Learn Hardcore Japanese: kanozyo ha kaizyou ni mukau totyuu de kyuuyou ga dekita noni, meiwaku wo kakenai you ni sugu renrakusita. - An urgent matter came up for her on the way to the venue, yet she contacted us right away so as not to cause trouble.

は marks the topic: we’re talking about “her,” and everything that follows is information about her.
が would mark “her” as the grammatical subject and highlight her specifically (e.g., contrasting her with others or introducing her as new info).
Both are grammatically possible, but 彼女は sounds neutral/natural as a topic opener. 彼女が would sound like “it was she who…” which adds emphasis.

Why is it 会場に向かう and not 会場へ向かう? What’s the difference between に and へ?

With movement verbs, に emphasizes the destination/endpoint, while へ emphasizes direction.
With 向かう, both are common: 会場に向かう and 会場へ向かう are both natural. へ can feel a bit more literary/formal in some contexts; に is very common in everyday speech.

Why is it the dictionary form 向かう before 途中? Could I say 向かっている途中?

The set pattern V-る + 途中 means “in the middle of V / on the way to V.” So 向かう途中 is a fixed, natural way to say “on the way (heading) to.”
向かっている途中 is also correct and emphasizes the ongoing action more explicitly. Both are fine; 向かう途中 is more compact.

Why 途中で and not 途中に?

途中で is used when an event/action occurs “during/on the way”: e.g., 途中で雨が降った.
途中に tends to be used for existence/placement: e.g., 途中にコンビニがある (“There’s a convenience store along the way”).
Here, an event happened (急用ができた), so 途中で is the natural choice.

What exactly does 急用ができた mean? Isn’t できる “can do”?

できる also means “to come into being / to arise.” So 急用ができた = “an urgent matter came up.”
が marks the thing that arose (急用). You can’t use を here because できる is intransitive.
Near-synonyms: 急用が入った, 急な用事ができた. All mean “something urgent came up.”

Is there a nuance difference between 急用ができた and 急用があった?

できた highlights that it newly arose (unplanned).
あった is more neutral “there was urgent business.” It doesn’t emphasize the sudden emergence as clearly.
In contexts like unexpected schedule changes, できた often feels more idiomatic.

What nuance does のに add? Could I use けど or ても instead?

のに is a strong concessive: “even though,” often carrying a sense of unexpectedness, contrast, or emotion (frustration/surprise/admiration).
けど/けれど(も) is milder, more conversational; it can simply connect two facts without strong contradiction.
ても (“even if/even though”) works in many cases but can feel slightly different in tone.
Here, のに suggests: “Even though an urgent matter came up (so you’d expect trouble), she still contacted immediately,” implying a notable/commendable contrast.

How does 迷惑をかける work? Who gets which particle?

Pattern: [person/group] に迷惑をかける = “to cause trouble (to [person/group]).”
- Example: 皆さんに迷惑をかける (“to inconvenience everyone”).
Common related forms:
- Intransitive: [person] に迷惑がかかる (“trouble falls on [person]”).
- Apology: ご迷惑をおかけしてすみません.
Don’t say 迷惑する for “be bothered”; use the patterns above.

Why is it 迷惑をかけないように and not ために? What’s the difference between ように and ために here?

V-ない + ように expresses an aim of prevention: “so that [X] won’t happen / to avoid [X].” It focuses on the desired outcome.
ために expresses a purpose more directly/intentionally: “for the sake/purpose of.”
Both are possible: 迷惑をかけないように (natural for prevention), 迷惑をかけないために (a bit more formal/deliberate). Here, ように nicely fits the “avoid causing trouble” nuance.

Who is she contacting? What particle does 連絡する take?

The recipient is omitted but understood from context (the relevant people at the venue, etc.).
Pattern: [person/organization] に連絡する (“contact [X]”).
- Example: 主催者に連絡した.
Related:
- [X] から連絡がある = “receive contact from X.”
- [X] と連絡を取る = “be in contact/communicate with X (two-way).”

Why is it just 連絡した and not 連絡をした?

連絡 is a する-noun. Both 連絡した and 連絡をした are correct; the version without を is more common in speech.
With some する-nouns, adding を can feel slightly more formal or measured in tone.

Does すぐ need に (すぐに)? What’s the nuance?

すぐ and すぐに are both fine. すぐに can feel a touch more explicit/formal, but in most cases the meaning is the same: “immediately/right away.”
More formal/stronger options: 直ちに, 至急, 早急に (written/business).
Here, すぐ（に）連絡した is natural.

Is the placement “迷惑をかけないようにすぐ連絡した” okay? Should there be a comma?

It’s common to write a comma for readability: 迷惑をかけないように、すぐ連絡した.
Without the comma it’s still parseable. The scope is:
- 迷惑をかけないように modifies the manner/aim of contacting.
- すぐ modifies 連絡した.
Be careful: すぐに連絡するように usually means “so that [someone] contacts immediately” (often an instruction/reporting speech), which is a different structure.

How would I make this sentence polite or even more formal?

Polite past: …すぐ連絡しました。
Humble (when speaking about your own contacting): …すぐ連絡いたしました。
When addressing the recipient politely: …すぐご連絡差し上げました。
The prevention phrase in polite style: ご迷惑をおかけしないように、…

Can I use 行く instead of 向かう? Any nuance difference?

行く is the general “go,” while 向かう is “head (toward), make one’s way to,” which can sound a bit more purposeful or formal.
会場に行く途中 is fine and natural; 会場に向かう途中 often sounds a bit more “headed for the venue” in a deliberate way (common in announcements/reports).

Could I drop 彼女は, or move it after のに?

Yes. If context already makes the subject clear, you can omit 彼女は:
会場に向かう途中で急用ができたのに、迷惑をかけないようにすぐ連絡した。
You can also say:
会場に向かう途中で急用ができたのに、彼女はすぐ連絡した。
Using 彼女が instead of 彼女は would emphasize that it was she (as opposed to someone else).

Why is there に after よう? What does ように do grammatically?

よう is a noun (“manner/way/so that”), and に turns it into an adverbial phrase modifying the verb: ように V = “(do V) in such a way that / so that …”
- Example: 間違えないように書いてください (“Please write so that you don’t make mistakes.”)
Without に, 〜のよう modifies nouns or links with だ/です (similarity): 学生のようだ (“looks like a student”).

Could I say 迷惑にならないように instead of 迷惑をかけないように?

Yes. 迷惑にならないように (“so as not to become a nuisance”) is slightly softer/less agent-focused.
迷惑をかけないように is more active (“so as not to cause trouble [to others]”).
Both are natural; choose based on nuance.

Who is the “someone” she didn’t want to bother? How would I say it explicitly?

It’s implicit (“others involved,” “the organizers,” etc.). To make it explicit, add the recipient with に:
- 主催者に迷惑をかけないように (“so as not to trouble the organizers”)
- 誰にも迷惑をかけないように (“so as not to bother anyone”)