Learn Hardcore Korean: eopmuga manhaseo sigani deo jungyohaejyeosseoyo. - Because I have a lot of work, time has become more important.

-아서/어서 attaches to a verb or adjective stem to express cause/reason (“because/so”), or sequence (“and then”).
Here, 많아서 (from 많다, “to be many/much”) means “because (there is) a lot.”
So 업무가 많아서 = “Because there is a lot of work (work is a lot).”
In reason clauses, -아서/어서 is natural and common in speech and writing.

Why is it 업무가, not 업무는?

-가/이 marks the grammatical subject; -는/은 marks the topic/contrast.
In a reason clause like 업무가 많아서, the subject marker is the default and sounds neutral/natural.
업무는 많아서… is possible but adds a contrastive nuance (“as for the work, it’s a lot, so…”), making listeners expect a contrast or follow-up.

Can I say 일이 많아서 instead of 업무가 많아서?

Yes. 일 is more general and everyday (“work/tasks”), while 업무 is more formal/business-like (“duties, official tasks”).
All natural:
- 일이 많아서… (very common)
- 회사 일이 많아서… (specifies it’s company work)
- 업무가 많아서… (office/formal tone)
- 업무량이 많아서… (“the workload is high”)

Does 업무가 많아서 mean “I have a lot of work,” even though the subject is “work”?

Yes. Korean often describes the state of the work itself (“work is a lot”) to imply “I have a lot of work.”
Be careful: 많이 일해서 means “because I worked a lot” (you performed lots of work), which is a different nuance.

What does 더 do in 시간이 더 중요해졌어요?

더 means “more.” It makes a comparative statement relative to a prior state: “Time has become more important (than before).”
You can intensify with 훨씬 더 (“much more”).

Why use 중요해졌어요 (“became important”) instead of 중요했어요 (“was important”)?

중요해졌어요 expresses a change of state: it wasn’t as important before, but now it has become more important.
중요했어요 simply states it was important at that time; it doesn’t highlight a change.

How is 중요해졌어요 formed?

Base adjective: 중요하다 (to be important).
Change-of-state pattern: A-아/어지다 → 중요해지다 (“to become important”).
Past polite: 중요해졌어요.
Note the contraction: 지었어요 → 졌어요 (so you get 중요해졌어요, not “지었어요”).
Other examples: 바빠졌어요 (became busy), 추워졌어요 (became cold), 편해졌어요 (became comfortable).

Could I say 시간이 더 중요해요 instead?

You can, but the nuance changes.
중요해요 states a present fact.
중요해졌어요 emphasizes that a change has occurred (likely due to the increased workload). If that “change” idea matters, keep -아/어졌어요.

Why is 시간이 marked with -이? Could I use 시간은?

시간이 marks “time” as the subject in a neutral way.
시간은 adds a topic/contrast nuance: “As for time, (it) has become more important,” often implying a contrast with something else (e.g., “money is less important, but time is more important”).
Both are grammatical; choose based on emphasis.

Can I use -니까 instead of -아서? For example, 업무가 많으니까…?

Yes. -니까 also gives a reason.
Nuance: -니까 sounds a bit more explanatory/firm and is often used when giving suggestions, commands, or conclusions. -아서 is slightly softer and very common in simple reason statements.
Here, both are fine: 업무가 많아서/많으니까 시간이 더 중요해졌어요.

What about 때문에? Is 업무 때문에 okay?

Yes:
- 업무가 많기 때문에 시간이 더 중요해졌어요 (more formal/written).
- 업무 때문에 시간이 더 중요해졌어요 (“because of work” in general; it doesn’t explicitly say “a lot,” just that work is the cause).
업무가 많아서 specifically encodes “there is a lot of work.”

Is 많았어서 acceptable, or should it be 많아서?

In reason clauses, Korean typically uses the non-past form with -아서/어서 for states: 많아서 is the standard, natural choice.
많았어서 is heard in casual speech but is often avoided in careful writing. If you need to mark past explicitly, prefer:
- 업무가 많았기 때문에…
- 업무가 많았던 탓에… (more literary/nuanced)

Could I say 더 중요하게 되었어요 instead of 더 중요해졌어요?

Yes.
-게 되다 (“come to be/do”) is slightly more formal or explanatory; -아/어지다 is more colloquial and very productive with adjectives.
Both mean “(it) came to be more important.”
Examples:
- 더 중요해졌어요 (natural, everyday)
- 더 중요하게 되었어요 (a bit more formal/written)

Do I need to specify “to me,” like 저에게 or 저한테는?

Not necessary. Korean often omits the experiencer when context makes it obvious.
If you want to make it explicit or contrastive, you can say:
- 저한테는 시간이 더 중요해졌어요. (“For me, time has become more important.”)

Is there a more casual/colloquial way to say this?

Common colloquial variants:
- 일이 많아 가지고 시간이 더 중요해졌어요. (using -아/어 가지고)
- 일이 너무 많아서 시간 진짜 더 중요해졌어요. (adds 너무, 진짜 for speechy emphasis)

Any pronunciation tips for parts of this sentence?

Can I change the word order?

Base order (reason → result) is natural: 업무가 많아서 시간이 더 중요해졌어요.
Splitting for emphasis is okay in speech: 시간이 더 중요해졌어요. 업무가 많아서.
Don’t move 더 in front of 시간; 더 시간이 is ungrammatical. 더 modifies 중요하다, not the noun.

Are there synonyms for 중요해졌어요 that fit well here?