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Learn Hardcore Korean: oneul imeillo annaereul badasseoyo. - I received a notice by email today.

Hardcore Korean
/Lesson 37
/oneul imeillo annaereul badasseoyo.

oneul imeillo annaereul badasseoyo.

오늘 이메일로 안내를 받았어요.oneul imeillo annaereul badasseoyo.

I received a notice by email today.

Breakdown of oneul imeillo annaereul badasseoyo.

object particle

Questions & Answers about oneul imeillo annaereul badasseoyo.

What does 이메일로 mean, and why is -로 used?

-로 here marks the means/method: by email, through email, or via email.

So 이메일로 means:

by email
via email

This is a very common use of -로.

Examples:

버스로 갔어요. = I went by bus.
한국어로 말해요. = I speak in Korean.
이메일로 연락했어요. = I contacted them by email.

In your sentence, 이메일로 안내를 받았어요 means the notice/instructions were received through email.

Why is it 이메일로 and not 이메일에서?

Because -로 and -에서 do different jobs.

-로 = the method/tool/channel
-에서 = the place where something happens, or sometimes the source in different kinds of expressions

In this sentence, email is not really a physical place where the action happened. It is the medium used to receive the notice. So 이메일로 is the natural choice.

Compare:

회사에서 연락을 받았어요. = I got contacted from the company / at the company, depending on context
이메일로 연락을 받았어요. = I got contacted

instrumental particle

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by email

So for communication channels like email, phone, text, etc., -로 is very common.

What does 안내 mean here?

안내 is a noun that often means:

guidance
information
instructions
notice
announcement

Its exact English translation depends on context.

In everyday Korean, 안내 is often used in situations like:

getting instructions
receiving official information
being informed of something
seeing or hearing a notice

Examples:

안내문 = a notice/sign
안내 데스크 = information desk
안내를 받다 = to receive guidance/instructions/information

So in this sentence, 안내 is not necessarily “guidance” in a personal, one-on-one sense. It can simply mean some kind of official or practical information.

Why is there 를 after 안내?

Because 안내 is the object of the verb 받다.

안내를 받다 = to receive guidance/information/notice

The particle -를 / -을 marks the direct object.

Here:

안내 = the thing being received
받았어요 = received

So:

안내를 받았어요 = received the notice/instructions

This is very similar to other Korean expressions with 받다:

도움을 받았어요. = I received help.
연락을 받았어요. = I received contact / I was contacted.
칭찬을 받았어요. = I received praise.

Why does Korean say 안내를 받았어요 instead of using a verb like 안내했어요?

Because the sentence focuses on the person who received the information, not the person who gave it.

안내하다 = to guide / inform
안내를 받다 = to receive guidance/information

These are different perspectives.

Compare:

직원이 안내했어요. = The staff member gave guidance/instructions.
저는 안내를 받았어요. = I received guidance/instructions.

In your sentence, the speaker is talking about their own experience of receiving the information, so 받다 is the natural choice.

Also, Korean very often uses noun + 받다 for things that English sometimes expresses with a passive or a different verb:

연락을 받다 = to be contacted / to receive contact
치료를 받다 = to receive treatment
설명을 듣다 / 설명을 받다 = to hear / receive an explanation

What tense and politeness level is 받았어요?

받았어요 is:

past tense
polite speech
specifically the informal polite style often called 해요체

Breakdown:

받다 = to receive
받았- = past tense stem
-어요 = polite ending

So 받았어요 means received in a polite, natural everyday style.

Compare:

받았어요 = polite, common in conversation
받았습니다 = more formal
받았어 = casual, used with friends or younger people

Is there a subject in this sentence? Who received the email notice?

The subject is omitted, which is extremely common in Korean.

Korean often leaves out:

the subject
the topic
sometimes even the object

if they are obvious from context.

So 오늘 이메일로 안내를 받았어요 could mean:

I received notice by email today
We received notice by email today
He/She received notice by email today

Usually, the listener already knows who is being talked about.

If you want to make it explicit, you can add:

저는 오늘 이메일로 안내를 받았어요. = I received notice by email today.
저희는 오늘 이메일로 안내를 받았어요. = We received notice by email today.

Why is 오늘 at the beginning? Can it go somewhere else?

Yes, 오늘 can move, and Korean word order is fairly flexible.

Your sentence:

오늘 이메일로 안내를 받았어요.

Also possible:

이메일로 오늘 안내를 받았어요.
안내를 오늘 이메일로 받았어요.

However, the most natural order usually puts time expressions like 오늘 near the beginning:

오늘 이메일로 안내를 받았어요.

That sounds smooth and very common.

Even though the order can change, Korean speakers often arrange words to highlight what feels most important or most natural in context.

Is 안내를 받다 a fixed expression?

Yes, it is a very common and natural expression.

안내를 받다 means:

to receive guidance
to receive instructions
to be informed
to receive a notice/information

It is one of many common noun + 하다 / 받다 patterns in Korean.

For example:

도움을 받다 = receive help
설명을 받다 = receive an explanation
교육을 받다 = receive training/education
치료를 받다 = receive treatment

So instead of trying to translate each word separately every time, it helps to learn 안내를 받다 as a chunk.

Can I also say 안내받았어요 instead of 안내를 받았어요?

Yes. 안내받았어요 is also used and is natural.

These are related:

안내를 받았어요
안내받았어요

The first one keeps 안내 clearly as a noun with the object marker -를. The second one uses the combined verb 안내받다.

In many situations, they mean basically the same thing.

Very roughly:

안내를 받았어요 can feel a little more transparent to learners, because you can clearly see 안내 + 를 + 받다
안내받았어요 can feel slightly more compact and lexicalized

Both are common, and neither is strange here.

What nuance does this sentence have? Does it sound formal, official, or casual?

It sounds polite and neutral, and because of the word 안내, it can easily sound a bit official or administrative.

Why?

받았어요 is polite everyday speech
안내 is a somewhat formal/practical word often used in notices, workplaces, schools, hospitals, companies, and customer service

So the sentence feels like something you might say when talking about:

a company email
a school notice
reservation information
event instructions
administrative guidance

It does not sound stiff or overly formal, but it does sound a little more official than something like:

오늘 이메일 받았어요. = I got an email today.

Could this sentence mean “I got an email today” in general?

Not exactly. It is more specific than that.

이메일을 받았어요 = I received an email.
이메일로 안내를 받았어요 = I received notice/instructions/information by email.

So the sentence is not just about receiving an email message. It is about receiving some kind of guidance, notice, or information, and email was the delivery method.

That is why both parts matter:

이메일로 = by email
안내를 받았어요 = received notice/instructions/information

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