Learn Hardcore Korean: geurigo achimeneun neutge ireonayo.

In Korean, 그리고 means and or and then. Starting a sentence with 그리고 is common in casual or spoken contexts to continue a story or add information. It doesn’t sound as formal as omitting it, but it’s perfectly natural in daily conversation. If you want a more stand-alone sentence, you can simply drop 그리고.

What does 아침에는 mean, and why is the particle -에는 used instead of just -에?

아침에는 combines 아침 (morning) with the topic/contrast marker -에는, so it means as for mornings. This highlights that you’re specifically talking about mornings, often implying a contrast with other times of day (e.g., evenings). If you just want to say in the morning without that contrast nuance, you can use 아침에.

Why is 늦게 used here instead of 늦다?

늦게 is the adverb form of 늦다 (to be late). To modify the verb 일어나요 (wake up), you need the adverb 늦게—hence 늦게 일어나요, meaning wake up late. Using the adjective 늦다 before a verb wouldn’t be grammatically correct.

What does 일어나요 mean, and what does the -요 ending indicate?

일어나요 is the polite present-tense form of 일어나다, which means to wake up or to get up. The -요 ending marks the polite speech level, which is commonly used with strangers, acquaintances, or in everyday informal settings.

Could this sentence be in the past tense? How would you say I woke up late in the morning?

Yes. To express past tense, change 일어나요 to 일어났어요. You get:
그리고 아침에는 늦게 일어났어요.
This means And in the mornings, I woke up late (habitually or in a particular instance).

Why is the word order 늦게 일어나요 instead of putting 늦게 after 일어나요?

In Korean, adverbs like 늦게 typically come before the verb they modify. Placing 늦게 after 일어나요 would break the natural adverb-verb order and sound awkward.

Can I express oversleeping in another way, for example with 늦잠?

Yes. 늦잠 literally means “late sleep” or oversleep. You can say 아침에는 늦잠을 자요 for In the morning, I oversleep. This is a very common alternative to 늦게 일어나요.

Does 늦게 일어나요 imply a habit or just a one-time action?

In Korean, present-tense statements often describe habitual actions or general tendencies. So 늦게 일어나요 usually means I habitually wake up late rather than referring to a single occasion.