Learn Hardcore Korean: ijeon hoeuie bihae ibeon hoeuiga deo jjalbasseoyo. - Compared to the previous meeting, this meeting was shorter.

에 비해 literally means “in comparison to” or “compared with.” You attach it to a noun to show you’re comparing that noun to something else.
• 이전 회의에 비해 = “compared to the previous meeting”
• After that, you state your result: 이번 회의가 더 짧았어요 (“this meeting was shorter”).

Why is 이번 회의가 marked with -가 instead of -은/는?

In a comparison structure with ~에 비해, the thing you’re comparing against takes 에 비해 (here 이전 회의에 비해), and the subject of your main clause usually takes the subject marker -가.
If you swap to -은/는 (이번 회의는), it adds a stronger contrast or emphasis on “this meeting” specifically, but both are grammatically correct: • 이번 회의가 더 짧았어요. (neutral)
• 이번 회의는 더 짧았어요. (emphatic contrast)

What does 더 do in 더 짧았어요?

더 means “more,” and when used with adjectives or verbs it makes a comparative:
• 짧다 = “to be short”
• 더 짧다 = “to be shorter”
In past tense, 더 짧았어요 = “was shorter.”

Could I use 보다 instead of 에 비해? If so, what’s the difference?

Yes. -보다 is the more common, colloquial way to say “than” or “compared to.”
• 이전 회의보다 이번 회의가 더 짧았어요.
에 비해 is a bit more formal or written, but the meaning is essentially the same. Use 보다 in everyday speech; 에 비해 in reports or formal contexts.

Why is 짧았어요 in the past tense? Can I use the present tense?

The sentence refers to meetings that have already ended, so you describe their length in the past:
• 짧았어요 = “was short/was shorter.”
If you were commenting on ongoing or habitual events, you’d use present tense:
• 이전 회의에 비해 이번 회의가 더 짧아요. (less common unless you’re talking about a series of meetings in general)

What’s the difference between 이전 회의 and 지난 회의?

Both can mean “the previous meeting,” but:
• 지난 회의 (from 지나다 “to pass”) usually means “the meeting that just passed” or “last meeting.”
• 이전 회의 (from 이전 “previous/preceding”) can refer to any earlier meeting, not necessarily the immediately preceding one.
In many contexts they’re interchangeable.

Are 이전 and 이번 adjectives? How do they modify 회의?

They are 관형사 (word-class modifiers), similar to determiners in English. They directly modify a noun without adding -은/는/이/가:
• 이전 회의 = “previous meeting”
• 이번 회의 = “this time’s meeting” or “this meeting”
They function like English words “previous” and “this,” placed right before the noun.