Learn Hardcore Korean: jeoneun bame neutge jayo.

저 means I (the humble form of “I”). The particle -는 is the topic marker, so 저는 literally means “as for me.” It introduces you as the topic. If you used 제가 (저 + -가), you’d be marking yourself as the subject rather than the topic, which can shift emphasis and nuance.

Why do we say 밤에 instead of just 밤?

The particle -에 marks a specific point in time. 밤에 means “at night.” Without -에, 밤 would be just a noun (“night”) and wouldn’t clearly express “when” the action takes place.

What does 늦게 mean, and how is it formed?

늦게 is an adverb meaning “late.” It comes from the adjective 늦다 (“to be late”). To form an adverb from an adjective ending in -다, you usually replace -다 with -게, so 늦다 → 늦게.

What is 자요, and how does its ending work?

자요 is the polite present-tense form of the verb 자다 (“to sleep”). You take the verb stem 자-, add the polite ending -아요, and then it contracts: 자 + 아요 → 자요. This -요 ending makes the sentence polite but still relatively casual.

How can I change the politeness level of this sentence?

• More formal: 저는 밤에 늦게 잡니다. (use the formal ending -ㅂ니다)
• Casual/informal: 나는 밤에 늦게 자. (use plain speech, drop -요)
• Honorific (when talking about someone respected): (어른께서는) 밤에 늦게 주무세요. (use the honorific verb 주무시다)

Is it possible to omit 저는 in this sentence?

Yes. Korean often drops the topic when it’s clear from context. You can simply say 밤에 늦게 자요. The listener understands you’re talking about yourself unless context suggests otherwise.

Why is the word order 밤에 늦게 자요? Can I say 늦게 밤에 자요?

Typical Korean order is: time → manner/adverb → verb. So “at night” (밤에) comes before “late” (늦게). Saying 늦게 밤에 자요 isn’t wrong grammatically, but it sounds awkward and less natural.

What’s the difference between 밤에 늦게 자요 and 밤늦게 자요?

• 밤에 늦게 자요 breaks it into a time phrase (at night) plus an adverb (late).
• 밤늦게 자요 combines them into one compound adverb: “late at night.” It’s more colloquial and flows as a single unit.

How do you say “I go to bed late at night” instead of “I sleep late at night”?

To express “go to sleep,” you can use -러 가다:
저는 밤에 늦게 자러 가요.
Literally “I go to sleep late at night.” Note that if you’re already in bed, Koreans often just say 늦게 자요 because the “go” part is implied.

When do you use -에 versus -에서 with time expressions?

• -에 marks a specific point in time: 밤에, 3시에, 월요일에 (“at night,” “at 3 o’clock,” “on Monday”).
• -에서 indicates the starting point of an action in time or location: 아침 7시에서 출발해요 (“I depart from 7 AM”) or for durations/location. You wouldn’t use -에서 for a simple “at night” statement.