hyudaeponeul bakkugi jeone yeonrakcheoreul baegeophae duseyo.

Please back up your contacts before changing your phone.

Breakdown of hyudaeponeul bakkugi jeone yeonrakcheoreul baegeophae duseyo.

• ~을: object particle
• ~를: object particle
• 휴대폰: cell phone
• 바꾸다: to change

Questions & Answers about hyudaeponeul bakkugi jeone yeonrakcheoreul baegeophae duseyo.

What does 바꾸기 전에 mean, and why is -기 used here?

바꾸기 전에 means before changing (it) or before you change (your phone).

Here, -기 turns the verb 바꾸다 (to change, replace) into a noun-like form:

• 바꾸다 = to change
• 바꾸기 = changing / the act of changing
• 바꾸기 전에 = before changing

Korean often uses verb + -기 전에 to mean before doing something.

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Why is there 을 after 휴대폰?

을 is the object marker. It shows that 휴대폰 is the thing being changed.

So:

• 휴대폰을 바꾸다 = to change/replace a cellphone

Because 휴대폰 ends in a consonant sound, it takes 을 rather than 를.

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Is 휴대폰 the same as 핸드폰?

They are very similar in everyday meaning.

• 휴대폰 = cellphone / mobile phone
• 핸드폰 = cellphone, also very common in speech

A small nuance:

• 휴대폰 is often considered a bit more standard
• 핸드폰 is very common in casual conversation

In this sentence, 휴대폰 sounds perfectly natural.

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What exactly does 연락처 mean?