naneun oneul neutjameul jaseo hoesa-e jogeum neujeosseo.

I overslept today, so I was a bit late to work.

Breakdown of naneun oneul neutjameul jaseo hoesa-e jogeum neujeosseo.

• ~에: destination particle
• ~을: object particle
• ~는: topic particle
• 나: I
• 오늘: today
• 회사: company
• 자다: to sleep
• 늦다: late
• ~아서: so
• 조금: a little
• 늦잠: oversleep

Questions & Answers about naneun oneul neutjameul jaseo hoesa-e jogeum neujeosseo.

Why is it 나는 and not 저는? What politeness level is this?

• 나는 … 늦었어 is informal/casual (banmal), used with friends or peers.
• Polite neutral: 저는 오늘 늦잠을 자서 회사에 조금 늦었어요.
• Formal/deferential: 저는 오늘 늦잠을 자서 회사에 조금 늦었습니다.
• Switch 나 → 저 and -어/어 endings → -어요/습니다 when speaking politely.

What’s the difference between 는 and 이/가 here? Could I say 내가 오늘…?

• 는 marks the topic: “as for me…,” setting the scene.
• 이/가 marks the grammatical subject and often adds emphasis/new info.
• 내가 오늘 늦잠을 자서… 늦었어 emphasizes that it was specifically “I” (not someone else).

Can I drop 나는 entirely?

Yes. Subjects/topics are often omitted when clear from context: 오늘 늦잠을 자서 회사에 조금 늦었어.
Casual speech also contracts 나는 → 난: 난 오늘…

Why 늦잠을 자서 and not 늦잠을 잤어서?

• In reason clauses, Korean typically does not mark past tense: use V-아서/어서.
• 늦잠을 자서 … 늦었어 sounds most natural.
• 잤어서 is heard but often feels heavier/less natural.

What nuance does -아서/어서 have compared with -니까 or 때문에?

• -아서/어서: neutral, natural cause-and-effect. 늦잠을 자서 늦었어.
• -니까: speaker’s reasoning/justification; slightly more assertive. 늦잠을 잤으니까 늦었어.
• N 때문에: noun-based cause. 늦잠 때문에 늦었어.
• For requests/commands, prefer -니까 over -아서/어서.

Why is it 회사에 and not 회사에서?

• -에 marks a destination/target: be late to somewhere. 회사에 늦다 = be late for work.
• -에서 marks the place where an action happens, which doesn’t fit with 늦다 here.

Is 회사에 늦다 natural? Are there alternatives?

Yes, it’s natural. Alternatives by nuance:

• 회사에 지각했어. (formal/HR-ish)
• 회사에 늦게 갔어. (focuses on going late)
• 출근이 늦었어. / 출근을 늦게 했어.

Why use 조금? How is it different from 좀?

• 조금 = a little/slightly; softens the statement.
• 좀 is the colloquial contraction; same meaning here. 회사에 좀 늦었어.
• 조금 can sound a touch more careful/formal; 좀 is extremely common in speech.

Does 늦었어 mean “was late” or “am late”? What if I’m on my way?

• 늦었어 is past/completed: you’ve ended up late (e.g., arrived late).
• If you will be late: 늦을 것 같아 / 늦을 거야.
• If you’ve already realized you’re late now, texting 나 늦었어 implies “I’m late (already).”

What does 늦잠 literally mean, and why is there an object marker -을?

• 늦잠 literally “late sleep.” With the light verb 자다, you get 늦잠(을) 자다.
• The object marker -을 is optional: 늦잠을 자다 and 늦잠 자다 are both fine.

Can I omit other particles here?

• You can omit 을 after 늦잠 and drop 나는: 오늘 늦잠 자서 회사에 좀 늦었어.
• Don’t drop -에 after 회사 in this sentence; 회사 늦었어 sounds odd.

Can I change the word order, like 오늘 나는 or move 조금?

• Yes. 오늘 나는 늦잠을 자서… adds emphasis on “today.”
• Keep 조금 close to what it modifies: 회사에 조금 늦었어 or simply 조금 늦었어.

Is 늦다 an adjective or a verb in Korean? How does that affect conjugation?

• 늦다 is a descriptive verb (adjective-like) but conjugates like verbs: 늦어 / 늦었어 / 늦어요.
• No irregular changes are involved.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

• 나는 is often spoken as 난.
• 늦었어 is pronounced roughly as [느젓써].
• 조금 is often [쪼금] in casual speech.
• A natural casual read: 난 오늘 늦잠 자서 회사에 좀 늦었어.

Could I use -느라 instead of -아서?

• Yes: 늦잠 자느라 회사에 늦었어.
• -느라 highlights being occupied with A, causing a (usually negative) result B. It’s a bit more colloquial/emphatic about the reason.

How do I say I specifically “overslept”?

• 늦잠을 자다 often covers “overslept,” but to be explicit:
  • 알람을 못 들어서 회사에 늦었어.
  • 늦게 일어나서 회사에 늦었어.