jogeoni an majaseo gyeyageul chwisohaesseoyo.

Questions & Answers about jogeoni an majaseo gyeyageul chwisohaesseoyo.

What does 조건 mean here?

In this sentence, 조건 means conditions, terms, or requirements.

So 조건이 안 맞아서 means something like:

  • because the conditions didn't match
  • because the terms weren't acceptable
  • because the requirements didn't line up

In a contract context, 조건 often refers to the deal terms, such as price, schedule, responsibilities, or other agreed conditions.

Why is used after 조건?

is the subject marker. It attaches to nouns ending in a consonant, so:

  • 조건 + 이 → 조건이

Here, 조건이 안 맞다 means the conditions don't match / aren't right.

A learner-friendly way to think about it is that 조건 is the thing being described as not matching.

What does 안 맞다 mean exactly?

맞다 has several meanings in Korean, and one very common meaning is to fit, to match, or to be suitable/correct.

So:

  • 맞다 = to match / to fit / to be right
  • 안 맞다 = to not match / to not fit / to be unsuitable

In this sentence, 조건이 안 맞다 does not mean something is physically fitting into a space. It means the terms or conditions were not compatible or acceptable.

Examples:

  • 성격이 안 맞아요. = Our personalities don't match.
  • 시간이 안 맞아요. = The timing doesn't work.
  • 조건이 안 맞아요. = The terms don't work / The conditions don't match.
Why is used instead of another negative form?

is the standard short negation placed before a verb or adjective.

So:

  • 맞다 = to match
  • 안 맞다 = to not match

This is very common in everyday speech.

You could also say:

  • 조건이 맞지 않아서 계약을 취소했어요.

This means basically the same thing, but 맞지 않아서 sounds a bit more formal or written than 안 맞아서.

What does -아서 / -어서 do in 맞아서?

-아서 / -어서 connects two actions or clauses and often means because or and so.

Here:

  • 조건이 안 맞아서 = because the conditions didn't match
  • 계약을 취소했어요 = I canceled the contract

Together:

  • 조건이 안 맞아서 계약을 취소했어요.
  • Because the conditions didn't match, I canceled the contract.

So in this sentence, -아서 is expressing a reason.

Why is it 맞아서 and not 맞아서요 or something else?

The base pattern is:

  • 맞다맞아서
  • 안 맞다안 맞아서

This clause is not the end of the sentence. It connects to the next clause, so it uses the connective form -아서.

The sentence ends with the final verb:

  • 취소했어요

That is where the politeness level is shown.

If you ended the reason clause by itself in conversation, you might hear:

  • 조건이 안 맞아서요.

That sounds like It's because the conditions didn't match... and is often used when the rest is understood from context.

What does 계약을 취소했어요 mean word by word?

It breaks down like this:

  • 계약 = contract
  • = object marker
  • 취소하다 = to cancel
  • 취소했어요 = canceled / have canceled

So:

  • 계약을 취소했어요 = I canceled the contract

This is a very common noun + 하다 verb:

  • 취소 = cancellation
  • 취소하다 = to cancel
Why is used after 계약?

을/를 marks the direct object of the verb.

Since 계약 ends in a consonant, it takes :

  • 계약 + 을 → 계약을

This shows that the contract is the thing that was canceled.

Compare:

  • 계약이 취소됐어요. = The contract was canceled.
    Here 계약이 is the subject.
  • 계약을 취소했어요. = I canceled the contract.
    Here 계약을 is the object.
What tense is 취소했어요?

취소했어요 is the past tense polite form.

From:

  • 취소하다 = to cancel

To:

  • 취소했어요 = canceled / did cancel

So the whole sentence describes a completed past action:

  • I canceled the contract because the conditions didn't match.

Also note that the first part, 조건이 안 맞아서, is understood in relation to that past event, so the whole sentence naturally refers to the past even though 안 맞아서 itself is not separately marked with -았-.

Why doesn't the sentence say I anywhere?

Korean often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context.

So even though English usually says:

  • I canceled the contract

Korean can simply say:

  • 계약을 취소했어요

The listener usually understands who did it from the situation.

Depending on context, it could also be understood as:

  • we canceled the contract
  • our side canceled the contract

But in many textbook translations, I canceled the contract is the most natural default.

Is 조건이 안 맞아서 the same as saying 조건이 나빠서?

Not exactly.

  • 조건이 안 맞아서 = because the conditions didn't match / weren't suitable
  • 조건이 나빠서 = because the conditions were bad

The difference is important:

  • 안 맞다 suggests the terms were not compatible, didn't align, or didn't work for the situation
  • 나쁘다 means they were simply bad

So 안 맞아서 is often more natural when talking about negotiations, contracts, schedules, personalities, or requirements that fail to line up.

Could this sentence be translated as The deal fell through because the terms didn't work out?

Yes, that is a very natural English interpretation.

A very direct translation is:

  • Because the conditions didn't match, I canceled the contract.

But in smoother English, depending on context, you might also say:

  • The terms didn't work out, so I canceled the contract.
  • The deal fell through because the terms didn't match.
  • Because we couldn't agree on the terms, I canceled the contract.

These are not word-for-word translations, but they capture the same idea well.

Is this sentence formal, casual, or polite?

It is polite informal, often called the -어요 style.

The ending:

  • 취소했어요

makes it polite and suitable for everyday conversation with someone you are not very close to, a customer, a coworker, or a stranger.

Compare:

  • 조건이 안 맞아서 계약을 취소했어요. = polite
  • 조건이 안 맞아서 계약을 취소했어. = casual
  • 조건이 맞지 않아 계약을 취소했습니다. = more formal

So the original sentence is polite, natural, and common in spoken Korean.

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How do speech levels work in Korean?
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.

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