Vocab: Sudden Schedule Changes

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TL;DR 🦄

변동 = change, fluctuation (noun) 🔄

미뤄지다 = to be postponed (passive verb) ⏳

앞당기다 = to move up, bring forward (verb) ⏩

급히 = hastily, urgently (adverb) 🏃

조절 = adjustment, regulation (noun) ⚙️

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🎧 Iru Helper Note

Want to hear these words pronounced naturally? Check out the <mention-page url="https://www.notion.so/349be37590c08068a178f6d92b8a4a18"> for audio support.

갑자기 일정에 변동이 생겨서 회의가 미뤄지고, 다른 일정은 급히 앞당겨서 조절해야 했어요.

(Suddenly there was a change in the schedule, so the meeting was postponed, and other schedules had to be urgently moved up and adjusted.)

🌈 The Big Picture

Plans rarely stay put — meetings get pushed back, deadlines get pulled forward, and everyone scrambles to make it work. This lesson covers 변동 (the change itself), 미뤄지다 (when something gets pushed later), 앞당기다 (when something gets moved earlier), 급히 (the rushed manner of dealing with it), and 조절 (the adjustment that smooths it all out). Together, they let you describe the whole chaos — and recovery — of a sudden schedule change.

🎨 The Core Schedule Change Family

1. 변동 — change, fluctuation 🔄

A noun for a shift or fluctuation, often in plans, schedules, or numbers.

일정에 변동이 있어요. (There's a change in the schedule.)

변동이 생기면 알려주세요. (If a change comes up, let me know.)

— Grammar note: 변동 pairs with 이/가 있다/생기다 (a change occurs) or 되다/하다 (to fluctuate/change).

2. 미뤄지다 — to be postponed ⏳

The passive form of 미루다 (to postpone) — something gets pushed back by outside circumstances.

회의가 미뤄졌어요. (The meeting was postponed.)

일정이 자꾸 미뤄져요. (The schedule keeps getting postponed.)

— Grammar note: 미루다 (active: I postpone something) → 미뤄지다 (passive: something gets postponed). Conjugates as 미뤄져요/미뤄졌어요/미뤄질 거예요.

3. 앞당기다 — to move up, bring forward ⏩

A regular transitive verb for moving a scheduled time to an earlier point.

일정을 앞당겼어요. (We moved up the schedule.)

마감일을 앞당길 거예요. (We will move the deadline up.)

— Grammar note: 앞당기다 → 앞당겨요/앞당겼어요/앞당길 거예요. The opposite of 미루다.

4. 급히 — hastily, urgently 🏃

An adverb describing the rushed, urgent manner of doing something.

급히 떠났어요. (I left hastily.)

급히 처리해 주세요. (Please handle this urgently.)

— Grammar note: from 급하다 (to be urgent/hasty) + 히. Describes how something is done — with haste.

5. 조절 — adjustment, regulation ⚙️

A noun for fine-tuning or regulating something to fit new conditions.

일정을 조절했어요. (I adjusted the schedule.)

온도가 자동으로 조절돼요. (The temperature is automatically adjusted.)

— Grammar note: 조절하다 (active: to adjust) / 조절되다 (passive: to be adjusted).

🛠️ How They Work in a Sentence

갑자기 일정에 변동이 생겨서 회의가 미뤄지고, 다른 일정은 급히 앞당겨야 했어요. (Suddenly there was a change in the schedule, so the meeting was postponed, and other schedules had to be urgently moved up.) 🔄

— 일정에 변동이 생겨서 (since there was a change in the schedule) causes two things: 회의가 미뤄지고 (the meeting was postponed, and) 다른 일정은 급히 앞당겨야 했어요 (other schedules had to be urgently moved up).

회의 시간을 조절해야 해서 일정을 급히 앞당겼어요. (We had to adjust the meeting time, so we urgently moved up the schedule.) ⚙️

— 회의 시간을 조절해야 해서 (because we needed to adjust the meeting time) → 일정을 급히 앞당겼어요 (we urgently moved up the schedule) — 조절 is the reason, 앞당기다 is the action.

일정 변동 때문에 약속이 미뤄졌지만, 다행히 조절해서 문제없이 해결됐어요. (Because of a schedule change, the appointment was postponed, but fortunately we adjusted it and it was resolved without issue.) ⏳

— 일정 변동 때문에 약속이 미뤄졌지만 (because of the schedule change, the appointment was postponed, but) + 다행히 조절해서 문제없이 해결됐어요 (fortunately, by adjusting, it was resolved without issue).

🧩 General Formation Rule

변동 (noun): 변동이 있다/생기다, 변동되다, 변동하다

미뤄지다 (passive of 미루다): 미뤄져요/미뤄졌어요/미뤄질 거예요

앞당기다 (regular transitive verb): 앞당겨요/앞당겼어요/앞당길 거예요

급히 (adverb from 급하다 + 히): 급히 + verb

조절 (noun): 조절하다 (active)/조절되다 (passive)

📚 Cross-check note

All vocabulary cross-checked against korean.go.kr ✅

🪞 Synonym Alert

변동 vs 변화 — 변동 refers to a change or fluctuation, often in schedules, plans, or numbers, implying some instability; 변화 refers to change in general, often broader or more gradual, like personal growth.

미뤄지다 vs 연기되다 — 미뤄지다 is the common, casual word for being postponed or pushed back; 연기되다 is more formal, often used for official events or announcements.

앞당기다 vs 서두르다 — 앞당기다 means to change a scheduled time to be earlier; 서두르다 means to hurry or rush through an action, without necessarily changing any schedule.

급히 vs 갑자기 — 급히 describes the manner of doing something — with haste or urgency; 갑자기 describes the timing — something happening unexpectedly or suddenly.

조절 vs 변경 — 조절 means adjusting or fine-tuning something to fit, often a smaller or ongoing change; 변경 means a more definitive alteration to a plan or rule.

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

❌ 일정에 변화가 있어요 when describing a schedule shift specifically → ✅ 일정에 변동이 있어요 — 변동 is the natural word for schedule or plan changes; 변화 is broader and more general.

❌ 회의를 미루다 used when something happens TO the meeting (passive) → ✅ 회의가 미뤄지다 — 미루다 is active (I postpone it), 미뤄지다 is passive (it gets postponed).

❌ 앞당기다 used to mean "hurry up" → ✅ 서두르다 — 앞당기다 changes the time of an event itself; 서두르다 means to act faster.

❌ 갑자기 처리해야 해요 when emphasizing the urgent manner of handling something → ✅ 급히 처리해야 해요 — 갑자기 describes something happening unexpectedly; 급히 describes doing something with haste.

❌ 일정을 변경해서 조절했어요 (redundant pairing) → ✅ 일정을 조절했어요 — 조절 already implies fine-tuning; reserve 변경 for emphasizing a bigger structural change.

갑작스러운 변동에도 당황하지 말고, 미뤄진 일은 미루고, 급한 일은 앞당기고, 잘 조절해서 넘겨봐요! 🔄⏳✨

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Try this exercise

Fill in each blank with the correct form of 변동, 미뤄지다, 앞당기다, 급히, or 조절. Each word is used twice.

갑자기 회의 일정에 ＿＿＿＿이 생겼어요. (Suddenly there was a change in the meeting schedule.)

Answer

변동

비 때문에 행사가 다음 주로 ＿＿＿＿어요. (Because of the rain, the event was postponed to next week.)

Answer

미뤄졌

손님이 일찍 오셔서 약속 시간을 ＿＿＿＿야 했어요. (Since the guest came early, we had to move up the appointment time.)

Answer

앞당겨

비행기 시간이 바뀌어서 ＿＿＿＿ 짐을 쌌어요. (The flight time changed, so I packed my bags hastily.)

Answer

급히

회의 시간을 다시 ＿＿＿＿할 필요가 있어요. (The meeting time needs to be adjusted again.)

Answer

조절

일정에 ＿＿＿＿이 있으면 바로 알려주세요. (If there's a change in the schedule, please let me know right away.)

Answer

변동

폭우로 출발이 한 시간 ＿＿＿＿어요. (Due to heavy rain, the departure was postponed by an hour.)

Answer

미뤄졌

마감일을 ＿＿＿＿서 더 빨리 끝내야 해요. (We moved up the deadline, so we need to finish faster.)

Answer

앞당겨

갑작스러운 연락에 ＿＿＿＿ 회사로 갔어요. (Due to the sudden call, I went to the office hastily.)

Answer

급히

시간을 잘 ＿＿＿＿하면 모든 일을 끝낼 수 있어요. (If you adjust your time well, you can finish everything.)

Answer

조절

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Vocabulary Box

변동 = change, fluctuation

미뤄지다 = to be postponed

앞당기다 = to move up, bring forward

급히 = hastily, urgently

조절 = adjustment, regulation

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Pitfalls reminder

변동 (schedule) vs 변화 (general)

미루다 (active) vs 미뤄지다 (passive)

앞당기다 (change time) vs 서두르다 (hurry)

급히 (manner) vs 갑자기 (timing)

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Want more reps? Head down to the Practice Hub below for 50 more questions across 5 themed exercises! 🎉

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Practice Hub: Sudden Schedule Changes

Ready to really lock these in? Here are 50 questions across 5 exercises, building from word recall to full sentences. 🎧 Listen and repeat each sentence out loud as you go — hearing AND saying these patterns is what makes them stick!

Exercise 1 — Word Recall: 변동 & 미뤄지다 🔄⏳

A. "There's a change in the schedule."

Answer

일정에 변동이 있어요.

B. "If there's any change in plans, please tell me."

Answer

계획에 변동이 생기면 알려주세요.

C. "Stock prices fluctuate a lot these days."

Answer

요즘 주가 변동이 심해요.

D. "The schedule hasn't changed yet."

Answer

일정은 아직 변동이 없어요.

E. "The meeting was postponed to next week."

Answer

회의가 다음 주로 미뤄졌어요.

F. "My trip got postponed because of the weather."

Answer

날씨 때문에 여행이 미뤄졌어요.

G. "The deadline keeps getting postponed."

Answer

마감일이 계속 미뤄지고 있어요.

H. "I hope the appointment doesn't get postponed again."

Answer

약속이 또 미뤄지지 않았으면 좋겠어요.

I. "The project schedule was postponed by a week."

Answer

프로젝트 일정이 일주일 미뤄졌어요.

J. "Everything got postponed due to the sudden change."

Answer

갑작스러운 변동 때문에 모든 게 미뤄졌어요.

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Quick Reference

변동이 있다/생기다 = "there's a change"

변동이 없다 = "no change"

미뤄지다 = passive "to be postponed"

미뤄지고 있다 = "keeps getting postponed"

Exercise 2 — Word Recall: 앞당기다, 급히 & 조절 ⏩🏃⚙️

A. "We moved the meeting time up by an hour."

Answer

회의 시간을 한 시간 앞당겼어요.

B. "Let's move up the departure date."

Answer

출발 날짜를 앞당기죠.

C. "The deadline was moved up to Friday."

Answer

마감일이 금요일로 앞당겨졌어요.

D. "I left the house hastily."

Answer

급히 집을 나섰어요.

E. "Please handle this matter urgently."

Answer

이 일을 급히 처리해 주세요.

F. "She hurried to finish the report."

Answer

그녀는 급히 보고서를 끝냈어요.

G. "I need to adjust my schedule."

Answer

일정을 조절해야 해요.

H. "Can you adjust the temperature a bit?"

Answer

온도를 좀 조절해 주시겠어요?

I. "The volume was automatically adjusted."

Answer

볼륨이 자동으로 조절됐어요.

J. "We need to adjust the budget."

Answer

예산을 조절할 필요가 있어요.

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Quick Reference

앞당기다 = "to move up" (a time)

앞당겨지다 = passive form

급히 + verb = "urgently/hastily"

조절하다/조절되다 = active/passive

Exercise 3 — Conjugation Practice: 미뤄지다/앞당기다 & 조절하다/되다 🔄

A. 비 때문에 행사가 ＿＿＿＿. (Due to rain, the event got postponed. — past)

Answer

미뤄졌어요

B. 다음 주에는 일정이 더 ＿＿＿＿ 수도 있어요. (Next week, the schedule might get postponed further.)

Answer

미뤄질

C. 회의가 계속 ＿＿＿＿. (The meeting keeps getting postponed. — present progressive)

Answer

미뤄지고 있어요

D. 출발 시간을 한 시간 ＿＿＿＿. (We moved up the departure time by an hour. — past)

Answer

앞당겼어요

E. 마감일을 다음 주로 ＿＿＿＿ 거예요. (We will move the deadline up to next week.)

Answer

앞당길

F. 급한 일이 생겨서 일정을 ＿＿＿＿야 해요. (Something urgent came up, so we need to move up the schedule.)

Answer

앞당겨

G. 실내 온도가 자동으로 ＿＿＿＿. (The indoor temperature is automatically adjusted. — present passive)

Answer

조절돼요

H. 시간을 잘 ＿＿＿＿면 다 끝낼 수 있어요. (If you adjust your time well, you can finish everything.)

Answer

조절하

I. 어제 계획을 ＿＿＿＿. (Yesterday I adjusted the plan. — past)

Answer

조절했어요

J. 속도를 ＿＿＿＿ 필요가 있어요. (We need to adjust the speed.)

Answer

조절할

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Quick Reference

미뤄지다: 미뤄져요/미뤄졌어요/미뤄질

앞당기다: 앞당겨요/앞당겼어요/앞당길

조절하다: 조절해요/조절했어요/조절할

조절되다: 조절돼요/조절됐어요

Exercise 4 — Pattern Practice: 변동 vs 변화 & 급히 vs 갑자기 🔄🏃

A. "There's been a sudden change in exchange rates."

Answer

환율에 갑작스러운 변동이 있었어요.

B. "My way of thinking has changed a lot over the years."

Answer

몇 년 동안 제 생각이 많이 변화했어요.

C. "If there's any change in the plan, let me know immediately."

Answer

계획에 변동이 생기면 즉시 알려주세요.

D. "The city has undergone a lot of changes recently."

Answer

도시가 최근에 많은 변화를 겪었어요.

E. "I ran out hastily because I was late."

Answer

늦어서 급히 뛰어나갔어요.

F. "Suddenly, it started raining."

Answer

갑자기 비가 오기 시작했어요.

G. "She hastily packed her bags and left."

Answer

그녀는 급히 짐을 싸고 떠났어요.

H. "He suddenly appeared at the door."

Answer

그가 갑자기 문 앞에 나타났어요.

I. "We need to respond urgently to this situation."

Answer

이 상황에 급히 대응해야 해요.

J. "The plan changed suddenly without any warning."

Answer

계획이 아무 예고 없이 갑자기 변경됐어요.

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Quick Reference

변동 = change/fluctuation (schedule, numbers)

변화 = change (general, broader)

급히 = describes manner (haste)

갑자기 = describes timing (suddenness)

Exercise 5 — Mixed Mastery: A Day of Sudden Changes 🔄⏳

A. "Suddenly there was a change in today's schedule."

Answer

오늘 일정에 갑자기 변동이 생겼어요.

B. "The afternoon meeting was postponed to tomorrow."

Answer

오후 회의가 내일로 미뤄졌어요.

C. "Because of that, we had to move up the morning meeting."

Answer

그것 때문에 오전 회의를 앞당겨야 했어요.

D. "I hastily prepared the materials needed for the meeting."

Answer

회의에 필요한 자료를 급히 준비했어요.

E. "We adjusted the entire schedule to fit the new plan."

Answer

새로운 계획에 맞춰 전체 일정을 조절했어요.

F. "Even though the schedule was suddenly postponed, we adjusted quickly and handled it well."

Answer

일정이 갑자기 미뤄졌지만 빠르게 조절해서 잘 처리했어요.

G. "Because the deadline was moved up, everyone worked hastily."

Answer

마감일이 앞당겨져서 모두 급히 일했어요.

H. "Please let me know immediately if there's any change in the schedule."

Answer

일정에 변동이 있으면 바로 알려주세요.

I. "We moved the trip date up by a few days and adjusted our plans hastily."

Answer

여행 날짜를 며칠 앞당기고 계획을 급히 조절했어요.

J. "Even with sudden changes, schedule adjustments helped everything go smoothly."

Answer

갑작스러운 변동에도 일정 조절 덕분에 모든 일이 순조롭게 진행됐어요.

📚

Quick Reference

일정에 변동이 생기다 = "schedule changes occur"

미뤄지다/앞당겨지다 = postponed/moved up

급히 + verb = "hastily doing"

조절하다 = "to adjust"

갑작스러운 변동도, 미뤄진 일도, 앞당겨야 할 일도 — 급히 조절하면 다 잘 풀릴 거예요! 🔄⏳✨