잠시 들렀어요.

The phrase '잠시 들렀어요.' is composed of '잠시' (jamsi), meaning 'for a moment' or 'briefly', and '들렀어요' (deulleosseoyo), which is the past tense honorific form of '들르다' (deulleuda), meaning 'to stop by' or 'to drop in'. '잠시' originates from the Sino-Korean word 暫時 (jamsi), where 暫 (jam) means 'temporary' or 'for a short time', and 時 (si) means 'time'. This combination clearly denotes a brief duration. '들르다' has a more complex etymology rooted in native Korean. It is believed to have developed from older Korean forms. One theory suggests a connection to verbs indicating movement and stopping. The root '들-' can be found in other words related to entering or involving oneself in a situation. The '-르다' suffix often indicates a transitional or stopping action. Over time, '들르다' specifically came to mean making a brief stop during a journey or visiting a place for a short duration without a prior plan. The combined phrase '잠시 들렀어요.' therefore literally translates to 'I briefly stopped by' or 'I stopped by for a moment', perfectly conveying the nuance of a short, unplanned visit. This phrase is commonly used in casual conversation to explain one's presence in a place without much formality or to excuse a quick departure.