Explain which part of getting online has stopped

You can see a network name on your phone, but a webpage will not open. Saying only “Wi-Fi” tells the person at the desk very little. A useful conversation separates three questions: which network to use, whether the phone connects, and whether the page you need opens.

This intermediate lesson develops the language for using public Wi-Fi in Korea. You will ask for the right instructions, explain an observed problem, understand a suggested next step and report its result. The conversation takes place at an invented community centre with guest Wi-Fi; it does not describe the policy or password of a real venue.

Keep the location’s posted instructions in view. Seoul’s 2023 public Wi-Fi guide distinguishes general and secured access, illustrating why one remembered network name or login procedure cannot describe every connection. Ask the venue which service is intended for visitors.

Ask for the visitor network and its instructions

어떤 asks “which” or “what kind of.” 어떤 와이파이에 연결하면 되나요? asks the other person to identify the appropriate network. It is more specific than asking whether Wi-Fi exists somewhere in the building.

비밀번호 means a password or PIN in different contexts. In this exchange, you are asking about the guest network’s access information. The word itself does not mean that a password must contain only numbers. Letters can be part of one too.

무료로 asks whether use is free. A visible network name does not answer that question. Follow the actual venue’s answer and displayed terms, and ask staff to clarify the intended visitor service if several names look similar.

Give each stage a separate description

In 연결은 됐는데, the speaker first acknowledges a successful connection. The second clause then identifies the remaining problem. Do not shorten the English translation to “It will not connect,” because that removes the contrast the Korean sentence carefully makes.

자꾸 describes repetition: the connection keeps dropping. 안 negates the following action or state. A page opening slowly and a page not opening at all are different reports, so choose the sentence that matches what you see.

These descriptions give the helper a starting point. They do not diagnose a broken router, a faulty phone or a problem with every website. If only one page fails, keep that limit in your account instead of turning it into “the internet is completely broken.”

Follow a short exchange at the desk

This is an original practice exchange. The sign is part of the fictional setting, so the reply does not tell you that every café, library or public hotspot displays a password in the same place.

적힌 이름 is “the name that is written.” 이름 아래에 locates the password below that name in this particular scene. Before moving on, the visitor confirms both pieces of information instead of guessing from a similar-looking network.

어떤 화면이 나오는지 means “which screen appears.” The visitor’s final line reports a displayed message. In 연결 오류라고 나와요, -라고 marks what the screen says. You are reporting the label you see, not independently proving its technical cause.

When showing a screen, keep the relevant connection message visible and private account details out of view. In this exercise, no account password needs to be spoken to another person.

Clarify one character instead of repeating the whole password

대문자 means an uppercase letter, 소문자 a lowercase letter, and 입력하다 “enter” or “input.” For a network name or a posted guest password, copy the characters exactly as the instructions specify. A Korean pronunciation written beside an English name is a reading aid; it is not necessarily the text to enter.

The zero/O question uses two labels: 숫자, “number,” and 알파벳, “alphabet letter.” Pointing to the uncertain character helps the staff member answer the intended question. For a longer explanation, use the clarification lesson to ask someone to repeat or write a detail.

Check one uncertain character at a time. A question about uppercase letters calls for a different answer from a question about spaces.

Connect the attempt, the remaining problem and the next condition

In the first sentence, 입력했- tells us the password has already been entered. In the second, the contrast is between reconnecting and still being unable to open the page. If you have already tried reconnecting, that sentence can report the repeated result.

The -아/어도 pattern here differs from the permission question in -아/어도 돼요?. Compare “Even when I reconnect, the page will not open” with “May I reconnect?” The words after the connective help determine the message; identifying 도 alone is not enough.

연결되면 알려 주세요 does not say the connection has succeeded yet. It asks for a report if or when that happens. To show that it has worked, give a new result statement such as 이제 연결돼요. — “It connects now.”

Respond to an instruction with the result

해 보세요 invites an attempt. It does not promise that the attempt will fix the problem. The visitor should report what actually happens next: the page opens, the same error returns, or a different message appears.

Contrast 이제, “now” after a change, with 아직도, “still.” 이제 페이지가 열려요 reports a successful change in the page’s behaviour. 아직도 같은 오류가 나와요 reports that the earlier issue continues.

For a partner activity, use three cards: name not visible, connected but page not opening, and repeated disconnection. The visitor draws one card and describes only that situation. The helper asks one useful follow-up question. Finish with an observed result, rather than treating “I will check” as a completed repair.

Check what each line actually establishes

A small listening check

Sources and a practical rehearsal

• Basic Korean Dictionary: 비밀번호 — The password/PIN word used in the access questions.
• Basic Korean Dictionary: 연결 — The connection noun and its use with 되다 and 끊기다.
• Seoul Metropolitan Government: public Wi-Fi guide, 2023 — Background on different access types. Follow the current instructions at the actual location.

Reviewed September 3, 2026. Found a mistake? Send a correction.

Practise once with the Korean column covered. First ask for access instructions. Then describe one specific problem and answer a follow-up question. On the second round, switch to a different outcome so that you have to listen and respond. For another service setting, try explaining a hotel problem.