KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Café & daily life › 시간 가는 줄 모르고 수다를 떨었어요

“We chatted away without noticing the time” in Korean

시간 가는 줄 모르고 수다를 떨었어요

sigan ganeun jul moreugo sudareul tteoreosseoyo

Situation: Café & daily lifeLevel: Advanced (TOPIK 5–6)

Meaning

We chatted away without noticing the time.

-는 줄 모르고 means “without realizing that…”. 시간 가는 줄 모르다 is a set phrase for being so absorbed that time flies by.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 15 · Words: 6

Said aloud, it sounds like [시간 가는 줄 모르고 수다를 떠러써요].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
시간
시	ㅅ+ㅣ	si
간	ㄱ+ㅏ+ㄴ	gan
가는
가	ㄱ+ㅏ	ga
는	ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ	neun
줄	ㅈ+ㅜ+ㄹ	jul
모르고
모	ㅁ+ㅗ	mo
르	ㄹ+ㅡ	reu
고	ㄱ+ㅗ	go
수다를
수	ㅅ+ㅜ	su
다	ㄷ+ㅏ	da
를	ㄹ+ㅡ+ㄹ	reul
떨었어요
떨	ㄸ+ㅓ+ㄹ	[떠] tteo
었	ㅇ+ㅓ+ㅆ	[러] reo
어	ㅇ+ㅓ	[써] sseo
요	ㅇ+ㅛ	yo

A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.

Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 떨었어 → [떠러써]

Style: Polite (해요체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.

These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).

Korean	Part of speech	Meaning	Level
모르다	verb	to not know	TOPIK level 1

내가 한 말 때문에 오해가 생겼다면 풀고 싶은데 시간 괜찮아?If my words caused a misunderstanding, I want to clear it up. Got time
바쁘신 중에 시간 내 주셔서 감사합니다Thank you for making time despite your busy schedule
시간 되면 한번 만나요Let’s meet sometime if you’re free
내일 시간 돼?Are you free tomorrow

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “시간 가는 줄 모르고 수다를 떨었어요” mean?

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Answer: We chatted away without noticing the time

Question 2 How do you say “We chatted away without noticing the time” in Korean?

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Answer: 시간 가는 줄 모르고 수다를 떨었어요 sigan ganeun jul moreugo sudareul tteoreosseoyo

Question 3 How is “시간 가는 줄 모르고 수다를 떨었어요” pronounced?

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Answer: [시간 가는 줄 모르고 수다를 떠러써요]

Learn this phrase by playing: typing drills and quizzes help it stick.

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