ijeon hoeuie bihae ibeon hoeuiga deo jjalbasseoyo.

subject particle

Breakdown of ijeon hoeuie bihae ibeon hoeuiga deo jjalbasseoyo.

• 회의: meeting
• 더: more
• 이번: this

Questions & Answers about ijeon hoeuie bihae ibeon hoeuiga deo jjalbasseoyo.

What is the function of 에 비해 in this sentence?

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?