Korean Time and Schedules: Say 'Go Now' with 지금 가요 vs. 가세요
Learn to tell clock times, use 에, 부터, 까지, and say 'go now' politely with 지금 가요 or 가세요. Beginner-friendly with dialogue.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
To say 'go now' in Korean, use 지금 가요 (jigeum gayo) in casual polite speech or 지금 가세요 (jigeum gaseyo) when asking or telling someone else to go politely. This lesson also teaches you to anchor those actions to clock times: 'The class starts at nine' is 수업은 9시에 시작해요 (sueobeun ahop sie sijakaeyo). You will learn the particles 에 (at), 부터 (from), and 까지 (until), plus a short schedule dialogue you can adapt.
By the end, you can…
- say and understand clock times in Korean using native numbers and 시/분.
- say 'go now' politely with 지금 가요 and 지금 가세요, and ask about schedules using 에, 부터, and 까지.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
지금 가요.
I'm going now. / I go now.
ji-geum ga-yo
Casual polite present tense. Use when you are leaving or stating that you go now. Not for commanding someone else.
지금 가세요.
Please go now. / Are you going now?
ji-geum ga-se-yo
Polite -세요 form. It can be a polite request/command or a polite question depending on intonation. Context and rising or falling pitch decide.
수업은 9시에 시작해요.
The class starts at nine.
su-eo-beun a-hop-si-e si-jak-hae-yo
Use 에 after a clock time to mark 'at'. 9시에 = at nine o'clock. 시작해요 is polite present.
1시부터 3시까지 일해요.
I work from one until three.
han si-buteo se si-kkaji ilhaeyo
부터 marks the starting point, 까지 marks the ending point. The order is from-time부터 to-time까지.
몇 시에 가세요?
What time do you go? / What time are you going?
myeot si-e ga-se-yo
Use 몇 시에 to ask 'at what time'. The -세요 ending keeps it polite and can refer to the listener's schedule.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For clock times, use native Korean numbers with 시 (o'clock): 한 시 (1:00), 두 시 (2:00), 세 시 (3:00). Minutes use Sino-Korean numbers: 5분 (o-bun), 10분 (sip-bun), 30분 (sam-sip-bun). Put 에 after the time to mean 'at': 9시에 시작해요 (starts at nine). For a range, use 부터 after the start time and 까지 after the end time: 9시부터 6시까지 (from nine until six). To say 'go now', place 지금 before the verb: 지금 가요 (I go now) or 지금 가세요 (please go now / are you going now?).
When to use it
Use 지금 가요 when you are the one leaving or when you state your own action: 'I'm going now.' Use 지금 가세요 when you politely tell someone else to go, or when you ask if they are going now. The same -세요 form can be a polite command or a polite question, so intonation and situation matter. For schedules, 에 is for a specific clock time, while 부터 and 까지 describe a span. If you want to ask staff about a schedule, say 몇 시에 시작해요? (What time does it start?) or 몇 시부터예요? (From what time is it?). These are neutral and polite.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
지금 가세요?
Are you going now?ji-geum ga-se-yo네, 지금 가요. 수업은 9시에 시작해요.
Yes, I'm going now. The class starts at nine.ne, ji-geum ga-yo. su-eo-beun a-hop-si-e si-jak-hae-yo몇 시부터 몇 시까지예요?
From what time until what time is it?myeot si-bu-teo myeot si-kka-ji-ye-yo9시부터 11시까지예요.
It's from nine until eleven.a-hop-si-bu-teo yeol-han-si-kka-ji-ye-yoA little context goes a long way
Korean politeness often depends on the relationship and setting. 지금 가요 is safe with acquaintances and in many everyday situations, but in formal settings or to a superior, you may hear 지금 가겠습니다 (I will go now) or 지금 가십니다 (he/she goes now). For commands, 가세요 is polite but still a directive; if you are unsure, a question like 지금 가세요? can soften it. Time expressions with 에, 부터, and 까지 are standard in both casual and formal speech.
One thing to watch for
Using 지금 가세요 to mean 'I go now' because -세요 sounds polite.
Try this instead: Use 지금 가요 for your own action. 지금 가세요 addresses someone else, either as a polite request or a question. For example, say 지금 가요 when you are leaving, and 지금 가세요? when asking if the other person is going now.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'The class starts at nine' in polite Korean?
Show a sample answer
수업은 9시에 시작해요.
This uses 수업은 (the class), 9시에 (at nine), and 시작해요 (starts). You could also say 수업은 아홉 시에 시작해요; both are correct.
2You are leaving now and want to say so politely. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
지금 가요.
지금 가요 states your own action. 지금 가겠습니다 is also correct in more formal contexts, but 지금 가요 is the standard polite casual form.
3Ask 'From what time until what time is it?' in Korean.
Show a sample answer
몇 시부터 몇 시까지예요?
This uses 몇 시부터 (from what time) and 몇 시까지 (until what time) with the polite copula 예요. You may also hear 몇 시부터 몇 시까지여요? in some speech, but the standard polite form is 예요.
Use 지금 가요 for 'I go now' and 지금 가세요 for 'please go now' or 'are you going now?' Anchor schedules with 에 for a point in time and 부터/까지 for a range: 9시에 시작해요, 9시부터 11시까지예요.
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