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ohu 6sie samusireul tteonayo.

오후 6시에 사무실을 떠나요.ohu 6sie samusireul tteonayo.
I leave the office at 6 p.m.
FromLesson 13inHardcore Korean
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Questions & Answers about ohu 6sie samusireul tteonayo.

What does 오후 6시에 consist of, and how does each part work?
  • 오후: “PM” or “in the afternoon.”
  • 6시: “six o’clock.” Here, 시 is the counter for hours.
  • -에: the time particle meaning “at.” We attach -에 to specific time points.
Why is the hour expressed with a Sino-Korean number in 6시, and could you use a native-Korean number instead?
  • Clock hours always use Sino-Korean numbers (일시, 이시, 육시, etc.).
  • Native-Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋…) are used for counting items or durations (e.g. 한 시간, 두 시간) but not for the o’clock marker.
Why is 사무실 followed by -을 in 사무실을 떠나요? Can we use -에서 instead?
  • 떠나다 (to leave/depart) is treated as a transitive verb here, so its “place of departure” takes the object marker -을/-를.
  • You can say 사무실에서 떠나요 (treating 떠나다 more intransitively), but 사무실을 떠나요 is the idiomatic choice.
  • By contrast, verbs like 나가다 (to go out) normally use -에서: 사무실에서 나가요.
What’s the difference in nuance between 떠나요, 나가요, and 퇴근해요 when talking about leaving the office?
  • 떠나다: “to depart/leave” – neutral, formal enough for general use.
  • 나가다: “to go out” – focuses on the act of stepping outside.
  • 퇴근하다: “to leave work/clock out” – specifically ending your workday.
    Examples:
    • 오후 6시에 사무실을 떠나요 = I depart the office at 6 PM.
    • 오후 6시에 사무실에서 나가요 = I go out of the office at 6 PM.
    • 오후 6시에 퇴근해요 = I get off work at 6 PM.
What speech level is 떠나요, and how could I make it more or less polite?
  • 떠나요 uses the 해요체 (polite informal) level, recognizable by the -요 ending.
  • More formal: 떠납니다 (합니다체).
  • Less formal (casual/반말): drop 요 → 떠나.
How would you say “I leave the office at 6 PM” in casual (반말) Korean?
  • 오후 6시에 사무실을 떠나.
  • You can even drop 오후 in casual chat if context makes it clear: 6시에 사무실 떠나.
How can I change 떠나요 to past or future tense?
  • Past: 떠났어요
    → 오후 6시에 사무실을 떠났어요 (I left the office at 6 PM).
  • Future (planned): 떠날 거예요 (polite) or 떠날 거야 (casual)
    → 오후 6시에 사무실을 떠날 거예요 (I will leave the office at 6 PM).
Why is there no subject in the sentence? How do you know who is doing the action?
  • Korean often omits the subject when it’s clear from context.
  • If you need to specify “I,” add 저는 or 제가:
    → 저는 오후 6시에 사무실을 떠나요.
Can I rearrange the word order—e.g. 사무실을 오후 6시에 떠나요 or 떠나요 오후 6시에 사무실을?
  • You can say 사무실을 오후 6시에 떠나요, but it’s more natural to put time first (오후 6시에 사무실을 떠나요).
  • The verb must come last; 떠나요 오후 6시에 사무실을 is ungrammatical in standard Korean.
Does 떠나요 here imply a habitual action or a scheduled future event?
  • The present tense -아요/어요 form in Korean can express both:
    • Habitual (“I usually leave at 6 PM.”)
    • Scheduled near future (“I’ll leave at 6 PM.”)
  • Context (e.g. conversation about your routine vs. tomorrow’s plan) clarifies which.

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“How do speech levels work in Korean?”
Korean has multiple speech levels that indicate formality and politeness. The most common are the formal polite (‑습니다/‑ㅂ니다), informal polite (‑아요/‑어요), and casual (‑아/‑어) forms. Which level you use depends on who you're speaking to and the social context.

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