
Pronunciation: gyeol-gwa bun-seok-ha-neun geo-rang to-ui bu-bun sseu-neun ge wan-jeon mak-hyeo-sseo. de-i-teo hae-seog-eul eo-tteo-ke hae-ya hal-ji mo-reu-ge-sseo.
Meaning: A: I’m totally stuck on analyzing the results and writing the discussion part. I don’t know how to interpret the data. -
Expression: B: 아, 그 부분. 나도 좀 고민했었어. 혹시 오늘 저녁에 시간 괜찮으면 우리 집 와서 같이 볼래?
Pronunciation: a, geu bu-bun. na-do jom go-min-hae-sseo-sseo. hok-si o-neul jeo-nyeog-e si-gan gwaen-cha-neu-myeon u-ri jip wa-seo ga-chi bol-lae?
Meaning: B: Ah, that part. I struggled with it a bit too. If you happen to be free tonight, do you want to come over to my place and look at it together? -
Expression: A: 정말? 그래도 돼? 완전 고맙지! 그럼 저녁 먹고 너네 집으로 갈까?
Pronunciation: jeong-mal? geu-rae-do dwae? wan-jeon go-map-ji! geu-reom jeo-nyeok meok-go neo-ne jib-eu-ro gal-kka?
Meaning: A: Really? Is that okay? That would be amazing, thank you! Then, shall I head to your place after dinner? -
Expression: B: 응, 좋아. 한 7시쯤 와. 내가 자료 정리 좀 해 놓을게.
Pronunciation: eung, jo-a. han il-gop-si-jjeum wa. nae-ga ja-ryo jeong-ri jom hae no-eul-ge.
Meaning: B: Yeah, sounds good. Come around 7 PM. I’ll organize the materials a bit. -
Expression: A: 알겠어! 진짜 고마워, 지혜야! 이따 봐!
Pronunciation: al-ge-sseo! jin-jja go-ma-wo, ji-hye-ya! i-tta bwa!
Meaning: A: Got it! Thank you so much, Ji-hye! See you later! -
Expression: B: 어, 이따 봐! 조심히 와.
Pronunciation: eo, i-tta bwa! jo-sim-hi wa.
Meaning: B: Okay, see you later! Come safely.
Practice Tips
Getting help from friends is a natural part of student life! Try using these phrases next time you’re stuck on homework~. Role-playing the conversation example with a study partner is a great way to practice. Remember to use 반말 (ban-mal) with close friends, but adjust to 존댓말 (jon-daen-mal – formal speech) if asking seniors or less familiar classmates. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it – it’s a great way to learn and strengthen friendships! 파이팅! (pa-i-ting! – Fighting!/Good luck!)
