sigani eobseoseo pyeonjireul mos sseoyo.

I can’t write a letter because I don’t have time.

Breakdown of sigani eobseoseo pyeonjireul mos sseoyo.

• ~이: subject particle
• ~을: object particle
• 시간: time
• 없다: to not have

Questions & Answers about sigani eobseoseo pyeonjireul mos sseoyo.

Why is 없어서 used instead of 없어요?

없어서 combines the verb 없다 with the connective ending -아서/어서 to express cause or reason.
So 시간이 없어서 means “because I don’t have time.”
If you simply said 시간이 없어요, you’d only be stating “I don’t have time,” without directly linking it to the next clause.

How do you conjugate 없다 to get 없어서?

1. Remove the dictionary ending -다 from 없다 to get the stem 없-.
2. According to Korean vowel harmony, since the stem vowel is ㅓ, you attach -어서 (not -아서).
3. Combine them: 없
   • 어서 = 없어서.

What does the connective -아서/어서 express here?

The ending -아서/어서 links two clauses by showing that the first clause is the reason or cause for the second.
In 시간이 없어서 편지를 못 써요, it tells us “(I) can’t write a letter” because “(I) don’t have time.”

Could I use 없고 instead of 없어서?

No. The ending simply means “and” (as in sequential actions or listing).