가능하실까요, 시간 괜찮으세요? Meeting Korean
Use 가능하실까요 and 시간 괜찮으세요? to schedule meetings politely in Korean with templates and time drills—learn
A hierarchy×urgency scheduling ladder plus timezone-safe time-slot templates teaches you to propose, nudge, and confirm meetings without sounding pushy or vague
Situation
You need to coordinate a meeting time at work: proposing options, checking if a time works, nudging for a reply, or asking someone to reschedule.
In Korean workplaces, the same message can feel “helpful” with a teammate but “too blunt” with a senior or an outside partner. I learned this the hard way in my first Seoul office job: I texted a vendor-style message like 시간 돼요?sigan dwaeyo? and got a slow, careful reply later. The content was fine, but the tone was off.
Goal: pick a phrase that matches (1) relationship (senior/teammate/external) and (2) urgency (normal/urgent), then add clear, timezone-safe time slots.
Quick cheat sheet
Expressions in this post
Use 가능하실까요ganeunghasilkkayo when you want to propose a time without sounding like you’re assigning it. It’s especially safe for seniors and external contacts.
Copy/paste templates (3)
혹시 내일 오후 2시 미팅 가능하실까요?hoksi naeil ohu 2si miting ganeunghasilkkayo? — Would a 2 PM meeting tomorrow be possible?수요일 오전 10:30 (KST, UTC+9) / 01:30 (UTC) 가능하실까요?suyoil ojeon 10:30 (KST, UTC+9) / 01:30 (UTC) ganeunghasilkkayo? — Would Wed 10:30 AM KST / 01:30 UTC be possible?가능하시면 1) 오전 10시 2) 오후 3시 중 편하신 시간으로 부탁드립니다.ganeunghasimyeon 1) ojeon 10si 2) ohu 3si jung pyeonhasin siganeuro butakdeuripnida. — If possible, please pick what’s convenient: 10 AM or 3 PM.
Tone ladder (neutral → more polite)
- Neutral:
가능하세요?ganeunghaseyo? — Is it possible? - Polite:
가능하실까요?ganeunghasilkkayo? — Would it be possible? - More polite (adds softness):
혹시 가능하실까요?hoksi ganeunghasilkkayo? — Would it maybe be possible?
Don’t say this (risky)
Use 시간 괜찮으세요?sigan gwaenchanheuseyo? when a time is already suggested (by you or someone else) and you want a quick “does this work?” check.
Copy/paste templates (3)
내일 오전 10:00 시간 괜찮으세요?naeil ojeon 10:00 sigan gwaenchanheuseyo? — Is 10:00 AM tomorrow okay for you?그 시간 어렵다면 다른 시간대로 조정해도 괜찮을까요?geu sigan eoryeopdamyeon dareun sigandaero jojeonghaedo gwaenchanheulkkayo? — If that time is hard, would it be okay to adjust?시간 괜찮으시면 캘린더 초대 드릴게요.sigan gwaenchanheusimyeon kaelrindeo chodae deurilgeyo. — If the time works, I’ll send a calendar invite.
Tone ladder
- Casual (often too casual at work):
시간 돼요?sigan dwaeyo? - Polite:
시간 괜찮으세요?sigan gwaenchanheuseyo? - More polite:
혹시 시간 괜찮으실까요?hoksi sigan gwaenchanheusilkkayo?
Don’t say this
Use 조율 부탁드립니다joyul butakdeuripnida when scheduling involves multiple people, approvals, or calendars. It’s a classic “let’s align” office phrase.
Copy/paste templates (3)
미팅 일정 조율 부탁드립니다.miting iljeong joyul butakdeuripnida. — Please help coordinate the meeting schedule.가능하신 시간대 2~3개만 공유해 주시면 조율해 보겠습니다.ganeunghasin sigandae 2~3gaeman goyuhae jusimyeon joyulhae bogetseupnida. — If you share 2–3 possible time windows, I’ll coordinate.이번 주 중 가능 시간 기준으로 조율 부탁드립니다 (KST 기준).ibeon ju jung ganeung sigan gijuneuro joyul butakdeuripnida (KST gijun). — Please coordinate based on available times this week (KST).
Tone ladder
- Direct (can sound like an order):
조율해 주세요.joyulhae juseyo. - Softer:
조율 부탁드려요.joyul butakdeuryeoyo. - Polite/formal:
조율 부탁드립니다.joyul butakdeuripnida.
Don’t say this
Next steps
Mini practice: rewrite these 3 direct sentences into polite workplace Korean (keep the meaning; keep it short).
내일 10시에 미팅해요.naeil 10sie mitinghaeyo. — Rewrite using가능하실까요ganeunghasilkkayo and offer 1–2 options.그 시간 안 돼요. 다른 시간 줘요.geu sigan an dwaeyo. dareun sigan jwoyo. — Rewrite as a polite adjustment request using시간 괜찮으세요?sigan gwaenchanheuseyo? plus a soft fallback.미팅 잡아 주세요.miting jaba juseyo. — Rewrite using조율 부탁드립니다joyul butakdeuripnida and ask for 2–3 time windows (KST).
Mini quiz (pick the best key phrase):
- You are writing to a client: “Would Friday 3 PM KST be possible?”
- A teammate suggested 10:30 AM; you want to confirm: “Is that time okay?”
- You need a group to align calendars: “Please coordinate the meeting schedule.”
Answers:
가능하실까요ganeunghasilkkayo /가능하실까요?ganeunghasilkkayo?시간 괜찮으세요?sigan gwaenchanheuseyo? /시간 괜찮으실까요?sigan gwaenchanheusilkkayo?조율 부탁드립니다joyul butakdeuripnida /조율 부탁드립니다.joyul butakdeuripnida.
Notes:
- Q1:
가능하실까요ganeunghasilkkayo is the standard polite way to propose a time to seniors/clients; the?is just punctuation. - Q2:
시간 괜찮으세요?sigan gwaenchanheuseyo? is a quick “does this work?” check;시간 괜찮으실까요?sigan gwaenchanheusilkkayo? is a slightly more formal/polite variant. - Q3:
조율 부탁드립니다joyul butakdeuripnida fits multi-person scheduling because it asks for coordination rather than assigning a time; the.is just punctuation.