Vocab: Contacting People

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🎧 Iru Helper Note

Type phrases like 나중에 연락할게요 (I’ll contact you later), 답장이 늦어서 미안해요 (Sorry my reply was late), and 틈틈이 메시지를 확인해요 (I check messages whenever I have spare moments) into

Korean Helper Widgets to hear the rhythm. Contact vocabulary sounds best when you practice the whole mini-situation, not just the dictionary word. 📲

🌈 The Big Picture

• 연락하다 — to contact / get in touch

• 답장 — reply

• 메시지 — message

• 바쁘다 — to be busy

• 틈틈이 — in spare moments / whenever there is time

🎨 The Core Contact Vocabulary Family

1. 연락하다 — to contact / get in touch 📞

• 친구에게 연락하다 — to contact a friend

• 선생님께 연락하다 — to contact a teacher respectfully

• 나중에 연락하다 — to contact later

• 먼저 연락하다 — to contact first

• 연락이 오다 — contact comes / someone contacts me

• 연락이 없다 — there is no contact

• 연락처 — contact information

• 연락드리다 — to contact someone politely or humbly

2. 답장 / 답장하다 — reply / to reply 💬

• 메시지에 답장하다 — to reply to a message

• 이메일에 답장하다 — to reply to an email

• 답장이 늦다 — the reply is late

• 답장을 기다리다 — to wait for a reply

3. 메시지 — message 📩

• 메시지를 보내다 — to send a message

• 메시지를 받다 — to receive a message

• 메시지를 남기다 — to leave a message

• 메시지를 확인하다 — to check a message

4. 바쁘다 — to be busy 🐝

• 바빠요 — I’m busy / someone is busy

• 바빠서 — because someone is busy

• 바쁠 때 — when someone is busy

• 바쁜데도 — even though someone is busy

5. 틈틈이 — in spare moments ⏱️

• 틈틈이 공부하다 — to study whenever there is time

• 틈틈이 확인하다 — to check whenever there is time

• 틈틈이 연락하다 — to keep in touch whenever possible

• 틈틈이 답장하다 — to reply in spare moments

🛠️ How They Work in a Sentence

1. 회의가 끝나면 담당자에게 바로 연락할게요.

1. 어제 일정이 많아서 답장이 늦었어요.

1. 점심시간에 틈틈이 업무 메시지를 확인해요.

🧩 General Formation Rule

• 사람에게/한테 연락하다 — to contact someone
Example: 동료에게 연락했어요. (I contacted a coworker.)

• N에 답장하다 — to reply to N
Example: 초대 메시지에 답장했어요. (I replied to the invitation message.)

• 메시지를 보내다/받다/남기다/확인하다 — to send/receive/leave/check a message
Example: 상담원에게 메시지를 남겼어요. (I left a message for the counselor.)

• 바빠서 + result — because someone is busy, something happens
Example: 바빠서 전화를 못 받았어요. (I was busy, so I couldn’t answer the phone.)

• 틈틈이 + small repeated action — do something whenever there is time
Example: 틈틈이 알림을 확인하고 있어요. (I’m checking notifications whenever I have spare moments.)

📚 Cross-check note

🪞 Synonym Alert

• 연락하다 — broad “contact/get in touch”; can include calls, texts, emails, or app messages.

• 전화하다 — to call by phone; narrower than 연락하다.

• 문자를 보내다 — to send a text message; usually phone texting.

• 메시지를 보내다 — to send a message; broader and app-friendly.

• 답장하다 — to reply to a message/email/letter; not for starting the conversation.

• 답하다 — to answer/respond; broader and often more formal or abstract.

• 바쁘다 — to be busy.

• 정신없다 — to be hectic / overwhelmed / mentally swamped.

• 틈틈이 — in spare moments; repeated small gaps.

• 가끔 — sometimes; does not necessarily mean using spare moments productively.

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

• ❌ 친구를 연락했어요. → ✅ 친구에게 연락했어요. (Use 에게 or 한테 for the person contacted.)

• ❌ 처음 메시지에 답장했어요. → ✅ 처음 메시지를 보냈어요. (Use 보내다 when you send the first message.)

• ❌ 바쁘해요. → ✅ 바빠요. (바쁘다 loses ㅡ and becomes 바빠요.)

• ❌ 메시지를 답장했어요. → ✅ 메시지에 답장했어요. (Use 에 with the message you reply to.)

• ❌ 틈틈이 이사를 끝냈어요. → ✅ 틈틈이 메시지를 확인했어요. (틈틈이 works best with small repeated actions.)

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🎯 Practice Hub — Vocab: Contacting People

 

Welcome to your contacting-people Practice Hub. 📱 Here you’ll practice first contact, replies, messages, busy-delay explanations, and spare-moment communication in realistic everyday contexts. Your Korean inbox is about to become less chaotic and more charming.

 

🔊 Audio reminder: Use

Korean Helper Widgets whenever you want to hear a full sentence.

 

📝 Instructions: Complete each Korean sentence with the best word or phrase. Say the completed sentence aloud, then open the Answer toggle and read the short explanation.

 

Exercise 1 — Reaching Out First 📞

A. 새 주소를 받으면 배송 기사님께 바로 ＿＿＿＿.

(I’ll contact the delivery driver right away when I receive the new address. 📦)

Answer

연락할게요 — Use 께 respectfully with the person you contact.

B. 계약 내용을 확인하려고 담당자에게 먼저 ＿＿＿＿.

(I contacted the person in charge first to confirm the contract details. 📄)

Answer

연락했어요 — 먼저 연락하다 means to reach out first.

C. 예약 시간이 바뀌면 호텔 프런트에 ＿＿＿＿ 주세요.

(If the reservation time changes, please contact the hotel front desk. 🏨)

Answer

연락해 — 연락해 주세요 is a polite request.

D. 졸업 후에 동아리 선배에게 오랜만에 ＿＿＿＿ 봤어요.

(After graduation, I tried contacting a club senior after a long time. 🎓)

Answer

연락해 — 연락해 보다 means to try contacting.

E. 아직 수리 기사님에게 ＿＿＿＿ 못 했어요.

(I haven’t been able to contact the repair technician yet. 🛠️)

Answer

연락하지 — 연락하지 못하다 means “cannot contact.”

F. 명함을 찾으면 제가 먼저 ＿＿＿＿.

(If I find the business card, I’ll contact them first. 💼)

Answer

연락할게요 — The speaker promises future contact.

G. 택배 회사에서 방금 ＿＿＿＿ 왔어요.

(The delivery company just contacted me. 🚚)

Answer

연락이 — 연락이 오다 literally means contact comes.

H. 며칠 동안 아무 ＿＿＿＿ 없어서 다시 확인했어요.

(There was no contact at all for several days, so I checked again. 🔍)

Answer

연락도 — 아무 연락도 없다 means “there is no contact at all.”

I. 급한 문의라서 고객센터에 전화로 ＿＿＿＿.

(It was an urgent inquiry, so I contacted customer service by phone. ☎️)

Answer

연락했어요 — 전화로 연락하다 is natural for phone contact.

J. 퇴근 후에 다시 ＿＿＿＿ 수 있을까요?

(Could I contact you again after work? 🌆)

Answer

연락드릴 — 연락드리다 is humble/polite “to contact.”

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Vocabulary Box

• 연락하다 → to contact

• 연락드리다 → to contact politely/humbly

• 먼저 → first

• 오랜만에 → after a long time

• 담당자 → person in charge

• 배송 기사님 → delivery driver

• 호텔 프런트 → hotel front desk

• 수리 기사님 → repair technician

• 택배 회사 → delivery company

• 고객센터 → customer service center

• 퇴근 후 → after work

Tip 💡 The person contacted usually takes 에게, 한테, or respectful 께.

Exercise 2 — Replies, Texts, and Messages 💬

A. 초대 메일에 오늘 안으로 ＿＿＿＿.

(I’ll reply to the invitation email by today. ✉️)

Answer

답장할게요 — 메일에 답장하다 means to reply to an email.

B. 친구가 여행 사진에 바로 ＿＿＿＿ 기분이 좋았어요.

(My friend replied right away to the travel photo, so I felt good. 🖼️)

Answer

답장해서 — The reply is the reason for the feeling.

C. 강의 중이라서 짧은 ＿＿＿＿만 보냈어요.

(I was in a lecture, so I sent only a short message. 🧑‍🏫)

Answer

메시지 — 짧은 메시지 means “short message.”

D. 부재중이면 연락처와 용건을 ＿＿＿＿ 주세요.

(If I’m unavailable, please leave your contact information and reason for calling. 📇)

Answer

남겨 — 남기다 means “to leave” information or a message.

E. 안내문을 읽고 추가 질문을 ＿＿＿＿ 보냈어요.

(I read the notice and sent an additional question by message. ❓)

Answer

메시지로 — 메시지로 means “by message.”

F. 제가 보낸 문자에 아직 ＿＿＿＿ 없어요.

(There is still no reply to the text I sent. 📱)

Answer

답장이 — 답장이 없다 means “there is no reply.”

G. 중요한 공지 메시지를 늦게 ＿＿＿＿ 죄송해요.

(I’m sorry I checked the important notice message late. 📢)

Answer

확인해서 — 메시지를 확인하다 means to check a message.

H. 길게 쓰기 어려워서 이모티콘 하나로 ＿＿＿＿.

(It was hard to write at length, so I replied with one emoticon. 🙂)

Answer

답장했어요 — A short written response can still be 답장.

I. 모르는 번호에서 이상한 ＿＿＿＿가 왔어요.

(A strange message came from an unknown number. 🔢)

Answer

메시지 — 메시지가 오다 means a message arrives.

J. 내일 오전에 자세히 ＿＿＿＿ 드릴게요.

(I’ll reply in detail tomorrow morning. 🌅)

Answer

답장 — 답장드리다 is polite/humble “to reply.”

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 답장 → reply

• 답장하다 → to reply

• 답장드리다 → to reply politely/humbly

• 메시지 → message

• 문자 → text message

• 메일 → email

• 부재중 → unavailable / missed

• 연락처 → contact information

• 용건 → reason for contacting

• 확인하다 → to check

• 모르는 번호 → unknown number

Tip 💡 Reply to a message with 메시지에 답장하다, not 메시지를 답장하다.

Exercise 3 — Busy Reasons and Delays 🐝

A. 이번 달은 프로젝트가 많아서 너무 ＿＿＿＿ 연락을 자주 못 했어요.

(I’ve been too busy with many projects this month, so I couldn’t contact you often. 🗂️)

Answer

바빠서 — 바빠서 gives the reason.

B. 오늘은 손님이 많아서 정말 ＿＿＿＿.

(There are many customers today, so I’m really busy. 🧾)

Answer

바빠요 — 바쁘다 becomes 바빠요.

C. 바쁠 때는 긴 메일에 바로 ＿＿＿＿ 어려워요.

(When I’m busy, it is hard to reply right away to long emails. 📜)

Answer

답장하기 — 답장하기 어렵다 means “replying is hard.”

D. 어제 정신없이 ＿＿＿＿ 예약 전화를 놓쳤어요.

(I was hectically busy yesterday, so I missed the reservation call. 🍽️)

Answer

바빠서 — 정신없이 바쁘다 intensifies busyness.

E. 바쁜데도 조카 생일에는 꼭 ＿＿＿＿.

(Even though I’m busy, I always contact my niece/nephew on their birthday. 🎂)

Answer

연락해요 — 바쁜데도 means “even though busy.”

F. 오늘은 ＿＿＿＿ 짧은 문자만 보낼게요.

(I’m busy today, so I’ll send only a short text. ✍️)

Answer

바빠서 — The reason explains the short text.

G. 답장이 늦어도 일이 너무 ＿＿＿＿ 이해해 주세요.

(Even if my reply is late, please understand because work is very busy. 🙏)

Answer

바빠서 — This is a soft reason for delayed replies.

H. 업무가 바쁠수록 중요한 알림을 더 자주 ＿＿＿＿ 해요.

(The busier work gets, the more often I need to check important notifications. 🔔)

Answer

확인해야 — 확인해야 해요 means “have to check.”

I. 너무 바쁘면 오후에 ＿＿＿＿ 돼요.

(If you’re too busy, it’s okay to reply in the afternoon. 🌤️)

Answer

답장해도 — 답장해도 돼요 means “it’s okay to reply.”

J. 하루 종일 ＿＿＿＿ 이제야 단체 메시지를 봤어요.

(I was busy all day, so I only now saw the group message. 🕘)

Answer

바빠서 — The busy reason leads to late checking.

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 바쁘다 → to be busy

• 답장하다 → to reply

• 확인하다 → to check

• 연락하다 → to contact

• 정신없이 → hectically / in a rush

• 프로젝트 → project

• 손님 → customer / guest

• 예약 전화 → reservation call

• 알림 → notification

• 단체 메시지 → group message

Tip 💡 바빠서 is one of the most natural reasons for delayed contact.

Exercise 4 — Spare-Moment Communication ⏱️

A. 지하철을 기다리면서 ＿＿＿＿ 메시지를 확인해요.

(I check messages whenever I have spare moments while waiting for the subway. 🚇)

Answer

틈틈이 — Repeated small checking fits 틈틈이.

B. 바빠도 할머니께 ＿＿＿＿ 연락드려요.

(Even when I’m busy, I contact my grandmother whenever I can. 👵)

Answer

틈틈이 — It shows small moments across a busy schedule.

C. 쉬는 시간마다 ＿＿＿＿ 답장하고 있어요.

(I’m replying whenever I can during every break. ☕)

Answer

틈틈이 — Fits scattered replies.

D. 수업 사이사이에 공지 메일을 ＿＿＿＿ 확인했어요.

(I checked notice emails in spare moments between classes. 🏫)

Answer

틈틈이 — 사이사이에 reinforces small gaps.

E. 이사 준비 때문에 바빠서 친구들에게 ＿＿＿＿ 연락했어요.

(I was busy preparing to move, so I contacted friends whenever I had time. 📦)

Answer

틈틈이 — Small repeated contact during a busy period.

F. 출장 중에 이동하면서 ＿＿＿＿ 업무 메시지를 보냈어요.

(I sent work messages whenever I had spare moments while traveling on a business trip. 🚆)

Answer

틈틈이 — Natural with repeated sending during travel.

G. 아이를 돌보면서 ＿＿＿＿ 회사 알림을 확인했어요.

(While caring for a child, I checked company notifications whenever I had spare moments. 🧸)

Answer

틈틈이 — A busy-care context creates small time gaps.

H. 긴 글은 못 써도 ＿＿＿＿ 짧게 답장할 수 있어요.

(Even if I cannot write a long text, I can reply briefly whenever I get a chance. 🖊️)

Answer

틈틈이 — Short replies in gaps are ideal for this word.

I. 운동 쉬는 시간에 ＿＿＿＿ 가족 채팅을 봤어요.

(I checked the family chat during spare moments in workout breaks. 🏋️)

Answer

틈틈이 — It emphasizes little breaks.

J. 주말에는 지인들에게 ＿＿＿＿ 안부 메시지를 보내요.

(On weekends, I send check-in messages to acquaintances whenever I can. 🌿)

Answer

틈틈이 — Repeated casual contact across the weekend fits well.

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 틈틈이 → in spare moments

• 확인하다 → to check

• 답장하다 → to reply

• 연락드리다 → to contact politely/humbly

• 지하철 → subway

• 쉬는 시간 → break time

• 공지 메일 → notice email

• 출장 → business trip

• 회사 알림 → company notification

• 가족 채팅 → family chat

• 안부 메시지 → check-in message

Tip 💡 If the action happens repeatedly in little gaps, 틈틈이 probably fits.

Exercise 5 — Mixed Mastery + Pitfall Patrol 🛡️

A. 친구를 연락했어요 ❌ → 친구에게 ＿＿＿＿. ✅

(I contacted my friend. 👥)

Answer

연락했어요 — Use 친구에게, not 친구를.

B. 메시지를 답장했어요 ❌ → 메시지에 ＿＿＿＿. ✅

(I replied to the message. 💬)

Answer

답장했어요 — Use 에 for what you reply to.

C. 바쁘해요 ❌ → 요즘 일정이 많아서 ＿＿＿＿. ✅

(I have many things scheduled these days, so I’m busy. 📅)

Answer

바빠요 — 바쁘다 loses ㅡ and becomes 바빠요.

D. 처음 연락인데 답장했어요 ❌ → 처음이라서 안내 메시지를 ＿＿＿＿. ✅

(It was the first contact, so I sent an information message. 📩)

Answer

보냈어요 — Starting communication uses 보내다 or 연락하다, not 답장하다.

E. 틈틈이 결혼식을 끝냈어요 △ → 틈틈이 알림을 ＿＿＿＿. ✅

(I checked notifications whenever I had spare moments. 🔔)

Answer

확인했어요 — 틈틈이 fits small repeated actions, not one big event.

F. 답장이 늦어서 ＿＿＿＿.

(I’m sorry my reply was late. 🙇)

Answer

미안해요 — A natural apology chunk is 답장이 늦어서 미안해요.

G. 업무가 많으면 내일 오전에 ＿＿＿＿ 돼요.

(If you have a lot of work, it’s okay to reply tomorrow morning. 🌅)

Answer

답장해도 — 답장해도 돼요 means “it’s okay to reply.”

H. 부재중이면 메시지를 ＿＿＿＿ 주세요.

(If I’m unavailable, please leave a message. 📝)

Answer

남겨 — 메시지를 남기다 means “to leave a message.”

I. 연락처를 알게 되면 제가 먼저 ＿＿＿＿.

(If I get the contact information, I’ll contact them first. 📇)

Answer

연락할게요 — 먼저 연락하다 is a useful promise.

J. 바빠서 답장은 늦지만 ＿＿＿＿ 새 메일을 확인하고 있어요.

(I’m busy, so my replies are late, but I’m checking new emails whenever I can. 📬)

Answer

틈틈이 — This combines busyness, delayed replies, and spare-moment checking.

📚

Vocabulary Box

• 연락하다 → to contact

• 답장하다 → to reply

• 바쁘다 → to be busy

• 보내다 → to send

• 확인하다 → to check

• 남기다 → to leave

• 메시지 → message

• 연락처 → contact information

• 틈틈이 → in spare moments

• 부재중 → unavailable / missed

• 새 메일 → new email

Tip 💡 Pitfall patrol rule: 에게 연락하다, 에 답장하다, 메시지를 보내다, and 바빠요.

 

🎉 You completed the full communication circuit: first contact, replies, messages, busy excuses, and spare-moment follow-ups. Your Korean inbox is now significantly more polite and much less mysterious. 📱💬✨