Learn Hardcore Korean: yaksogi geuphaeseo jigeum baro nagalge. - The appointment is urgent, so I’ll leave right now.

In this sentence, 약속 means “appointment/plan” (plans with someone). It can also mean “promise” in other contexts, but with leaving right now, it naturally reads as “I have an urgent appointment.”

Why is it 약속이 and not 약속은 or 약속을?

약속이 marks 약속 as the subject of the descriptive verb 급하다 (“to be urgent”). 약속은 would add a contrastive/topic nuance (“as for the appointment, it’s urgent…”), which isn’t needed. 약속을 would be an object marker, but 급하다 doesn’t take an object.

Do I need to say “my appointment” (내 약속)?

No. Korean often omits possessive pronouns when the possessor is obvious from context. 약속이 급해서 is naturally understood as “my appointment is urgent.”

Is 약속이 급해서 natural? Are there more common alternatives?

It’s fine and understandable. Very natural alternatives you’ll hear a lot:

급한 약속이 있어서 지금 바로 나갈게.
급한 약속이 생겨서 지금 바로 나갈게. Many people also say 급한 일이 있어서… (“urgent matter”) in place of 약속.

What exactly is 급해서 grammatically? Is -서 the location particle?

급해서 = 급하다 (to be urgent) + -아/어서 (because/so) → “because [it] is urgent.” Here, -서 is a causal connective, not the location particle 에서.

Difference between 급해서 and 급하니까?

Both can mean “because it’s urgent.” Nuance:

-아서/어서 (급해서): softer, background reason.
-니까 (급하니까): a bit more explanatory/justifying; very common before intentions/requests. Either works here: 급해서 지금 바로 나갈게 / 급하니까 지금 바로 나갈게.

Is 지금 바로 redundant? What nuance does it add?

Not redundant. 지금 = “now,” 바로 = “immediately/right away.” Together (지금 바로) intensifies the immediacy: “right now, immediately.”

How is 바로 different from 곧?

바로 = “right away,” with no delay.
곧 = “soon,” in the near future but not necessarily immediately. So 지금 바로 나갈게 is stronger than 곧 나갈게.

Why use 나갈게 instead of 나가요 or 나갈 거예요?

-ㄹ게 expresses the speaker’s will/promise in consideration of the listener or situation (“I’ll go [then]”).

나가요 can be present/habitual and is vague.
나갈 거예요 is a neutral future plan/statement, less responsive.
나갈게 signals immediate intention and is often used to wrap up a conversation or to announce you’re heading out now.

Is 나갈게 polite enough? When should I use 나갈게요 or 나가겠습니다?

나갈게: casual/friendly (banmal).
나갈게요: polite/friendly.
나가겠습니다: formal/deferential (business/official).
Choose based on who you’re talking to.

Why is it spelled 나갈게, not 나갈께?

Correct spelling is -게. After an ㄹ, the ㄱ in 게 is pronounced tense ([께]-like), so you might hear [나갈께]. But the spelling is always 나갈게 (and e.g., 할게, not “할께”).

When do I use 나가다 vs 나오다?

나가다: go out, away from the current place.
나오다: come out, toward the speaker or their location.
If you’re telling people in the same room you’re leaving, 나갈게 is natural. If someone outside says “Come out,” you might answer 지금 나올게 (“I’ll come out now”).

Does 나가다 just mean “leave,” or specifically “go outside”? What about 떠나다?

나가다 mainly means “go out/exit” (often to outside or out of a room/building). 떠나다 is “depart/leave” a place or person more broadly and often sounds more final. In this sentence, 나가다 fits the immediate physical action.

Is 지금 바로 the only correct order? What about 바로 지금?

The natural collocation is 지금 바로. 바로 지금 can appear in emphatic or literary contexts (“right this very moment”), but for everyday “I’m leaving right now,” use 지금 바로.

Can I say 이제 나갈게 instead of 지금 바로 나갈게?

Yes, but nuance shifts. 이제 나갈게 = “I’ll get going now (at this point),” often after finishing something. 지금 바로 나갈게 stresses immediate departure.

What’s the difference between 약속이 급해서, 약속이 있어서, 약속 때문에?

약속이 급해서: the appointment is urgent.
약속이 있어서: I have an appointment (matter-of-fact).
약속 때문에: because of an appointment (neutral cause as a noun phrase).
If it suddenly appeared, use 약속이 생겨서 (“an appointment came up”).

Can -ㄹ게 be used for someone else’s action?

No. -ㄹ게 is a first-person (singular/plural) intention/promise ending. You use it only for what you (we) will do.

Any quick ways to soften or adjust the tone?

Add politeness: …나갈게요.
More formal: 급한 일이 있어서 지금 바로 나가겠습니다.
Less abrupt/cordial: 그럼 저는 먼저 나갈게요. (“Then I’ll head out first.”)

Is the spacing correct in 지금 바로? Could I write 지금바로?

Correct spacing is 지금 바로 (two words). Writing 지금바로 is incorrect.

Is 급해서 pronounced as written?

Due to sound changes, 급해서 is pronounced roughly like [그패서] (the ㅂ + ㅎ becomes ㅍ). This is normal and doesn’t affect spelling.