KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean phrases › Friends & social media › 요즘 너무 바빠서 연락을 못 했어
“I’ve been so busy lately that I…” in Korean
요즘 너무 바빠서 연락을 못 했어
yojeum neomu bappaseo yeollageul mot haesseo
Meaning
I’ve been so busy lately that I couldn’t get in touch.
Usage note
[Casual speech among friends] 못 means “cannot,” an inability negation. Unlike 안 (“don’t”), it says you could not because of circumstances, not by choice.
Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.
How to pronounce it
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 요즘 | ||
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
| 즘 | ㅈ+ㅡ+ㅁ | jeum |
| 너무 | ||
| 너 | ㄴ+ㅓ | neo |
| 무 | ㅁ+ㅜ | mu |
| 바빠서 | ||
| 바 | ㅂ+ㅏ | ba |
| 빠 | ㅃ+ㅏ | ppa |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 연락을 | ||
| 연 | ㅇ+ㅕ+ㄴ | [열] yeol |
| 락 | ㄹ+ㅏ+ㄱ | [라] la |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [글] geul |
| 못 | ㅁ+ㅗ+ㅅ | [몯] mot |
| 했어 | ||
| 했 | ㅎ+ㅐ+ㅆ | [해] hae |
| 어 | ㅇ+ㅓ | [써] sseo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Liquid assimilation: when ㄴ and ㄹ meet, both are pronounced as ㄹ. 연락을 → [열라글]
- 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. 락을 → [라글]
- Final-sound reduction: every final consonant is pronounced as one of seven sounds — ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ or ㅇ. 못 → [몯]
Speech style
No -요 at the end. Used with close friends, younger people and family; avoid it with strangers and elders.
Words in this phrase
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 너무 | adverb | too, so | TOPIK level 1 |
| 하다 | verb | to do | TOPIK level 1 |
Phrases that use the same word
Phrases with “요즘”
- 요즘 어떻게 지내세요?How have you been lately? (polite)
- 요즘 잠을 잘 못 자요I haven’t been sleeping well lately
- 요즘 너무 바빠요I’ve been so busy lately
- 요즘 컨디션이 별로예요I haven’t been feeling great lately
Phrases with “너무”
- 이 장면 너무 감동적이에요This scene is so moving
- 다음 회가 너무 궁금해요I’m so curious about what happens in the next episode
- 너무 짜요It’s too salty
- 너무 아쉬워요What a shame
Quick self-check
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 What does “요즘 너무 바빠서 연락을 못 했어” mean?
Show the answer
Answer: I’ve been so busy lately that I couldn’t get in touch
Question 2 How do you say “I’ve been so busy lately that I couldn’t get in touch” in Korean?
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Answer: 요즘 너무 바빠서 연락을 못 했어 yojeum neomu bappaseo yeollageul mot haesseo
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Practice in the gameMore phrases for this situation
- 네가 와 줘서 정말 힘이 됐어It really meant a lot that you came
- 우리 언제 한번 제대로 만나자Let’s actually get together sometime. (casual)
- 그 일은 나한테 맡겨Leave that to me
- 말투가 좀 차갑게 느껴졌어Your tone felt a bit cold to me
- 요즘 바빠서 연락을 못 했어I’ve been busy lately, so I couldn’t get in touch. (casual)
- 그 사진 나한테도 보내 줄래?Can you send me that photo too? (casual)
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