영어에서 “늦어지다 / 연기되다” 제대로 구분하기 Delay, Postpone, Defer, Suspend 뉘앙스 총정리

영어에서 “늦어지다 / 연기되다” 제대로 구분하기 Delay, Postpone, Defer, Suspend 뉘앙스 총정리

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들어가며

한국어에서 “늦어지다”와 “연기되다”는 거의 같은 말처럼 쓰이지만, 영어에서는 맥락에 따라 다른 단어를 사용해야 한다.

특히 delay와 postpone은 자주 혼동되는데, 외부 요인으로 늦어지는지, 사람이 의도적으로 일정을 미루는지에 따라 단어 선택이 달라진다.

아래에서는 관련 표현들을 뉘앙스별로 나누어 자세히 살펴본다.

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1. 늦어지다 계열 (외부 요인으로 늦음)

delay

가장 일반적이고 공식적인 “지연”이다. 교통, 운송, 업무 처리 등 외부 요인으로 늦어질 때 사용한다.

예문

• The flight was delayed due to heavy snow.
• There is a 10-minute delay on the subway line.
• The report’s submission was delayed because of technical issues.
• The bus was delayed by road construction.
• Production was delayed due to a shortage of materials.

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be held up

갑작스러운 방해로 지체되는 구어체 표현이다. 보통 교통 체증, 사건 사고 등 일상적인 이유로 늦을 때 사용한다.

예문

• I was held up in traffic this morning.
• She got held up at the office and couldn’t meet us.
• We were held up at customs for almost an hour.
• Sorry I’m late, I was held up by a phone call.
• The train was held up by a signal problem.

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be late

단순히 늦다는 뜻이다. 사람이나 교통수단 모두에 사용할 수 있다.

예문

• The bus is always late during rush hour.
• He is late for class again.
• Don’t be late for the meeting.
• I was late to work because I overslept.
• The train is running late today.

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lag

반응이나 속도가 늦는 경우에 쓰인다. 주로 기술적 맥락, 인터넷, 컴퓨터 성능 등에서 사용한다.

예문

• The video is lagging due to poor internet connection.
• There is a time lag between the signal and the response.
• My computer lags when too many programs are open.
• The economy is lagging behind expectations.
• The software update lags on older devices.

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2. 연기되다 계열 (계획적, 의도적 지연)

postpone

가장 흔히 쓰이는 “연기하다”이다. 시험, 회의, 행사 등 특정 시점을 뒤로 미룰 때 사용한다.

예문

• The meeting was postponed until next Friday.
• They postponed the concert due to rain.
• The launch of the new phone was postponed by a month.
• The exam was postponed because of the strike.
• Let’s postpone our trip until the weather gets better.

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reschedule

단순 연기가 아니라 새로운 시간을 다시 잡는다는 의미이다.

예문

• We had to reschedule our flight for tomorrow.
• The interview was rescheduled for next week.
• Can we reschedule the meeting to 3 p.m.?
• The doctor rescheduled my appointment.
• They rescheduled the workshop to accommodate more participants.

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defer

격식체로, 공식적이고 행정적인 맥락에서 많이 쓰인다.

예문

• The decision was deferred until after the election.
• He deferred his military service to continue studying.
• Payment of the loan was deferred for six months.
• The company deferred its expansion plans.
• Her admission to the university was deferred for one year.

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put off

캐주얼한 구어체이며 postpone과 비슷하다.

예문

• They put off the party because of the storm.
• Stop putting off your homework.
• He always puts off making decisions.
• She put off telling him the truth.
• I put off going to the dentist as long as I could.

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adjourn

회의나 법정에서 “정회하다” 또는 “휴정하다”라는 뜻이다.

예문

• The court was adjourned until Monday.
• The chairman adjourned the meeting at 6 p.m.
• The session will adjourn after the speech.
• The committee adjourned for lunch.
• Let’s adjourn until tomorrow morning.

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suspend

단순 연기가 아니라 일정 기간 “중단”한다는 뉘앙스이다.

예문

• All flights were suspended due to the typhoon.
• Classes were suspended during the pandemic.
• The service will be suspended during maintenance.
• The player was suspended for breaking the rules.
• Construction was suspended because of safety concerns.

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마무리

정리하면 다음과 같다.

• 늦어지다 → delay, be held up, be late, lag
• 연기되다 → postpone, reschedule, defer, put off, adjourn, suspend

한국어에서는 비슷하게 보이지만, 영어에서는 외부 요인인지, 계획적 연기인지, 공식적 중단인지에 따라 단어 선택이 달라진다.

교통편의 지연에는 delay, 회의 일정 변경에는 postpone이나 reschedule, 공식적 절차의 연기는 defer나 adjourn, 일정 기간 중단은 suspend가 적절하다.

 

 

 

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