sasil oneul hoeuineun gilji anhasseo.

topic particle

Breakdown of sasil oneul hoeuineun gilji anhasseo.

• 오늘: today
• 않다: to not do
• 회의: meeting

Questions & Answers about sasil oneul hoeuineun gilji anhasseo.

What nuance does the word 사실 add here?

사실 means “actually” or “in fact.” It frames the sentence as a clarification or mild correction of an expectation. You can place it at the start, as here, or later (e.g., 오늘 회의는 사실 길지 않았어) with similar meaning. Using 사실은 adds a stronger topical/emphatic “as a matter of fact” feel.

Why is the topic marker 는 used on 회의 instead of the subject marker 가?

Using 회의는 sets “the meeting” as the topic and often implies contrast (e.g., “As for the meeting, it wasn’t long,” maybe unlike something else). 회의가 길지 않았어 is a plain statement focusing on the meeting as the grammatical subject, with less contrastive nuance. Both are correct; choose based on emphasis.

Could I mark 오늘 with 은 instead? What changes?

Yes:

• 오늘 회의는 길지 않았어: Topic = the meeting (today’s one). Contrast may be about the meeting versus other things.
• 오늘은 회의가 길지 않았어: Topic = today. Contrast may be about today versus other days. Both are natural; pick the topic you want to highlight.

Why not use the object marker and say 회의를?

Because 길다 (“to be long”) is a descriptive verb (adjective-like) that does not take an object. The meeting is the subject/topic of the state of being long, so use 회의가/회의는, not 회의를.

What does the -지 않다 construction do, and how is it different from 안?