Learn Hardcore Korean: sasil oneul sigani eobseoyo. - Actually, I don’t have time today.

사실 adds a softening/correcting nuance like actually / in fact / to be honest. It often signals you’re clarifying or gently contradicting expectations.
Common placements:
- Sentence-initial: 사실 오늘 시간이 없어요. (most natural)
- After the time word: 오늘 사실 시간이 없어요. (also fine)
With a topic marker:
- 사실은 오늘 시간이 없어요. adds a contrastive feel (“As for the truth, today I don’t have time” → implies contrast with what was assumed).
A near-synonym:
- 실은 오늘 시간이 없어요. feels a bit softer/colloquial, like “to tell you the truth.”

Why is there no particle after 오늘? Should it be 오늘은?

Time words like 오늘 often function adverbially without a particle: 오늘 시간이 없어요 is perfectly natural.
Adding the topic marker changes nuance:
- 오늘은 시간이 없어요. = “As for today, I don’t have time” (contrastive: maybe other days I do).
Using 오늘에 here is unusual. -에 marks a point in time for events (“at/on”), but 시간이 없다 describes a general state. If you strongly want contrast at a time point, 오늘에는 can appear, but 오늘은 is far more common.

Why is it 시간이 and not 시간을?

With 있다/없다 (to have/not have; to exist/not exist), the thing possessed or existing takes the subject marker -이/가:
- 시간이 없어요 = “(There) is no time” → “I don’t have time.”
시간을 없어요 is ungrammatical.
In casual speech, the subject marker can be dropped: 시간 없어요 (still natural).

Where is the “I” in this sentence?

Korean often drops pronouns when obvious from context. Here, the speaker is understood as the possessor.
You can make it explicit:
- Topic: 저는 오늘 시간이 없어요. (As for me…)
- Focus on “I”: 제가 오늘 시간이 없어요. (It’s I who don’t have time, not someone else.)
- Dative (more explicit “to me”/“for me”): 저에게(는) 오늘 시간이 없어요.

How polite is 없어요, and what are other levels?

없어 = casual intimate.
없어요 = polite informal (default in most daily interactions).
없습니다 = formal polite (announcements, business).
Honorific when the possessor is someone you respect:
- 선생님 오늘 시간이 없으세요. (“The teacher doesn’t have time today.”)

How do you pronounce this naturally?

사실: sa-sil
오늘: o-neul (the ㄹ is a light flap; sounds like “o-neul,” not “o-nul”)
시간이: shi-ga-ni (ㅅ before ㅣ sounds like “sh”)
없어요: eop-sseo-yo, commonly heard as “업써요”
- Note: In 없어요, the final ㅄ simplifies and the following vowel brings out an “ss” sound: many learners memorize it as “업써요.”

Can I say 안 있어요 instead of 없어요?

For possession/existence, use 없어요, not 안 있어요. So say 시간이 없어요, not 시간이 안 있어요.
안 있어요 is used for “not being present” at a location: 저 지금 집에 안 있어요 (“I’m not at home right now”).

What are natural alternative ways to say the same idea?

Can I drop the subject marker 이 after 시간?

Yes. In speech, 오늘 시간 없어요 is very common.
Nuance with different particles:
- 시간이 없어요: plain statement.
- 시간은 없어요: contrast (e.g., “I don’t have time, but…”).

Is the comma after 사실 required?

No. You can write 사실 오늘 시간이 없어요 or 사실, 오늘 시간이 없어요. In speech, you’ll naturally insert a slight pause after 사실.

How do I change tense?

Past: 사실 어제 시간이 없었어요. (“Actually, I didn’t have time yesterday.”)
Future/likely: 사실 내일 시간 없을 거예요. (“Actually, I probably won’t have time tomorrow.”)
Scheduled/formal: 사실 내일은 시간이 없습니다.

How do I ask “Do you have time today?” politely?

Is there any word order I should avoid?

Keep the time-setting early and the subject before the verb:
- Natural: 사실 오늘 시간이 없어요. / 오늘 사실 시간이 없어요.
- Unnatural: 시간이 오늘 없어요 (sounds off; “오늘” shouldn’t usually split the subject from its predicate).
You can also put 사실 just before the predicate for emphasis: 오늘 시간이 사실 없어요 (emphasizes the “actually no” part).