English "just" and "now" are quietly ambiguous, and Korean refuses to let them stay that way. "I just arrived" (a moment ago) and "I was just about to leave" (this very instant, on the verge) use the same English "just", but Korean splits them into 방금 and 막. "Do it now" (this second) and "Now I'm off / from now on" (a turning point) both say "now", but Korean splits them into 지금 and 이제. Add 드디어 — the "finally" that carries relief after a long wait — and you have a small, high-frequency set that beginners routinely blur. This page pins each one down.
방금 — "just now, a moment ago"
방금 marks a clear past point a moment ago. The action is finished; you are pointing back at the recent instant it happened. It pairs naturally with the past tense.
방금 왔어요.
banggeum wasseoyo
I just got here (a moment ago).
방금 도착했어요.
banggeum dochakaesseoyo
I just arrived.
방금 뭐라고 했어요?
banggeum mworago haesseoyo
What did you just say?
방금 is neutral in register and extremely common in speech. Think of it as pinning a dot on the timeline just behind "now."
막 — "right at the very instant / just about to"
막 catches the very moment of an action or the onset of it — the split-second something starts, or the instant right before it would happen. With a past verb it means "just this second"; with -(으)려고 하다 ("be about to") it means "was just about to." This is the "just" that English uses in "I was just leaving."
막 나가려고 했어요.
mak nagaryeogo haesseoyo
I was just about to head out.
영화가 막 시작했어요.
yeonghwaga mak sijakaesseoyo
The movie just this second started.
막 자려던 참이었어요.
mak jaryeodeon chamieosseoyo
I was just about to fall asleep.
The 방금 vs 막 line: 방금 pins a completed moment just past; 막 sits on the instant — the onset or the verge. You can say 방금 막 도착했어요, stacking them ("I arrived just this very moment"), which shows they aren't identical: 방금 gives the recent-past frame, 막 sharpens it to the exact instant. In casual speech 막 also drifts into a filler meaning ("like, just...") but that is a separate colloquial use.
이제 vs 지금 — the "now" split
This is the contrast that trips up almost everyone. Both are "now", but:
- 지금 = "now, at this instant" — a point on the clock. Do it right now.
- 이제 = "now, from here on / as a new phase" — a turning point, a change of state. Now, as opposed to before.
지금 해요.
jigeum haeyo
Do it right now.
지금 몇 시예요?
jigeum myeot siyeyo
What time is it now?
이제 가요.
ije gayo
I'm off now (time to go).
이제 그만해요.
ije geumanhaeyo
Stop now — that's enough (a change from before).
Feel the difference: 지금 그만해요 would mean "stop at this instant"; 이제 그만해요 means "enough already, from now on stop" — it frames a shift. 이제 constantly appears with future-leaning statements about "from now on": 이제 열심히 할게요 ("I'll work hard from now on"), 이제 시작해요 ("we're beginning now / a new phase starts"). Because 이제 marks a transition, it comfortably reaches into the future, much like the present tense used for the future.
이제 시작해요.
ije sijakaeyo
We begin now.
드디어 / 마침내 / 곧 — the payoff and the approach
드디어 means "finally, at last" — but only after anticipation. It carries relief or triumph: the thing you were waiting for has arrived. You cannot use it for a neutral "then/next"; there must be a wait that has now paid off.
드디어 방학이 시작됐어요!
deudieo banghagi sijakdwaesseoyo
Vacation has finally started!
드디어 끝났어요!
deudieo kkeunnasseoyo
It's finally over!
마침내 is a near-synonym of 드디어 but more literary / formal — you meet it in writing, news, and dramatic narration more than in casual chat, and it leans toward a weightier culmination.
마침내 꿈을 이뤘어요.
machimnae kkumeul irwosseoyo
I finally made my dream come true. (literary flavor)
곧 points the other direction in time — "soon, shortly", an event just ahead. It pairs with the -겠- future or a plain present-for-future.
곧 도착해요.
got dochakaeyo
I'll be there soon.
The whole set at a glance
| Adverb | Meaning | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| 방금 | just now, a moment ago | a completed point just behind now |
| 막 | just this instant / about to | the very onset or verge of an action |
| 지금 | now, this instant | a clock point |
| 이제 | now, from now on | a turning point / new phase |
| 드디어 | finally, at last | relief after anticipation |
| 마침내 | finally (literary) | weightier, written culmination |
| 곧 | soon, shortly | an event just ahead |
Why English speakers stumble here
English overloads "just" (both 방금 and 막) and "now" (both 지금 and 이제), so learners import the ambiguity and pick whichever Korean word they learned first — usually 지금 for everything and 방금 for every "just". The fix is to hear the extra information the Korean word demands: Is this "just" a moment ago (방금) or right this instant / on the verge (막)? Is this "now" a clock reading (지금) or a change of phase (이제)? And is your "finally" a neutral sequence marker, or a genuine payoff after waiting — because only the latter licenses 드디어.
Common Mistakes
1. Using 지금 where a change-of-state 이제 is meant. For "from now on / a new phase", it's 이제.
❌ 저는 지금 어른이에요.
jeoneun jigeum eoreunieyo
Sounds like 'I'm an adult at this instant' — wrong for 'now I'm an adult'.
✅ 저는 이제 어른이에요.
jeoneun ije eoreunieyo
I'm an adult now (a new stage in my life).
2. Using 방금 for "about to." 방금 is a moment past; "about to" is 막 (+ -려고 하다).
❌ 방금 나가려고 했어요.
banggeum nagaryeogo haesseoyo
Clashes — 'a moment ago' can't mean 'about to'.
✅ 막 나가려고 했어요.
mak nagaryeogo haesseoyo
I was just about to leave.
3. Using 드디어 for a neutral sequence. No anticipation, no 드디어 — use 그리고 / 그다음에.
❌ 드디어 밥을 먹고 잤어요.
deudieo babeul meokgo jasseoyo
Odd — nothing was awaited, so 'finally' doesn't fit.
✅ 그리고 밥을 먹고 잤어요.
geurigo babeul meokgo jasseoyo
And then I ate and went to sleep.
4. Reaching for 지금 to mean "soon." "Soon / shortly" is 곧, not 지금.
❌ 지금 도착해요.
jigeum dochakaeyo
Means 'arriving right now', not 'soon'.
✅ 곧 도착해요.
got dochakaeyo
I'll arrive soon.
Key Takeaways
- 방금 = a moment ago (a completed point); 막 = the very instant / about to — English "just" splits into both.
- 지금 = now, this instant (clock); 이제 = now, from now on (a turning point) — English "now" splits into both.
- 드디어 needs anticipation ("finally, at last!"); 마침내 is its literary twin; 곧 = soon.
- Colloquial 인제 is a spoken variant of 이제.
Now practice Korean
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Korean→Related Topics
- 벌써 / 이미 / 아직 / 여전히 (already, still, yet)TOPIK 2 — The phasal time adverbs that track an event against expectation — 벌써 (already, with surprise), 이미 (already, neutral), 아직 (still / not yet), and 여전히 (still, unchanged as ever) — and why Korean splits notions English fuses into 'already/still/yet'.
- Frequency Adverbs: 자주 / 가끔 / 항상 / 늘TOPIK 1 — The frequency scale from 항상·늘 (always) down through 자주 (often), 보통 (usually), 가끔 (sometimes) to 거의 (hardly) — plus the 자주 / 자꾸 trap and why Korean needs no auxiliary 'do' to say how often.
- The Past Tense -았/었어요TOPIK 1 — The past marker -았/었- slots in before the ending, chosen by the same ㅏ/ㅗ vowel harmony as the present. The shortcut that makes it nearly free: take your 해요-form, drop 요, and add ㅆ어요 — 가요→갔어요, 마셔요→마셨어요, 해요→했어요.
- Present Tense for Scheduled and Near-Future EventsTOPIK 2 — How the plain present ending routinely expresses planned, scheduled, and near-future events once a time word is present (내일 가요 'I'm going tomorrow'), and how it contrasts with -(으)ㄹ 거예요 and -겠-.
- -겠-: Intention and ConjectureTOPIK 2 — -겠- is a modal pre-final marker, not a plain future tense: it expresses the speaker's intention/volition (제가 하겠습니다), conjecture about a situation (맛있겠어요, 비가 오겠어요), and survives in frozen phrases (알겠습니다, 모르겠어요) — with the subject largely deciding which reading you get.