Ending a networking conversation and planning a follow-up | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 이야기 나눌 수 있어서 즐거웠습니다.

   I have enjoyed talking with you.

   이야기

   conversation; talk

   나눌

   share; exchange

   수 있어서

   because it was possible to

   즐거웠습니다

   was enjoyable

   More detail

   이야기 means “conversation” or “talk.” In 이야기 나누다, it forms a useful expression meaning “to have a conversation” or “to talk,” rather than referring only to a story. Example: 친구와 이야기했어요. means “I talked with a friend.” 나눌 is the form of 나누다, “to share” or, with 이야기, “to exchange conversation.” Here it appears before 수, in the pattern verb-(으)ㄹ 수 있다, meaning “can” or “be able to.” The -ㄹ form is attached because 나누다 has a vowel-ending stem. Example: 한국어로 이야기할 수 있어요. means “I can speak in Korean.” 수 있어서 contains the possibility noun 수 plus 있다 and -어서. 나눌 수 있다 means “be able to talk,” and 나눌 수 있어서 means “because it was possible to talk” or, naturally here, “because I could talk.” The -어서 ending connects this reason to the following feeling. Example: 도와줄 수 있어서 기뻐요. means “I’m happy because I can help.” 즐거웠습니다 comes from the descriptive verb 즐겁다, “to be enjoyable” or “to feel happy.” The -었- marks the experience as past, and -습니다 gives a formal polite ending. In this sentence, it describes the speaker’s positive experience of the conversation; it does not itself mean “enjoy” as an English transitive verb. Example: 수업이 즐거웠습니다. means “The class was enjoyable.” Together, 이야기 나눌 수 있어서 means “because I could talk with you,” while 즐거웠습니다 says that this was enjoyable. The complete utterance therefore means “I have enjoyed talking with you,” with a formal polite tone. Korean presents the experience with a past form, while the fixed English translation uses the natural English present-perfect wording.

2. 하지만 몇 분을 더 만나 봐야 할 것 같습니다.

   But I should meet a few more people.

   하지만

   but

   몇 분

   a few people

   더

   more

   만나

   meet

   봐야 할 것 같습니다

   seems I should

   More detail

   하지만 means “but” and links this utterance contrastively with what came before. Example: 비가 와요. 하지만 가야 해요. means “It’s raining. But I have to go.” 몇 분 means “a few people” here. 몇 marks an unspecified number; the fixed translation identifies that number here as a few. 분 is the honorific word used for a person in this expression. 사람 is a neutral alternative for “person,” so 몇 사람 can also mean “a few people” in an appropriate context. 더 means “more” or “additional.” Here it applies to the action of meeting and presents the people as additional ones to meet. It is separate from the noun phrase 몇 분, so the combined meaning is “a few more people.” 만나 is the connective form of 만나다, “to meet.” Its base form is 만나다, and 만나 appears before the following verb structure. Example: 친구를 만나요. means “I meet a friend” or “I am meeting a friend,” depending on context. 봐야 할 것 같습니다 expresses a tentative necessity. 보다 can follow another verb in the form 만나 보다; in this context, 만나 봐야 하다 means that meeting is something the speaker needs to do, rather than requiring the literal English word “try.” The -아/어야 하다 pattern expresses necessity. In 봐야 할, 할 is the attributive form of 하다 before 것; it is not 해야 in this sentence. 것 같습니다 presents the conclusion as seeming or appearing so, making the statement less direct than a plain obligation. The whole utterance combines 하지만 (“but”), 몇 분 (“a few people”), 더 (“more”), and 만나 봐야 할 것 같습니다 (“it seems I should meet”). Its intended meaning is: “But I should meet a few more people.”

3. 이해합니다. 이런 행사는 시간이 정말 빨리 지나가니까요.

   I understand; this is the kind of event where time disappears quickly.

   이해합니다

   I understand

   이런

   this kind of

   행사

   event

   시간

   time

   정말 빨리

   really quickly

   지나가니까요

   because it passes

   More detail

   이해합니다 means “I understand” here. It is the formal-polite present form of 이해하다 (“to understand”); the -ㅂ니다 ending gives a respectful, formal tone. The object can be omitted when it is clear from context. Example: 그 마음을 이해합니다. — “I understand that feeling.” 이런 means “this kind of” or “such,” and it is the form used before a noun. It modifies 행사, rather than functioning as a standalone noun here. The related form 이렇다 describes something as being like this; before a noun, it appears as 이런. Example: 이런 문제는 어렵습니다. — “Problems like this are difficult.” 행사 means “event.” It is a noun referring to an organized occasion or activity. In 이런 행사는, the topic marker 는 presents events of this kind as the topic: “as for events like this.” Example: 행사가 내일 있습니다. — “There is an event tomorrow.” 시간 means “time.” Here it is marked with 이, making it the subject of what follows: 시간이 ... 지나가다, “time passes ...” The particle 이 is attached to this noun; it is not part of the noun itself. Example: 시간이 천천히 지나갑니다. — “Time passes slowly.” 정말 빨리 means “really quickly.” 정말 intensifies the following description, while 빨리 is the adverbial form meaning “quickly.” The related adjective 빠르다 means “to be fast”; 빨리 describes how an action happens. Example: 버스가 정말 빨리 옵니다. — “The bus comes really quickly.” 지나가니까요 means “because it passes” in this sentence. It is built from 지나가다 (“to pass, go by”) plus -니까요, an explanatory ending meaning “because/since ...” with a polite, explanatory tone. The subject is 시간이, so the sentence says that time passes quickly, not that the event itself passes quickly. Example: 시간이 늦었으니까요. — “Because it is late.” Together, 이런 행사는 sets the topic as events like this, 시간이 정말 빨리 지나가 describes time as passing very quickly, and -니까요 gives the reason. The whole utterance is therefore: “I understand; this is the kind of event where time disappears quickly.” More literally, the Korean says that “time passes really quickly” at events like this. The formal polite endings make the utterance suitable for respectful conversation.

4. 제가 가기 전에 연락처를 교환할 수 있을까요?

   Before I go, could we exchange contact details?

   제가

   I (subject form)

   가기 전에

   before going

   연락처

   contact details

   교환할

   exchange

   수 있을까요?

   could it be possible?

   More detail

   제가 means “I” as the subject. 저 is the polite/humble first-person pronoun, and 가 marks the subject. A useful contrast is 나는, which uses the less formal first-person form 나 with the topic marker 는; choose according to politeness and information structure, not simply because the meaning is “I.” 가기 전에 expresses “before going.” It is built from 가다 (“to go”) → 가기 (the verb made into a noun-like form with -기) + 전에 (“before”). The reusable pattern is 동사-기 전에 = “before doing something.” Here, 제가 supplies the subject of the going clause, so the intended meaning is “before I go.” 연락처 means “contact details” or “contact information.” It is a noun for information used to contact someone, rather than the act of contacting them. In this sentence it is the thing being exchanged; the object marking appears immediately after it in the source as 를. 교환할 comes from 교환하다, “to exchange.” The form 교환할 uses the -ㄹ modifier after the verb stem 교환하-; it modifies the following 수 in the possibility pattern. The pattern 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 expresses that something is possible or that someone can do it. Thus 교환할 here is not an independent past or present form: it helps form “be able to exchange” or “be possible to exchange.” 수 있을까요? completes a polite possibility question. 수 is a bound noun meaning possibility or ability in this construction, 있다 means that such possibility exists, and -을까요? turns the expression into a tentative, polite question. With 교환할 before it, 교환할 수 있을까요? asks, “Could we exchange [them]?” The subject of the exchange is not overtly stated in that clause, but the fixed translation identifies the intended participants as “we.” Together, 제가 가기 전에 sets the time as “before I go,” and 연락처를 교환할 수 있을까요? politely asks whether exchanging contact details is possible. The complete meaning is: “Before I go, could we exchange contact details?” This is a reusable polite request pattern: 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있을까요? = “Could [someone] do ...?”

5. 좋습니다. 나중에 이 대화를 계속 이어 가고 싶습니다.

   I would like that. I want to continue this conversation later.

   좋습니다

   That sounds good.

   나중에

   later

   이

   this

   대화

   conversation

   계속

   continuously; on

   이어 가고

   continue on

   싶습니다

   would like

   More detail

   좋습니다 means “That sounds good” here, agreeing positively with what was just proposed. Its base form is 좋다 (“to be good”), and -습니다 is a formal polite sentence ending. The ending does not itself express a past or future time. 나중에 is a time adverb meaning “later.” It can be placed before an action to show when that action is intended to happen. Example: 나중에 만나요. — “See you later.” 이 is the demonstrative used before a noun for “this.” In 이 대화, it points to the conversation being referred to in the utterance; the form itself does not change for number or gender. 대화 is the noun “conversation” or “dialogue.” The pattern 이 + noun gives a reusable phrase such as 이 책 (“this book”). 계속 is an adverb meaning “continuously” or “continuing.” With an action, it indicates that the action carries on rather than stopping. Example: 계속 공부합니다. — “I keep studying.” 이어 가고 comes from the verb 이어 가다, “to continue” or “to carry on.” Here, -고 is the connective form used before 싶다 in the pattern V-고 싶다, meaning “want to V” or “would like to V.” The form 이어 가고 therefore means “to continue and …” as part of the larger desire construction. 이어 가다 and 계속 reinforce the idea of carrying the conversation on. 싶습니다 is the formal polite form used in V-고 싶습니다, “would like to V.” Its base form is 싶다; attached to a verb’s -고 form, it expresses the speaker’s desire. Example: 배우고 싶습니다. — “I would like to learn.” Together, 이 대화를 계속 이어 가고 싶습니다 means “I would like to continue this conversation.” 나중에 places that desired continuation later in time. The complete utterance is therefore: “That sounds good. I would like to continue this conversation later.”

6. 우리 대화 주제에 대한 짧은 메모를 남겨 두면 후속 연락이 더 쉬울 것 같습니다.

   A short note about our topic would make the follow-up easier.

   우리

   our

   대화

   conversation

   주제

   topic

   에 대한

   about; concerning

   짧은

   short

   메모

   note

   남겨 두면

   if [someone] leaves it

   후속

   follow-up

   연락

   contact

   더

   more

   쉬울 것 같습니다

   seems likely to be easier

   More detail

   우리 means “our” here. It is a first-person plural form, but Korean can use it for a group associated with the speaker without specifying the group’s exact size. In this sentence it modifies 대화, giving “our conversation.” 대화 is the noun “conversation” or “dialogue.” Together with the following noun, 대화 주제 means “conversation topic.” Korean commonly places a modifying noun before the noun it describes, so 대화 주제 is ordered differently from the English phrase “topic of conversation.” 주제 means “topic” or “subject.” The sequence 대화 주제 identifies the topic as being related to the conversation; it does not mean that 대화 is the actor of an action. 에 대한 is a reusable pattern meaning “about,” “concerning,” or “related to.” It follows the noun being discussed: 주제에 대한 메모 means “a note about the topic.” The particle 에 and the form 대한 work together in this modifier pattern. 짧은 means “short” in its attributive form. Its base form is 짧다, and 짧은 is the form used before a noun: 짧은 메모 means “a short note.” This form describes the length of 메모, not the topic. 메모 is the noun “note” or “memo.” In 짧은 메모, it is the thing that is left. Example: 메모를 썼어요. — “I wrote a note.” 남겨 두면 combines 남기다 (“to leave” or “to record”), 두다 (“to put/keep”), and the conditional ending -면 (“if/when”). 남겨 두다 presents something as being left or kept in place for later use, so 메모를 남겨 두면 means “if one leaves a note” or “if a note is left.” The omitted subject is not specified by this form; the sentence does not require us to identify a particular person. The ending -면 makes this the condition for the result that follows. 후속 means “follow-up” and commonly modifies another noun. It is not the complete idea of contacting someone by itself; here it modifies 연락. 연락 means “contact” or “communication.” The phrase 후속 연락 therefore means “follow-up contact” or “follow-up communication.” The particle 이 marks this phrase as the grammatical subject of the following description. 더 means “more” or “further.” Here it increases the degree of 쉬울, so the intended meaning is that follow-up contact will be easier than it would otherwise be. 쉬울 것 같습니다 expresses a tentative expectation: “seems likely to be easy” or, in this context, “would be easier.” The adjective’s base form is 쉽다 (“to be easy”); its future-looking attributive form before 것 is 쉬울. 것 같습니다 literally presents the situation as something that seems so, allowing a measured rather than categorical statement. 쉽다 is a ㅂ-irregular adjective: before a vowel-initial ending, its stem changes to 쉬우-, as in 쉬울; this is the adjective’s own inflection, not an inflection of 연락. The structure can be reused as A에 대한 B (“B about A”) and B를 남겨 두면 C이/가 더 쉬울 것 같습니다 (“If someone leaves B, C would seem easier”). In the fixed sentence, 우리 대화 주제에 대한 specifies what the note concerns, 짧은 메모 identifies the note, and 남겨 두면 makes leaving it the condition. The result is 후속 연락이 더 쉬울 것 같습니다: follow-up contact would be easier. Thus the whole utterance means, “A short note about our topic would make the follow-up easier.”

7. 업무 흐름에 대해 나눈 이야기를 언급해 주세요. 그러면 맥락을 알 수 있을 겁니다.

   Mention the workflow discussion, and I will know the context.

   업무

   work; business

   흐름

   flow

   에 대해

   about; concerning

   나눈

   shared; exchanged

   이야기

   story; discussion

   언급해 주세요

   please mention

   그러면

   then; in that case

   맥락

   context

   알 수 있을 겁니다

   will be able to know

   More detail

   업무 means work-related business or tasks. It combines naturally with nouns such as 업무 흐름 (“workflow”), where 업무 specifies the area concerned. Example: 업무가 많아요. — “There is a lot of work.” 흐름 means a flow, progression, or overall course. In 업무 흐름, it refers to how work proceeds—the workflow—not to a physical flow. Example: 일의 흐름을 설명해 주세요. — “Please explain the flow of the work.” 에 대해 marks the topic being discussed or mentioned: N에 대해 means “about N” or “concerning N.” It follows 업무 흐름 here, so 업무 흐름에 대해 means “about the workflow.” 나눈 comes from 나누다, “to divide” or, with communication, “to share/exchange.” The form 나눈 is the past attributive form, so it describes a following noun: 나눈 이야기 is “the discussion we shared” or “the conversation we had.” In this sentence it refers to the discussion about the workflow. Example: 친구와 나눈 이야기를 기억해요. — “I remember the conversation I had with a friend.” 이야기 can mean a story or a conversation/discussion. Here, in 나눈 이야기, it means the discussion that was shared. The particle 를 marks this discussion as the object of 언급해 주세요. 언급해 주세요 means “please mention.” 언급하다 is the dictionary form “to mention,” and -해 주세요 is a polite request pattern meaning “please do it.” The lexical verb is 언급하다; 주세요 adds the request. Example: 그 내용을 언급해 주세요. — “Please mention that content.” 그러면 means “then” or “in that case.” It links the request to the result that follows: if the requested discussion is mentioned, the result is expressed in the next clause. It does not itself identify an additional participant or event. 맥락 means context: the surrounding information needed to understand something. The object-marking particle 을 makes it the thing that can be known in 맥락을 알 수 있을 겁니다. Example: 맥락을 알면 이해하기 쉬워요. — “If you know the context, it is easy to understand.” 알 수 있을 겁니다 is built from 알다 (“to know”), -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 (“can be able to”), and -을 겁니다, a polite form expressing an expected or prospective result. 알 수 있다 means “can know” or “be able to find out”; in this sentence, the full form means “will be able to know.” The subject is not stated in Korean; the fixed translation identifies it as the speaker: “I will know the context.” Example: 곧 답을 알 수 있을 겁니다. — “I will be able to find out the answer soon.” Together, 업무 흐름에 대해 나눈 이야기 is “the discussion we had about the workflow.” 언급해 주세요 requests that the listener mention it. 그러면 introduces the resulting situation, and 맥락을 알 수 있을 겁니다 says that the speaker will then be able to know the context. The whole utterance therefore means: “Mention the workflow discussion, and I will know the context.”

8. 구체적인 사례를 공유해 주셔서 감사했습니다.

   I appreciated the concrete examples you shared.

   구체적인

   concrete

   사례

   examples

   공유해 주셔서

   for sharing

   감사했습니다

   I appreciated it

   More detail

   구체적인 means “concrete” or “specific” here. It is the attributive form of 구체적이다, placed before the noun it describes. The ending -인 is used because this descriptive word modifies a noun. Example: 구체적인 계획 means “a concrete plan.” 사례 means “case” or “example”; here, the fixed translation supports the plural meaning “examples.” Korean nouns do not normally mark plural number, so 사례 itself can refer to one example or more than one; context supplies the number. Example: 성공 사례를 소개합니다. means “I introduce a successful case/example.” 공유해 주셔서 expresses “for sharing.” 공유하다 means “to share,” and 공유해 is its connective form. 주다 after another verb can show that someone performs the action as a helpful favor for someone; its honorific form is 주시다, which appears here in the form 주셔서. The ending -어서/-아서 connects this action to the following evaluation or feeling, so the reusable pattern is [action]해 주셔서 감사합니다 (“Thank you for [kindly] doing [action]”). In this sentence, the object of sharing is 구체적인 사례, “the concrete examples.” 감사했습니다 is the polite past form of 감사하다, “to be thankful” or “to appreciate.” More specifically, it can be understood as 감사하- + -였- + -습니다, with the form contracting through 감사하였습니다 to 감사했습니다. A common present-tense pattern is 감사합니다 (“Thank you”); 감사했습니다 refers to appreciation connected with something already done. Together, 구체적인 사례를 means “the concrete examples” marked as the object of sharing. 공유해 주셔서 means “for kindly sharing them,” and 감사했습니다 means “I appreciated it” in the fixed translation. Korean omits the subject of 감사했습니다; the translation identifies that subject as the speaker, while the sharing action is attributed to the listener. The complete meaning is: “I appreciated the concrete examples you shared.”

9. 질문을 해 주셔서 제가 그것들을 더 명확하게 설명할 수 있었습니다.

   Your questions helped me explain them more clearly.

   질문

   questions

   해 주셔서

   because you did it for me

   제가

   I

   그것들을

   them

   더

   more

   명확하게

   clearly

   설명할

   explain

   수 있었습니다

   was able to

   More detail

   질문 means “question” or “questions” here. Korean nouns do not normally require a plural ending, so the form 질문 itself is not grammatically plural. The fixed translation establishes the plural meaning in this sentence. The object marker is attached in 질문을. 해 주셔서 combines 하다 “to do” with 주다 “to give” in a benefactive construction, followed by the reason connective -어서. 주셔서 is the honorific form of 주다 in this construction: 주시어서 contracts to 주셔서. Here the omitted subject is the person being addressed, and the construction presents that person’s asking as something done for the speaker. A reusable pattern is V-아/어 주셔서 감사합니다 (“Thank you for V-ing for me”). 제가 is the first-person pronoun 저 “I” with the subject particle 가. 저 is the humble or polite first-person form; 나 is a more casual counterpart. Here it marks the speaker as the subject of the ability clause. 그것들을 means “them” here. It contains 그것 “that thing,” 들, a plural marker, and 을, the object particle. The fixed sentence does not identify the specific things referred to, so learn this as a plural object expression without assigning it a particular referent. Korean may omit 들 when plurality is already clear, but 들 is present in this form. 더 means “more.” It raises the degree of the following description, so 더 명확하게 means “more clearly.” 명확하게 means “clearly.” It is the adverbial form of the descriptive word 명확하다 “to be clear,” made with -게. For example, 명확하게 설명해 주세요 means “Please explain it clearly.” 설명할 is the -ㄹ form of 설명하다 “to explain.” It modifies the dependent noun 수 in the possibility pattern V-(으)ㄹ 수 있다. This form is not past tense by itself; the past meaning comes from 있었습니다. 수 있었습니다 expresses past ability here in polite formal style. 설명할 수 있었습니다 means “was able to explain.” The reusable pattern is V-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 “can/be able to V,” with past V-(으)ㄹ 수 있었다 “could/was able to V.” Together, 그것들을 더 명확하게 설명할 수 있었습니다 means “was able to explain them more clearly.” The preceding 질문을 해 주셔서 gives the reason, and 제가 identifies the speaker as the person who gained that ability. The whole utterance therefore means “Your questions helped me explain them more clearly.”