2026. 03. 28
"The meeting lasted two whole hours" — Your Workday Frustration Is a Language Lesson
Today's meeting was supposed to be a quick 30-minute sync.
Two hours later, I walked out starving because I missed lunch entirely.
We have all been there. So I logged it:
"The meeting lasted two whole hours"
Let me show you how one line of workplace frustration becomes a business Korean lesson.
STEP 1: Translation + Explanation
My log: The meeting lasted two whole hours
Translation: 회의가 2시간이나 걸렸다.
"걸렸다" (geollyeotda) comes from "걸리다" — the go-to verb for expressing how long something takes.
"회의가 2시간 걸렸다" means "The meeting took two hours."
The particle "이나" (ina) adds emphasis — it is the Korean way of saying "as much as" or "a whole."
"2시간이나" conveys that frustration of "it took a whole two hours."
You could also say: "회의가 2시간 동안 계속됐다."
This uses "계속되다" (to continue/last) — similar nuance, slightly more formal.
STEP 2: AI-Generated Conversation Script
After the meeting, with a coworker
A: 그 회의 진짜 너무 길었어.
(That meeting was way too long.)
B: 진짜. 이메일 하나로 끝날 걸.
(Tell me about it. Could have been an email.)
A: 점심도 못 먹었어.
(I couldn't even grab lunch.)
B: 나도. 뭐 빨리 먹으러 갈래?
(Same here. Want to go grab something quick?)
A: 좋아, 가자. 배고파 죽겠어.
(Yeah, let's go. I'm starving.)
B: 다음 회의는 이렇게 길어지지 않았으면 좋겠다.
(Let's hope the next meeting doesn't drag on like that.)
"이메일 하나로 끝날 걸" (could have been an email) is
a complaint every office worker anywhere in the world can relate to.
STEP 3: Pattern Drills
Pattern 1: ~이/가 (시간) 걸리다 (It takes + time)
"Expressing duration"
여기까지 오는 데 30분 걸렸어.
(It took me 30 minutes to get here.)
Pattern 2: ~(으)ㄹ 걸 (could have been ~ / should have ~)
"Expressing that a simpler alternative existed"
택시 탈 걸.
(I should have taken a taxi.)
Pattern 3: 길어지다 / 늘어지다 (to drag on)
"When something takes longer than expected"
수업이 30분이나 길어졌어.
(The class went 30 minutes over.)
STEP 4: Chat with Mimi
Mimi: 2시간! 진짜 긴 회의다. 그래도 유익했어?
(Two hours! That's a long meeting. Was it at least productive?)
Me: 아니, 대부분 주제에서 벗어났어.
(Not really. Most of it went off-topic.)
Mimi: 짜증 나겠다. 이런 회의 자주 있어?
(That's frustrating. Do you have meetings like this often?)
Me: 거의 매주.
(Almost every week.)
Mimi: 다음에 시간 제한이나 안건을 미리 제안해보는 건 어때?
(Maybe you could suggest a time limit or an agenda beforehand?)
Your Workday Is Your Best Language Textbook
Complaining about a long meeting. Missing lunch because of it.
The everyday frustrations of office life are the best source material for business Korean.
걸리다, 이나, ~(으)ㄹ 걸, 길어지다 —
These expressions came from your own experience, so you can use them right away at work tomorrow.