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mian, kkamppakhaeseo yeonrageul mos haesseo.

미안, 깜빡해서 연락을 못 했어.mian, kkamppakhaeseo yeonrageul mos haesseo.
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Questions & Answers about mian, kkamppakhaeseo yeonrageul mos haesseo.

What politeness/register is this? Who can I say it to?

It’s casual banmal. Use it with friends, close peers, or younger people. To be polite:

  • To a senior/stranger: 죄송해요/죄송합니다, 깜빡해서 연락을 못 드렸어요/못 드렸습니다.
  • Neutral polite: 미안해요, 깜빡해서 연락을 못 했어요.
What’s the difference between 미안, 미안해, 미안해요, and 죄송합니다?
  • 미안: very casual interjection (“sorry”).
  • 미안해: casual “I’m sorry.”
  • 미안해요: polite but still friendly.
  • 죄송합니다/죄송해요: more formal/humble; preferred with elders/superiors or in formal situations.
What does 깜빡하다 mean exactly? How is it different from 잊다, 잊어버리다, and 까먹다?
  • 깜빡하다: to forget momentarily/by accident; a lapse (“it slipped my mind”).
  • 잊다: neutral “to forget.”
  • 잊어버리다: to forget completely/for good.
  • 까먹다: colloquial/informal “to forget” (slangy; don’t use in formal speech).
How does -해서 work in 깜빡해서?
It’s the connective -아/어서 “because/so,” from 깜빡하여서 → 깜빡해서. It gives the reason: “Because I forgot (for a moment)…”
Can I say 깜빡하고 연락을 못 했어 instead of 깜빡해서?
Yes. …하고 is common in speech for a loose sequence/cause. Nuance is similar; …해서 feels a bit more explicitly causal, …하고 a bit more conversational.
Why 못 했어 and not 안 했어?
  • 못 = couldn’t (due to circumstances/ability), which fits “I forgot.”
  • 안 = didn’t (by choice/intentionally). So here 못 했어 sounds more appropriate and apologetic.
Is the spacing 못 했어 or 못했어?
Write it separated: 못 했어 when 못 means “cannot/couldn’t.” The attached form 못하다 is used when it’s a single verb meaning “to be poor at” (e.g., 수영을 못해요). In casual texting you’ll see 못했어, but standard spacing here is separate.
Why is 을 used in 연락을? Can I drop it?
을/를 marks the object (“contact”). In speech it’s often dropped: 연락(을) 못 했어. Both are fine; including it can sound a touch clearer or more careful.
Where’s the subject “I/you”? Who is the object?
Korean often drops pronouns when obvious. The speaker is “I” from the ending -었어. The person not contacted is usually “you” from context, but it’s omitted: “I couldn’t contact (you).”
How do I make this respectful to an older person?

Use humble 드리다 with 연락 and a polite apology:

  • 죄송합니다/죄송해요, 깜빡해서 연락을 못 드렸습니다/못 드렸어요.
What’s the difference between 연락, 전화, and 문자?
  • 연락: contact in general (any medium).
  • 전화: a phone call.
  • 문자: a text message. So 연락을 못 했어 is catch‑all; you can be specific with 전화 못 했어 / 문자 못 했어.
Any pronunciation tips?

Approximate reading:

  • 깜빡해서 → [깜빠캐서] (ㅎ causes aspiration: ㄱ → ㅋ)
  • 연락을 → [열라글] (ㄴ+ㄹ → ㄹㄹ)
  • 못 했어 → [모태써] (ㅅ+ㅎ → ㅌ) Whole sentence: [미안, 깜빠캐서 열라글 모태써].
Is 깜박 ever correct?
The standard spelling here is 깜빡 (with ㅃ). 깜박 is a common misspelling in this meaning.
Where do 해서/했어 come from morphologically?

They’re contractions:

  • 해서 ← 하여서
  • 했어 ← 하였어 These are standard contractions in modern Korean.
Are there natural alternatives to express the same apology?
  • 미안(해), 깜빡했어.
  • 미안, 깜빡 잊었어.
  • More polite/typical for late replies: 연락이 늦어서 미안해요/죄송합니다.
  • To a senior: 연락을 늦게 드려 죄송합니다.
Is …하느라 okay here, like 깜빡하느라?
No. -느라 means “because (I was) busy doing X,” so it needs an ongoing activity (e.g., 일하느라 연락을 못 했어). Forgetting (깜빡하다) is a momentary event, so 깜빡하느라 sounds odd.