jeoneun sueobe neutge gayo.

I go to class late.

Breakdown of jeoneun sueobe neutge gayo.

• 가다: to go
• ~에: destination particle
• 저: I
• ~는: topic particle
• 수업: class
• 늦다: late

Questions & Answers about jeoneun sueobe neutge gayo.

Why is 저는 used at the beginning instead of 제가?

저는 uses the topic marker -는, which sets “I” as the topic of the sentence (“As for me…”). 제가 would use the subject marker -가, which emphasizes “I” as the doer of the action (“It is I who…”). In everyday speech, Koreans often introduce themselves with 저는 to state something about themselves. If you want to stress that you (and not someone else) are late, you might choose 제가.

What does the particle 에 do in 수업에?

The particle -에 marks a point in time or a destination/location. In 수업에, it indicates the event you’re heading to (“to class”). So 수업에 가요 literally means “I go to (attend) class.” Combined with 늦게, it becomes “I go to class late.”

Why is 늦게 used here instead of 늦다?

늦다 is a descriptive verb (adjective) meaning “to be late.” To modify the verb 가다 (“to go”), you need the adverb form 늦게, created by adding -게 to the verb stem. Thus 늦게 가요 means “go late.” You cannot say 늦다 가요.

Why is the verb 가요 (“goes/going”) used rather than 오다 (“come”) or 도착해요 (“arrives”)?

Korean uses 가다 when the speaker is moving toward a place that is viewed as “away” from both speaker and listener—here, the classroom. 오다 would imply movement toward the speaker’s current location. 도착해요 (“arrives”) focuses on the moment of arrival, but 가요 simply describes going there, which is more natural when saying you’re late.

Could I say 수업에 늦어요 instead of 수업에 늦게 가요?

Not exactly. 수업에 늦어요 attempts to use 늦다 directly as a verb (“be late to class”), but Korean prefers to treat 늦다 as a descriptive verb and link actions with -게 + a movement verb (가요/와요). If you want a single verb, you’d normally say 수업에 지각해요 (“I’m late for class”).

What level of politeness is 가요, and how can I make it more or less formal?

가요 is the standard polite form (해요체) in present tense. To raise formality, you could say 수업에 늦게 갑니다. To be more casual (with close friends), you could use 가: 수업에 늦게 가 or 수업에 늦게 가야 돼.

Can 저는 be omitted in this sentence? What changes?

Yes, Korean often drops the topic if it’s clear from context. 수업에 늦게 가요 by itself is perfectly natural if you’re already talking about yourself. Omitting 저는 makes the sentence shorter and less formal, but the meaning stays the same.

What’s the difference between saying 수업에 늦게 가요 and 수업에 지각해요?

• 수업에 늦게 가요 literally “I go to class late,” focusing on the manner of going.
• 수업에 지각해요 uses 지각하다 (“to be late/arrive late”) as a single verb, so it emphasizes the state of being late or the act of arriving late. Both are correct; the former sounds more conversational, the latter a bit more formal or textbook style.