자고 있어요
jago isseoyo
I am sleeping in Korean is 자고 있어요 (jago isseoyo).
This phrase is used to state that the speaker is currently in the act of sleeping. In Korean, the subject I is often omitted from the sentence when the context makes it clear that the speaker is talking about themselves.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 자고 있어요 is composed of the verb stem 자- (to sleep), the connective -고 which indicates a continuous action and 있어요 (to be/exist/stay).
How does it change in a sentence?
You can change the level of formality by adjusting the endings. To move from the polite 자고 있어요 to the informal 자고 있어, you simply drop the polite ending 요. To make the phrase more formal, you can use 자고 있습니다 instead of 자고 있어요.
How do you pronounce it?
jago isseoyo
Did you know?
- While English speakers might say 'I'm sleeping' to mean they are tired, Koreans use the expression 잠이 오다, which literally translates to 'sleep is coming'. It treats sleep as an external force arriving to visit the person.
- When someone is sleeping deeply, Koreans may describe them as being 떡실신, a slang term that implies they have collapsed into a state of total unconsciousness like a fallen piece of rice cake.
- If you are speaking to someone much older or of much higher social status, you would not use the verb stem 자- but rather the honorific version 주무시다 to describe their sleep.
Examples in context
- 잠자고 있습니다.I am sleeping.
Example conversation
Seoyeon is texting Hyunwoo from her bed.
- 서연 Seo-yeon왜 전화했어요? 저 자고 있어요.wae jeonhwahaesseoyo? jeo jago isseoyo.Why did you call? I am sleeping.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo미안해요, 서연 씨. 깼어요?mianhaeyo, Seoyeon ssi. kkaesseoyo?I'm sorry, Seoyeon. Did I wake you up?
- 서연 Seo-yeon네, 조금 잠에서 깼어요.ne, jogeum jam-eseo kkaesseoyo.Yes, I woke up a little.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo빨리 다시 자요.ppalli dasi jayo.Go back to sleep quickly.
