Korean phrases / Everyday Korean
좀 어려울 것 같은데요... / 일정이 빠듯해서요...
jom eo-ryeo-ul geot ga-teun-de-yo... / il-jeong-i ppa-deut-hae-seo-yo...
“That might be difficult... / My schedule is tight...”
🏷️ Any casual settingTextbook vs Real
Textbook죄송하지만 그것은 할 수 없습니다joe-song-ha-ji-man geu-geos-eun hal su eop-seum-ni-da
Real좀 어려울 것 같은데요... / 일정이 빠듯해서요...jom eo-ryeo-ul geot ga-teun-de-yo... / il-jeong-i ppa-deut-hae-seo-yo...
Why Koreans say it this way
Never say 'no' directly at Korean work. 좀 어려울 것 같은데요 (it might be a bit difficult) IS a no. The trailing ... signals 'so you should understand.' If your boss still pushes, 다시 한번 확인해보겠습니다 (let me check again) buys time.
Situation: work