jigeumeun hoeui jungiraseo najunge hoesa-e jeonhwahalgeyo.

Questions & Answers about jigeumeun hoeui jungiraseo najunge hoesa-e jeonhwahalgeyo.

Why is it 지금은 instead of just 지금?

marks 지금 as the topic and adds a slight contrast, like as for now or right now, at least.

That fits this sentence well because the speaker contrasts now with later:

  • 지금은 = right now
  • 나중에 = later

So the feeling is: Right now I’m in a meeting, so I’ll call the office later.

If you said just 지금, it would still be understandable, but 지금은 sounds more natural because it sets up that contrast.

What does 회의 중 mean?

회의 중 means in a meeting or more literally in the middle of a meeting.

Here:

  • 회의 = meeting
  • = middle, during, in the process of

So 회의 중이다 is a very common expression meaning to be in a meeting.

You will see in many similar expressions:

  • 수업 중 = in class
  • 통화 중 = on the phone
  • 사용 중 = in use
  • 운전 중 = driving / in the middle of driving
Why is it 회의 중이라서?

-이라서 means because after a noun-based predicate.

The underlying form is:

  • 회의 중이다 = to be in a meeting

When you connect it to the next clause with a reason, it becomes:

  • 회의 중이라서 = because I’m in a meeting

So the structure is:

  • 회의 중 = noun phrase
  • 이다 = to be
  • -라서 / -이라서 = because

Since 회의 중 ends in a consonant sound, -이라서 is used.

Could I also say 회의하고 있어서?

Yes, you could, but the nuance is a little different.

  • 회의 중이라서 = because I’m in a meeting

    • very natural and idiomatic
    • focuses on the speaker’s current situation/status
  • 회의하고 있어서 = because I’m having a meeting / because I’m doing a meeting

    • grammatical
    • focuses more on the ongoing action

In everyday Korean, 회의 중이에요 or 회의 중이라서 is often the more natural way to say I’m in a meeting.

Where is the subject? How do we know who is in the meeting?

The subject is omitted, which is very normal in Korean.

A full version could be:

  • 저는 지금은 회의 중이라서 나중에 회사에 전화할게요.

But Korean often leaves out 저는 when it is obvious from context.

We understand it is the speaker because:

  • the speaker says 전화할게요 = I’ll call
  • the reason clause naturally connects to that same speaker: I’m in a meeting, so I’ll call later

So even without 저는, the meaning is clear.

What exactly does 나중에 mean?

나중에 means later or afterward.

In this sentence, it means the speaker will make the call at a later time, not now.

It is a very common adverb:

  • 나중에 봐요. = See you later.
  • 나중에 할게요. = I’ll do it later.

Here it contrasts nicely with 지금은:

  • 지금은 = right now
  • 나중에 = later
Why is it 회사에 전화할게요 and not 회사를 전화할게요?

Because 전화하다 does not usually take the person or place being called as a direct object with 을/를.

Instead, Korean normally marks the target of the call with:

  • 한테 / 에게 for people

So:

  • 회사에 전화하다 = call the company / office
  • 친구한테 전화하다 = call a friend

Using 회사를 전화하다 would sound unnatural.

Why is used with 회사?

In this sentence, 회사에 marks the destination or target of the phone call.

So 회사에 전화하다 means to call the company / office.

This is a common pattern:

  • 집에 전화하다 = call home
  • 회사에 전화하다 = call the office/company
  • 학교에 전화하다 = call the school

With people, Korean often uses 한테 or 에게 instead:

  • 엄마한테 전화하다 = call Mom
What does 전화할게요 mean exactly? Is it just future tense?

-ㄹ게요 / -을게요 is not just plain future tense. It usually has the feeling of:

  • I’ll do it
  • a decision made by the speaker
  • often with a sense of promise, willingness, or consideration toward the listener

So 전화할게요 means something like:

  • I’ll call
  • I’ll give them a call later
  • I’ll call later, don’t worry

Compare:

  • 전화할 거예요 = I will call / I’m going to call
    • more neutral future
  • 전화할게요 = I’ll call
    • more personal, often like a promise or immediate decision
Can 회사 mean office here, not only company?

Yes. 회사 can mean:

  • company
  • workplace
  • sometimes office, depending on context

So 회사에 전화할게요 could be understood as:

  • I’ll call the company later
  • I’ll call the office later
  • I’ll call work later

Which English translation sounds best depends on the situation.

What is the difference between -이라서 and -니까 here?

Both can express because, but they feel a little different.

  • 회의 중이라서 나중에 회사에 전화할게요.

    • sounds smooth, explanatory, and neutral
    • gives the reason as background information
  • 회의 중이니까 나중에 회사에 전화할게요.

    • also natural
    • can sound a little more direct or emphatic, like since I’m in a meeting

In this sentence, -이라서 is a very natural choice because the speaker is simply explaining the situation.

Is 회의 중이라서 polite by itself?

Not really. -이라서 is a connective ending, so it just links clauses; it does not by itself set the politeness level of the whole sentence.

The politeness of this sentence mainly comes from:

  • 전화할게요

So the full sentence is polite because the final ending is polite.

If the sentence stopped after the first part, you would usually say:

  • 지금은 회의 중이에요. = I’m in a meeting right now.
Can this sentence be reordered?

Yes, to some extent. Korean word order is flexible, especially with adverbs like 지금은 and 나중에, as long as the relationships stay clear.

For example, this is also natural:

  • 지금은 회의 중이라서 회사에 나중에 전화할게요.

But the original:

  • 지금은 회의 중이라서 나중에 회사에 전화할게요.

sounds smoother because 나중에 comes right before the action it modifies, 전화할게요.

So the original order is very natural and easy to understand.

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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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