geu seonbaeneun got joreophaeseo yojeum aju bappa.

Not exactly. 선배 means a senior in a shared context such as school, work, or an organization—someone who entered earlier than you or has more experience there.

So 그 선배 does not simply mean that older person. It means something more like:

• that senior
• that upperclassman
• that more experienced person

A 선배 can even be younger than you in age, depending on the situation. The opposite word is 후배, meaning junior.

는 is the topic marker. It marks 그 선배 as the topic of the sentence: as for that senior...

So:

• 그 선배는 = as for that senior
• 그 선배가 would feel more like identifying that person as the subject in a more neutral or contrastive way, depending on context

In this sentence, 는 feels natural because the speaker is talking about that person and then saying something about them: they are graduating soon, so they are very busy these days.

Yes, 그 literally means that, but in Korean it is often used a bit differently from English.

Here, 그 선배 usually means:

• that senior
• the senior we’ve been talking about
• that senior you know / I mentioned

So 그 often points to something already known in the conversation, not just something physically far away.

Korean often does not need an explicit future marker when the context already makes the future clear.

Here, 곧 means soon, so 졸업해서 naturally gets understood as:

• because they’re graduating soon
• since they’ll graduate soon

You could make the future more explicit in other sentences, but it is not necessary here because 곧 already strongly suggests a near-future event.

Here -해서 connects two parts of the sentence and gives a reason/cause:

• 곧 졸업해서 = because they’re graduating soon
• 요즘 아주 바빠 = they’re very busy these days

So the whole sentence means that the upcoming graduation is the reason for the current busyness.

This -아/어서 form can often mean:

• and then
• so
• because

In this sentence, the because/so meaning is the important one.

Yes. The dictionary form is 졸업하다 = to graduate.

When 하다 verbs take the -아/어서 connector, 하다 becomes 해서:

• 졸업하다 → 졸업해서
• 공부하다 → 공부해서
• 일하다 → 일해서

So this is a very common pattern with 하다 verbs.

요즘 means these days / lately / recently, not just now at this exact moment.

So:

• 지금 = now, right now
• 요즘 = these days, lately

That is why 요즘 아주 바빠 means something like they’ve been very busy lately or they’re very busy these days.

The dictionary form is 바쁘다 = to be busy.

But when Korean adjectives are actually used in a sentence, they get conjugated. Here the casual present form is:

• 바쁘다 → 바빠

So 아주 바빠 means very busy in a casual spoken style.

For comparison:

• 바빠 = casual
• 바빠요 = polite
• 바쁩니다 = formal

This is because 바쁘다 is a ㅡ-irregular adjective/verb.

When conjugated, the ㅡ often drops before an ending that begins with a vowel:

• 바쁘다 → 바빠
• 예쁘다 → 예뻐
• 슬프다 → 슬퍼

So 바빠 is the natural conjugated form, not a random change.

Because this sentence is in a casual intimate style. The speaker is probably talking to a friend, someone younger, or someone they are close to.

Compare:

• 그 선배는 곧 졸업해서 요즘 아주 바빠. = casual
• 그 선배는 곧 졸업해서 요즘 아주 바빠요. = polite
• 그 선배는 곧 졸업해서 요즘 아주 바쁩니다. = formal

The basic meaning stays the same; the speech level changes.

In this sentence, it is most naturally understood as because.

So the logic is:

• 곧 졸업해서 = because they’re graduating soon
• 요즘 아주 바빠 = they’re very busy these days

A more literal English rendering with the connection shown would be:

• That senior is graduating soon, so they’re very busy these days.

Technically, -아/어서 can sometimes connect actions in sequence, but here the cause-and-result meaning is the one learners should focus on.

Yes. Korean usually does not mark gender in a sentence like this.

So 그 선배 can mean:

• that senior (he)
• that senior (she)

You figure it out from context. Korean often leaves out information that English usually makes explicit, including gender and sometimes even the subject if it is already understood.

Yes, very often. If it is already clear who you are talking about, Korean could simply say:

• 곧 졸업해서 요즘 아주 바빠.

This would still mean something like They’re graduating soon, so they’re very busy these days, assuming the listener already knows who they are.

Korean drops subjects very naturally when context is enough.