beoseureul nohchyeosseo.

I missed the bus.

Breakdown of beoseureul nohchyeosseo.

• ~를: object particle
• 버스: bus
• 놓치다: to miss

Questions & Answers about beoseureul nohchyeosseo.

Why is there no subject like “I” in the sentence?

Korean often drops the subject when it’s clear from context. Here, the understood subject is 나 (I).

• You can include it for clarity or emphasis:
  • Casual: 나 버스를 놓쳤어. / 나는 버스를 놓쳤어.
  • Polite: 저는 버스를 놓쳤어요.
• Nuance:
  • 나는 sets “I” as the topic (as for me…).
  • 내가 marks “I” as the subject with a bit more emphasis: 내가 버스를 놓쳤어.

What’s the politeness level of 놓쳤어, and how do I make it more/less polite?

• 놓쳤어: informal casual (반말).
• Standard polite: 놓쳤어요.
• Formal polite: 놓쳤습니다.
• Honorific (the subject is someone you respect): 놓치셨어요.
• Very casual narrative/written style: 놓쳤다.

Why is 를/을 used after 버스? Could I use 가/이 instead?

• 놓치다 is a transitive verb (“to miss”), so its object takes the object particle 를/을: 버스를 놓쳤어.
• 가/이 marks the subject, so 버스가 would make “the bus” the subject of the sentence, which doesn’t fit here. Example where it does fit: 버스가 벌써 떠났어 (The bus already left).