Apologizing for Changing Plans | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 미안해, 우리 계획을 바꿔야 해.

   I'm sorry, I need to change our plan.

   미안해

   I'm sorry

   우리

   our

   계획

   plan

   바꿔야 해

   need to change

   More detail

   미안해 is an informal apology meaning “I’m sorry.” It is the casual form of the Korean descriptive verb 미안하다; 해 is the informal present-style ending here. Example: 늦어서 미안해. — “I’m sorry for being late.” 우리 means “our” here: it identifies the plan as shared by the speaker and listener, matching the fixed translation. Korean 우리 can also refer to “we” or, in some contexts, mean “my” when speaking about something associated with the speaker, but this sentence specifically presents the plan as shared. Example: 우리 집 — “our house.” 계획 is the noun “plan.” It can refer to an intended arrangement or course of action. Example: 계획이 있어요. — “I have a plan.” 바꿔야 해 expresses necessity: “need to change” or “have to change.” The useful base verb is 바꾸다, “to change.” Its stem combines with -어야 하다 to express obligation or necessity: 바꾸다 → 바꿔야 하다; the informal form of 하다, 해, gives 바꿔야 해. The subject is not stated in the Korean, but the fixed translation identifies the speaker as the person who needs to make the change. Example: 일정을 바꿔야 해. — “I need to change the schedule.” Together, 우리 계획을 marks “our plan” as the object, and 바꿔야 해 says that the speaker needs to change it. With the apology at the beginning, the complete utterance means: “I’m sorry, I need to change our plan.” The informal endings make it suitable for a casual relationship.

2. 내가 나가기 전에 말해 줘서 다행이야.

   I'm glad you told me before I left.

   내가

   I; me

   나가기 전에

   before I left

   말해 줘서

   for telling me

   다행이야

   I'm glad

   More detail

   내가 combines 나 (“I,” the plain first-person pronoun) with the subject marker 가. Here it identifies the speaker as the subject of the following leaving action. In more formal or polite speech, 저 is commonly used instead of 나, with the corresponding subject form 제가. 나가기 전에 is built from 나가다 (“to go out; to leave”) and -기 전에 (“before doing”). The ending -기 turns the verb into an action expression, and 전에 places that action earlier in time. Thus 나가기 전에 means “before leaving.” The Korean phrase itself does not repeat the subject inside this expression; the supplied translation identifies the person leaving as the speaker. Example: 자기 전에 이를 닦아요. — “I brush my teeth before going to bed.” 말해 줘서 contains 말하다 (“to tell; to say”) in the connected form 말해, followed by 주다 (“to give”) used in the auxiliary pattern -아/어 주다. This pattern presents an action as being done for someone’s benefit; here, in the supplied meaning, the speaker was told. The final -서 connects this circumstance as a reason for the next expression: “for telling me” or “because you told me.” Example: 도와줘서 고마워. — “Thank you for helping me.” 다행이야 comes from 다행이다, meaning “to be fortunate” or “to be a relief.” The ending -야 is the plain, casual form of the copula, so this is a familiar, informal way to say “I’m glad” or “That’s a relief.” It is not the adjective “happy” in general; it evaluates the situation as fortunate. A more formal style can use 다행이에요. Together, 내가 나가기 전에 sets the time, 말해 줘서 gives the helpful action and its reason-giving connection, and 다행이야 gives the speaker’s evaluation. The whole utterance means: “I’m glad you told me before I left.”

3. 예상하지 못한 일이 생겼어.

   Something unexpected came up.

   예상하지 못한

   unexpected

   일

   thing; event

   생겼어

   came up; happened

   More detail

   예상하지 못한 means “unexpected” here: it describes 일, so the event was not anticipated. It is built from 예상하다 (“to anticipate”) with the negative pattern -지 못하다, which expresses inability or failure to do something. Before a noun, this appears as 예상하지 못한: 예상하지 못한 소식 means “unexpected news.” 일 is a broad noun meaning “thing,” “matter,” or “event.” Here, the fixed translation and context support the event-related meaning. In other contexts, 일 can also mean work or a task, so its meaning is determined by the surrounding wording. 생겼어 is the casual speech form of the past expression from 생기다, “to arise,” “to occur,” or “to come up.” It reports that something arose or happened. 문제가 생겼어 means “A problem came up.” The ending -어 marks a casual statement; the past form presents the arising as already having happened. Together, 예상하지 못한 일 means “an unexpected event,” and 생겼어 says that it came up. The complete utterance therefore means “Something unexpected came up.”

4. 괜찮아. 다른 날을 정하면 돼.

   That's all right. We can choose another day.

   괜찮아

   That's all right

   다른

   another; different

   날

   day

   정하면 돼

   can decide; it’s enough to decide

   More detail

   괜찮아 means “That’s all right” here. It is the informal present form of 괜찮다, used when speaking casually to someone with whom informal speech is appropriate. The same form can describe a situation as acceptable or a person as being okay; the fixed translation supports the situation-based meaning here. 다른 means “another” or “different” and comes before the noun it describes. It is the attributive form of 다르다 (“to be different”): 다르다 → 다른. Example: 다른 방법 means “another method.” 날 means “day” here. In 날을, the noun 날 is followed by the object particle 을; 날 itself does not change form. A useful related scheduling expression is 어느 날 (“which day” or “what day”), but 다른 날 specifically means “another/different day.” 정하면 돼 expresses “can choose” or “it is enough to decide.” The verb is 정하다 (“to decide” or “to choose”); 정하면 uses -(으)면 to mean “if/when [someone] decides,” and 돼 is the informal form of 되다 in the construction V-(으)면 되다. This construction says that doing the action is sufficient or is what works: 여기에 이름을 쓰면 돼 means “You only need to write your name here.” The subject is omitted in Korean; in this fixed translation, the intended subject is the speaker and interlocutor together: “we.” Together, 다른 날을 marks “another day” as the thing selected, and 정하면 돼 says that choosing it is sufficient. With the initial reassurance, the whole utterance means: “That’s all right. We can choose another day.”

5. 이번 주 후반은 괜찮아?

   Would later this week work for you?

   이번 주

   this week

   후반

   latter part; later period

   괜찮아

   is okay; works

   More detail

   이번 주 means “this week.” 이번 points to the current occurrence or period, and 주 means “week.” Together they form the reusable pattern 이번 + time noun, as in 이번 달 (“this month”). 후반 means “the latter part” of a period. Here it narrows 이번 주 to the later part of this week, rather than referring to a separate day. It can also be used with other periods; for example, 영화 후반 means “the latter part of the film.” 괜찮아 is an informal, casual form of 괜찮다, meaning “be okay.” With a proposed time or plan, it can mean “work” or “be suitable.” This form does not mark the subject’s gender or number. Its rising intonation makes it a casual question here; Korean does not need a separate question word for this pattern. 괜찮아요 is a more polite form, while 괜찮아? is casual and used with someone in a suitably familiar relationship. The chunks combine as 이번 주 후반 (“the latter part of this week”) + 괜찮아? (“would it work?”). Thus the utterance asks whether later this week would work for the other person, without specifying an exact day.

6. 이번 주 후반이면 괜찮아.

   Later this week is fine for me.

   이번 주

   this week

   후반

   latter part

   이면

   if it is

   괜찮아

   is fine

   More detail

   이번 주 means “this week.” 이번 identifies the current instance of a time period; compare 지난주 “last week” and 다음 주 “next week.” Here, 주 is the noun “week,” modified by 이번. 후반 means “the latter part” or “second half.” It is a noun for the later portion of a period. For example, 월 후반 means “the latter part of the month.” Here, 후반 follows 이번 주, so 이번 주 후반 means “the latter part of this week,” naturally “later this week.” 이면 is the conditional form of the copula 이다 after a noun. The pattern N이면 can present N as a condition: “if it is N.” With a time expression, it can introduce the time at which something is acceptable. In this sentence, it attaches to 후반, making 후반이면 “if it is the latter part.” Example: 내일이면 괜찮아. — “Tomorrow would be fine.” 괜찮아 is the informal plain form of 괜찮다, meaning “to be fine” or “to be okay”; in a scheduling context it can mean “to work.” It does not itself specify who considers it fine. The fixed translation identifies the speaker’s intended meaning as “fine for me.” The ending -아 is informal; the polite form is 괜찮아요. Together, 이번 주 후반이면 presents later this week as the condition or timing, and 괜찮아 says that timing is acceptable to the speaker. The complete meaning is “Later this week is fine for me.”

7. 새 계획을 보내 줄게.

   I can send you the new plan.

   새

   new

   계획

   plan

   보내 줄게

   I’ll send it to you

   More detail

   새 means “new” here and comes before the noun it describes. It is an independent noun modifier, commonly categorized as a determiner, not an inflected form of 새롭다. The adjective 새롭다 has the noun-modifying form 새로운, while 새 is the compact modifier used in 새 계획. Example: 새 책 means “a new book.” 계획 means “plan.” It is a noun and can be modified by 새, as in 새 계획 (“new plan”). In this sentence, 계획을 is the object phrase; 을 marks 계획 as the thing being sent. 보내 줄게 combines 보내다 (“to send”) with 주다 used as an auxiliary verb. 보내다 supplies the sending action, while 주다 presents the action as being done for the other person. The ending -ㄹ게 expresses the speaker’s intention or commitment in casual speech. Example: 내일 연락할게. means “I’ll contact you tomorrow.” The object marker after 계획 and the recipient are not stated as separate full nouns. Here, the fixed translation identifies the new plan as the object and “you” as the recipient. Together, 새 계획을 means “the new plan” as the object, and 보내 줄게 means “I’ll send it to you.” The whole utterance is therefore “I can send you the new plan,” with the Korean ending emphasizing the speaker’s intention to do so. The casual ending suits an informal conversation.

8. 그러면 내 일정을 조정하는 데 도움이 돼.

   That helps me adjust my schedule.

   그러면

   then; in that case

   내

   my

   일정

   schedule

   조정하는

   adjusting

   데

   in doing; for

   도움이 돼

   helps

   More detail

   그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It connects the current statement to a condition or situation just mentioned. Example: 그러면 시작해요. — “Then let’s start.” 내 is the possessive form meaning “my.” It is the contracted form of 나의 (“my”), and it does not mark the gender of the possessor. Example: 내 책 — “my book.” 일정 means “schedule,” such as a plan of arranged activities or appointments. In this sentence, 내 일정 is “my schedule.” 조정하는 comes from the verb 조정하다, “to adjust” or “to coordinate.” The ending -는 makes the present-tense form modify the following noun: 조정하는 일 means “the task of adjusting” or “adjusting work.” Here, 조정하는 modifies 데 within the useful pattern -는 데 도움이 되다. 데 is a dependent noun used here after -는, forming -는 데, “in doing” or “for doing.” The pattern V-는 데 도움이 되다 means “to help with doing V.” Example: 한국어를 배우는 데 도움이 돼요. — “It helps with learning Korean.” 도움이 돼 is the informal sentence-ending form of 도움이 되다, literally “become help” and naturally “help” or “be helpful.” 도움 is “help,” 이 marks it as the subject of 되다, and 돼 is the contracted form of 되어. The ending -어 in 돼 gives this sentence a casual style; a more polite version is 도움이 돼요. Together, 조정하는 데 도움이 돼 means “helps with adjusting.” Adding 내 일정 gives “helps with adjusting my schedule,” and 그러면 links that result to the preceding situation as “then” or “in that case.” Thus the whole utterance means: “That helps me adjust my schedule.”