LEARN + KOREAN / Note 26 TOPIK I

Just So You Know (혹시)

a

Not every lesson is a grammar rule. Some of the most useful pieces of Korean are small, fixed words that soften a question or carry gratitude, the kind of vocabulary that makes a sentence sound like a person said it instead of a textbook.

chinguege jeonhwahaeyo.
I call a friend.
In Real Life
에게 (“to”) is doing real grammatical work here, marking who’s receiving the call, and it gets its own full lesson later. Until then, just spot it on sight: [person] + 에게 means the action is directed at them.
imeire dapjanghaeyo.
I reply to an email.
neujeoseo mianhaeyo.
I'm sorry I'm late.
deokbune jal jinaesseoyo.
Thanks to you, I've been doing well.
hoksi sigan isseoyo?
Do you have time, by any chance?
In Real Life
혹시 doesn’t map onto one English word. Dropping it in front of a question softens the ask, closer to how English tacks on “by any chance” before something that might be a little presumptuous. Leave it off and the same question just sounds blunter, not wrong, just more direct.
jigeum jipjunghaeyo.
I'm concentrating right now.
gakgak ireumi dallayo.
Each one's name is different.

Vocabulary

KoreanEnglish
imeil
email
sigan
time
jeonhwa
phone call
dapjang
a reply
munja
text message
beonho
number
jeojanghada
to save (a contact, a file)
butak
favor, request
jamkkan
a moment
amuraedo
I guess, most likely
sasil
actually, the truth is
amugeona
anything, whatever (you choose)
hoksina
just in case, on the off chance
eojjaetdeun
anyway, regardless
geunajeona
anyway, by the way
amuteun
anyway, in any case
daechung
roughly, approximately
gwaenhi
for no reason, needlessly
mak
just, casually (intensifier)
ttakhi
particularly, specifically (with negative)