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oneul hoeuiga isseoseo sae oseul ibeoyo.

오늘 회의가 있어서 새 옷을 입어요.oneul hoeuiga isseoseo sae oseul ibeoyo.
I’m wearing new clothes today because I have a meeting.
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Questions & Answers about oneul hoeuiga isseoseo sae oseul ibeoyo.

Why does 회의 take -가 (회의가) instead of -은/는?

-가/이 marks the subject of the clause, and here 회의가 있어서 means because there is a meeting. The meeting is the thing that exists, so it’s natural to mark it with -가.

  • 회의가 있어서 = because a meeting exists / because there is a meeting
    You could use 회의는 있어서 in some contexts, but it sounds more contrastive (like as for the meeting, it exists...) and is less neutral here.
What exactly does 있어서 mean, and how is it formed?

있어서 is 있다 (to exist / to have) + -어서 (because/so, and then).

  • 있다 → 있어서 = because there is… / since I have…
    So 회의가 있어서 literally means because there is a meeting.
Is -어서/-아서 always “because”? Could it also mean “and then”?

Yes, -아서/-어서 can express: 1) Reason/cause: 회의가 있어서 = because there’s a meeting
2) Sequence: (in other sentences) 집에 가서 쉬어요 = I go home and then rest
In this sentence, the natural reading is reason (meeting → wearing new clothes).

Why is 오늘 at the beginning? Can it move?

오늘 (today) is a time word and can move fairly freely:

  • 오늘 회의가 있어서 새 옷을 입어요.
  • 회의가 오늘 있어서 새 옷을 입어요. (less common / can sound a bit marked) Most commonly, time words come early, so starting with 오늘 sounds natural.
There’s no 저는/제가. Is the subject missing?

Yes—Korean often omits the subject when it’s obvious from context.

  • (I) 오늘 회의가 있어서 새 옷을 입어요.
    If you want to be explicit:
  • 저는 오늘 회의가 있어서 새 옷을 입어요. = As for me, because I have a meeting today, I wear new clothes.
What does 새 옷 mean exactly? Is it “a new outfit” or “new clothes”?

새 옷 literally means new clothes (새 = new, 옷 = clothes). In real usage it can refer to:

  • a new piece of clothing, or
  • a new outfit (what you’re wearing as a set), depending on context. If you want to be very specific, you can say:
  • 새 옷 한 벌 = a new set/outfit (one set of clothes)
Why is the object particle -을 used: 새 옷을 입어요?

입다 (to wear/put on) takes a direct object: you wear something. So 옷을 is the object marked with -을. In casual speech, particles are sometimes dropped:

  • 새 옷 입어요 (still understandable, less formal)
Does 입어요 mean “I’m wearing (right now)” or “I will wear”?

It can cover both, depending on context:

  • present/future intention: “I’m going to wear new clothes (for the meeting).”
  • habit/general: “When I have meetings, I wear new clothes.”
    If you want to make the future more explicit, you can say:
  • 입을 거예요 = I’m going to wear
What’s the difference between 입어요 and 입습니다?

They’re the same verb and tense, different politeness levels:

  • 입어요 = polite informal (common in conversation)
  • 입습니다 = polite formal (more formal settings, presentations, news, business tone)
Could I replace 있어서 with 때문에? What changes?

Yes. Both mean because, but the feel changes slightly:

  • 회의가 있어서 = natural, conversational, often “because I have/there is…”
  • 회의 때문에 or 회의가 있기 때문에 = more explicit, a bit more formal/analytic
    Examples:
  • 오늘 회의가 있어서 새 옷을 입어요. (very natural)
  • 오늘 회의가 있기 때문에 새 옷을 입어요. (more formal, slightly heavier)