Learn Hardcore Korean: jeoneun jigeum jogeum bappayo.

저 is the humble/polite pronoun for “I,” while 나 is the informal/plain form. The particle -는 is the topic marker (“as for…”), so 저는 literally means “as for me” in polite speech. English learners often start with 저는 to sound respectful.

What’s the function and position of 지금 in the sentence?

지금 means “now” and acts as a time adverb. In Korean, time expressions usually come before the verb or adjective, often immediately after the subject/topic:
저는 (topic) + 지금 (time) + …

What does 조금 mean, and can I say 좀 instead?

조금 means “a little” or “a bit.” 좀 is its colloquial contraction used in everyday speech. In most contexts, 조금 바빠요 and 좀 바빠요 are interchangeable, though 조금 is slightly more formal.

Why is the adjective 바쁘다 conjugated to 바빠요 here?

To form the polite present tense of Korean adjectives (형용사), you drop -다 and add -아요 or -어요. Since 바쁘다 ends with the vowel ㅡ, you remove the ㅡ and add 어요:
바쁘 + 어요 → 바빠요

Is 바쁘다 considered a verb or an adjective in Korean?

바쁘다 is an adjective (형용사), but adjectives in Korean conjugate similarly to verbs. You can say 바빠요 (present), 바빴어요 (past), 바쁠 거예요 (future), etc.

What does the ending -요 add to 바빠요?

The -요 ending makes the sentence polite (존댓말). It’s the standard polite form used with strangers, colleagues, or anyone you’re showing basic respect to.

Can I drop 저는 and just say 지금 조금 바빠요?

Yes. Korean often omits the subject/topic when it’s clear from context. 지금 조금 바빠요 still means “I’m a bit busy right now,” especially in casual conversation.

How would I say “I’m very busy right now” instead of “a little busy”?

Replace 조금 with a stronger adverb like 정말 (really), 매우 (very), or 너무 (too/very):
– 저는 지금 정말 바빠요.
– 저는 지금 너무 바빠요.

How do I express the same idea in informal (반말) speech?

In casual speech with friends or younger people, use the plain pronoun 나, drop -요, and you can use 좀 for “a bit”:
– 나 지금 좀 바빠.
or even shorter:
– 지금 바빠.