Learn Hardcore Korean: jeoneun jigeum sigani isseoyo.

저 is the humble first-person pronoun “I,” and -는 is the topic marker. Together 저는 introduces “I” as the topic of the sentence (“As for me…”). In everyday polite speech you often see 저는 before statements about yourself.

What role does 지금 play in this sentence?

지금 is an adverb meaning “now” or “at the moment.” Adverbs in Korean usually come before the verb or verb phrase, so 지금 tells us when the action or state (having time) applies.

Why do we say 시간이 instead of just 시간?

시간 means “time,” and Korean requires a case particle on nouns. Here -이 is the subject marker (used after a consonant), indicating that “time” is the subject of 있어요 (“time exists” / “I have time”).

What does 있어요 mean, and why is it used to express “have”?

있어요 is the polite-informal form of 있다, which literally means “to exist” or “to be.” In Korean, possession (“to have”) is expressed by saying that something “exists to/for me” (저에게 시간이 있다 → 저는 시간이 있다).

What level of politeness is 있어요, and can I change it?

있어요 is polite informal speech (the -요 ending).

To be more formal, you’d say 있습니다.
To be casual with friends, you could say 있어.
Changing the ending adjusts the politeness level.

Can I omit 저는 and just say 지금 시간이 있어요?

Yes. Korean often drops the topic or subject when it’s clear from context. 지금 시간이 있어요 still means “I have time now,” especially if you’ve already established that you’re talking about yourself.

Could I rearrange the word order, for example 지금 저는 시간이 있어요?

Yes. Korean word order is relatively flexible because particles mark each word’s role.

지금 저는 시간이 있어요 places extra emphasis on “I.”
시간이 있어요 지금 sounds awkward—time adverbs like 지금 usually precede the main clause.

Is there another way to say “I have time” in Korean?

You could use 여유가 있어요 (여유 = “leisure,” “free time”) for a slightly more formal or nuanced expression: 저는 지금 여유가 있어요 (“I have free time now”).