Learn Hardcore Korean: hoeui junge hwamyeoni gapjagi kkeojyeosseo. - The screen suddenly turned off during the meeting.

중(에) means “in the middle of, while (an activity is ongoing).” It highlights that a single event occurred during an ongoing activity. 동안 refers to the span/length of time (“for/during the duration of”). Here, 회의 중에 is natural because one sudden event (the screen going off) happened during the meeting. 회의하는 동안 can sound like the situation continued for the whole meeting, which isn’t intended.

Why is there 에 after 중? Can I just say 회의 중?

중 is a bound noun (“middle”). With 에, it becomes an adverbial time phrase “during.” 회의 중에 = “during the meeting.” Without 에, 회의 중 is a noun phrase (“in a meeting / in the middle of a meeting”) and works in statements like 지금 회의 중입니다. In this sentence (modifying when something happened), 중에 is preferred.

Can I say 회의하는 중에, 회의할 때, or 회의 도중에 instead? What’s the nuance?

All are fine, with small differences:

회의하는 중에: explicitly “while (we were) holding a meeting.”
회의할 때: “when we were in a meeting”; broader and a bit more casual.
회의 도중에: very close to 중에, a touch more formal/literary.

Why is it 화면이 and not 화면가?

이/가 are the same subject particle with two forms: 이 follows a consonant; 가 follows a vowel. 화면 ends with a consonant sound, so it takes 이. You can also topicalize with 은/는: 화면은 갑자기 꺼졌어 (“as for the screen…”).

Can I drop the subject particle 이 after 화면?

In casual speech, yes: 회의 중에 화면 갑자기 꺼졌어 is commonly heard. In writing or careful speech, keep the particle (화면이).

Where can I put 갑자기?

It can move around without changing meaning much:

회의 중에 화면이 갑자기 꺼졌어.
회의 중에 갑자기 화면이 꺼졌어.
갑자기 회의 중에 화면이 꺼졌어. Earlier placement adds more dramatic emphasis.

What’s the difference between 꺼졌어 and 껐어?

꺼졌어 (from 꺼지다, intransitive/inchoative): “went off/turned off (by itself or as a result).”
껐어 (from 끄다, transitive): “turned (something) off.” You’d say 화면을 껐어 if a person did it.

How is 꺼졌어 formed? Why not 꺼지었어?

Stem 꺼지- + past -었- contracts: 꺼지었어 → 꺼졌어. The contraction -지었- → -졌- is regular.

How do I say “it was off (state)” rather than “it went off (event)”?

Use the resultative: 꺼져 있었어 (“was in an off state”).

화면이 갑자기 꺼졌어: it suddenly went off (event).
회의 내내 화면이 꺼져 있었어: it was off the whole meeting (state).

How do I make the sentence polite or formal?

Polite: 회의 중에 화면이 갑자기 꺼졌어요.
Formal: 회의 중에 화면이 갑자기 꺼졌습니다.

Is 회의에서 okay instead of 회의 중에?

회의에서 means “at the meeting” (as a location/event). It’s possible: 회의에서 화면이 갑자기 꺼졌어, but it emphasizes where it happened. For “during,” 회의 중에 or 회의 도중에 is more precise.

Does 중에 ever mean “among”? Is it the same 중에?

Yes, same word, different use. With sets/choices, 중(에)/중에서 = “among”:

이 중에 어느 게 좋아요? In your sentence, because it follows an activity noun, it means “during.”

What’s the nuance of 갑자기? Any synonyms?

갑자기 = suddenly, abruptly, without warning. Synonyms:

문득 (all of a sudden; often for thoughts/realizations)
별안간 (more literary/old-fashioned)
순식간에 (in an instant; emphasizes speed)

Pronunciation tips for this sentence?

회의 is commonly pronounced as two vowels: [회이].
갑자기 has tensification: [갑짜기].
꺼졌어 is [꺼져써]. Overall: [회이 중에 화면이 갑짜기 꺼져써].

What’s the standard romanization of the whole sentence?

Revised Romanization: Hoeui junge hwamyeoni gapjagi kkeojyeosseo. Romanization is only a rough guide; follow the pronunciation tips above.

Is the spacing correct? I’ve seen 회의중에 written together.

Standard spacing is 회의 중에:

회의 (noun) + space + 중 (bound noun) + 에 (particle). Writing 회의중에 is a common casual typo but not standard.

Can I say 회의하다가 화면이 갑자기 꺼졌어?

Yes. -다가 marks an action in progress that gets interrupted by another event. It’s natural and emphasizes the interruption.

How do I specify whose/which screen?

Add a possessor or device:

제 화면이 갑자기 꺼졌어요 (my screen).
노트북 화면이 갑자기 꺼졌어 (laptop screen).
회의실 모니터가 갑자기 꺼졌어 (conference-room monitor).

Is 화면 the same as “monitor/screen” (hardware)?

화면 is the on-screen display/image. For the physical hardware, use 모니터 (monitor), 스크린 (projector screen), or 디스플레이 (display).
Examples: 모니터가 꺼졌어 (the monitor powered off) vs. 화면이 꺼졌어 (the display went off).

How can I add a sense of frustration or “ended up” feeling?

Use -아/어 버리다: 회의 중에 화면이 갑자기 꺼져 버렸어. It implies an unwelcome, completed result.

How do I turn it into a question?

Casual: 회의 중에 화면이 갑자기 꺼졌어?
Polite: 회의 중에 화면이 갑자기 꺼졌어요?

What changes if I say 화면은 갑자기 꺼졌어?

Using 은/는 makes “the screen” the topic and can create contrast or emphasis, e.g., “The screen (as for that) suddenly went off,” possibly implying other things didn’t or setting up additional info.

If I want “went black” rather than “turned off,” what can I say?

You can use:

화면이 갑자기 까매졌어 / 화면이 갑자기 검게 변했어 (the screen went black).
화면이 나갔어 (the display went out; colloquial for losing the picture).