neutge jaseo pigonhaeyo.

(I'm tired because I slept late.)

Breakdown of neutge jaseo pigonhaeyo.

• 자다: to sleep
• 피곤하다: tired
• 늦게: late

Questions & Answers about neutge jaseo pigonhaeyo.

What part of speech is 늦게, and what does it mean?

늦게 is an adverb meaning “late” or “later than usual”. It modifies the verb 자다, telling you when the action happens: “to sleep late.”

Why is there a -서 at the end of 자서?

The connector -서 (from -아/어서) links two clauses by expressing cause or reason.

• 자다 → verb stem 자-
  • -서 → 자서
    So 자서 means “because (I) slept…” or “having slept…”.

How do we know when the action of sleeping happened? Is it past or present?

The tense of the whole sentence is determined by the final verb, not by -서.

• Final verb: 피곤해요 is present tense (“I am tired”).
  So the sentence means “Because I slept late, I’m tired.”

What’s the difference between using -서 and -(으)니까 to show cause?

Both express reason, but:

• -서 is more neutral and common in narrative or everyday speech.
• -(으)니까 can sound more explicit or directive (often used when giving explanations or instructions).
  Example:
  • 늦게 자서 피곤해요. (neutral cause)
  • 늦게 자니까 피곤해요. (slightly more emphatic “since I slept late…”)

Why is the ending -해요 used on 피곤하다?

피곤하다 (“to be tired”) is a 하다-verb (an adjective-like verb). In polite informal speech (해요체), you:

1. Drop -다 → 피곤하
2. Change 하 to 해요 → 피곤해요
   This makes the sentence polite and appropriate for most situations.

Can the subject 저 (I) appear in this sentence?

Yes, but Koreans often omit subjects when they’re clear from context. You can say:
저는 늦게 자서 피곤해요.
—but dropping 저는 is more natural in casual conversation.

Could I use past tense for 피곤해요?

If you want to describe being tired in the past, use 피곤했어요:
늦게 자서 피곤했어요.
That means “Because I slept late, I was tired.”

Are there other ways to say “sleep late” in Korean?

Yes, for example:

• 밤늦게 자다 (“sleep at a late hour of the night”)
• 늦은 밤에 자다 (“sleep late at night”)
  But 늦게 자다 is the simplest and most common.