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Questions & Answers about iljeongi bappaseo eoje hoesige mos gasseo.
Who is the subject here? There’s no “I.”
Korean often omits obvious subjects. In this context, the speaker is clearly talking about themselves, so “I” is understood. If you want to make it explicit, you can add:
- Casual: 나는/내가
- Polite: 저는/제가 Example: 제가 일정이 바빠서 어제 회식에 못 갔어요.
Is it natural to say “일정이 바빠서”? Can a schedule be “busy”?
Yes, it’s idiomatic. It literally means “the schedule is busy,” which corresponds to “my schedule is full.” Alternatives with slightly different nuances:
- 일정이 많아서 (I had many things scheduled)
- 일정이 빡빡해서 (my schedule was tight/packed)
- 스케줄이 꽉 차서 (loanword; schedule was full)
- If you want a noun-based reason: 일정 때문에
Why use the connector -아서/어서 in 바빠서? How is it different from -니까 or 때문에?
- -아서/어서: neutral, factual cause-and-effect. Very natural here: 일정이 바빠서 …
- -니까: often used to justify a claim or for giving reasons before a request/command. Also fine: 일정이 바쁘니까 …
- -기 때문에 / 때문에: a bit more formal/explanatory. With a verb/adjective, use -기 때문에; with a noun, 때문에. E.g., 바빴기 때문에, 일정 때문에.
Can I say 바빴어서 since the event was yesterday?