3 · Linking clauses, further
Too busy doing: -느라고
the excuse of being occupied
-느라고 gives as a reason the activity that took up your time — usually to explain what you could not do.
The ending goes on the stem of an action verb: 자느라고, 먹느라고, 공부하느라고. A stem ending in l loses it: 놀다 gives 노느라고, 만들다 gives 만드느라고. In speech the last syllable often goes: 일하느라 바빠요. There is no past form — 했느라고 is wrong — and no form for adjectives or for 이다.
It means “because I was busy doing A, B”: A took the time or attention that B needed. 숙제하느라고 못 잤어요 is “I could not sleep because I was doing my homework”. The second clause is usually something missed, late, tiring or hard: 못 했어요, 늦었어요, 바빴어요, 고생했어요.
Both clauses have the same subject — the person who was busy is the person who missed out — and the sentence cannot end in a request, a suggestion or a plan. That makes it the ending of excuses and apologies: asked 왜 늦었어요?, the natural answer is 길을 찾느라고 늦었어요.
English has one “because” for everything, and English speakers use -아서/어서 for everything too. That is never wrong, but it loses what -느라고 says: that the time went on something. The typical errors are an adjective (바쁘다 is not an activity), a past tense in the first clause, and two different subjects: if the baby cried and you could not sleep, that is 아기가 울어서 못 잤어요.
The form
| after a vowel | 자느라고, 보느라고 |
| after a consonant | 먹느라고, 찾느라고 |
| a stem ending in l drops it | 놀다 → 노느라고, 만들다 → 만드느라고 |
| short form in speech | 일하느라 바빠요. |
| the usual second half | 못 잤어요. 늦었어요. |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
-느라고 goes on the stem of an action verb; a stem ending in l loses it.
친구랑 노느라고 숙제를 못 했어요.I was out with friends, so I could not do my homework.
Both clauses have the same subject: the person who was busy is the one who could not.
저는 이사하느라고 정신이 없었어요.I was all over the place because I was moving house.
The first clause takes no tense, and the sentence cannot end in a request or a suggestion.
어제 보고서를 쓰느라고 늦게 잤어요.Yesterday I went to bed late because I was writing a report.
The second clause is usually something missed, late or hard.
길을 찾느라고 늦었어요.I am late because I was looking for the way.
A closer look
An excuse, not just a cause
늦잠을 자서 늦었어요 and 늦잠을 자느라고 늦었어요 report the same morning. The first gives a cause, the way a timetable would. The second tells the listener where the minutes went, and so it sounds like what it usually is: an explanation offered to somebody who was kept waiting.
Because the excuse has to be your own, the subject cannot change halfway. Something that happened to you from outside — a delayed train, a crying baby — is given with -아서/어서, or with -는 바람에 if it was sudden and unwelcome.
How to spot it
- -느라고
- -느라
- 못
- 늦었어요
Example sentences
시험 준비를 하느라고 요즘 바빠요.I am busy these days because I am preparing for exams.
드라마를 보느라고 잠을 못 잤어요.I did not get any sleep because I was watching a drama.
아이를 키우느라고 운동할 시간이 없어요.I have no time to exercise because I am bringing up a child.
전화를 받느라고 초인종 소리를 못 들었어요.I was on the phone, so I did not hear the doorbell.
짐을 싸느라고 아침도 못 먹었어요.I was packing, so I did not even have breakfast.
발표 준비하느라 주말 내내 고생했어요.I had a hard time all weekend preparing my presentation.
7 more example sentences
일하느라고 점심을 거의 못 먹었어요.I was working, so I hardly had any lunch.
청소하느라고 메시지를 못 봤어요.I was cleaning, so I did not see your message.
저녁을 만드느라고 부엌에 있었어요.I was in the kitchen making dinner.
돈을 모으느라고 외식을 줄였어요.I have cut down on eating out because I am saving money.
늦잠을 자느라고 버스를 놓쳤어요.I overslept and missed the bus.
손님을 맞느라고 하루 종일 바빴어요.I was busy all day receiving guests.
운전하느라고 전화를 못 받았어요.I could not answer the phone because I was driving.
Worth knowing (1)
-
Thanking somebody for their trouble
With 수고하다 or 고생하다, the pattern turns into thanks: “you went to a lot of trouble doing this”. It is said to colleagues at the end of a job, and the second clause is the only one here that is not a complaint.
오늘 행사 준비하느라 수고 많으셨어요.Thank you for all your work preparing today's event.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
바쁘다 is an adjective, and -느라고 needs an activity that used up the time. Either say what kept you busy (일하느라고), or keep the adjective and use 바빠서.
Neurago names the activity that ate your time, and only an action can do that.
Your turn
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