LEARN + KOREAN / 97 of 125 TOPIK II

Busy Doing, Oh Hardly -느라고

You missed a call because you were preparing for a meeting. Later, someone compliments the presentation. -느라고 explains what occupied you; -기는요 gently pushes back on what someone has just said.

One Activity Takes Up the Time

Verb stem + -느라고 gives an activity that occupied you and led to a difficulty, missed action, or unwelcome result. Drop ㄹ before ㄴ: 만들다 → 만드느라고. In the basic pattern, both clauses have the same actor. Put tense on the final verb, rather than before -느라고.

hoeuireul junbihaneurago jeonhwareul mot badasseoyo.

I couldn’t answer the phone because I was preparing for a meeting.

jaryoreul mandeuneurago jameul mot jasseoyo.

I couldn’t sleep because I was making the materials.

Gently Push Back

Attach -기는요 to the word you are responding to: 잘하기는요, 고맙기는요. The casual version is -기는. It can soften a rejection of praise or dismiss the need for thanks; a short explanation usually makes the response easier to understand.

jalhagineunyo. ajik mani baewoya haeyo.

Oh, I’m hardly that good. I still have a lot to learn.

gomapgineunyo. eoryeoun ildo anieosseoyo.

No need to thank me. It wasn’t difficult.

Hint · 힌트

Use -느라고 with an activity that occupied the same person: 공부하느라고 못 갔어요. “Because the weather was cold” needs another reason connector, such as 추워서. With praise, -기는요 is one possible response; 감사합니다 is also a complete, natural choice.

Vocabulary

Korean	English
회의 hoeui	meeting
자료 jaryo	materials
전화를 받다 jeonhwareul batda	to answer the phone
잠을 자다 jameul jada	to sleep
아직 ajik	still or yet
고맙다 gomapda	to be grateful
일 il	work
회사 hoesa	company
직장 jikjang	workplace
직업 jigeop	occupation
동료 dongnyo	colleague
보고서 bogoseo	report
발표 balpyo	presentation
준비하다 junbihada	to prepare
계획 gyehoek	plan
일정 iljeong	schedule
업무 eommu	job duties
업무량 eommuryang	workload
바쁘다 bappeuda	to be busy
야근하다 yageunhada	to work late

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