How to Explain Why You're Late in Korean: Lost Keys & Cat Dialogue 🐱

Have you ever been late because of something unexpected? In this Korean dialogue, you’ll learn how to apologize for being late, explain the reason using common grammar, and discuss pets. Listen as Minjun frantically searches for his keys and explains the hilarious situation to his waiting friend, Seoyeon.

💬 Video Transcript

민준: 아! 찾았다! 여기 있었네! 내 열쇠… 소파 쿠션 밑에 있었어요. (한숨을 쉬며) 하아… 치즈.
(민준: Ah! Found it! It was here! My key… it was under the sofa cushion. (Sighs) Haa… Cheese.)

치즈: 야옹.
(치즈: Meow.)

민준: 네가 여기 있었구나. 열쇠 위에 있었어?
(민준: You were here. Were you on top of the key?)

치즈: 야옹?
(치즈: Meow?)

민준: (휴대폰이 울린다) 어? 전화 와요. 여보세요?
(민준: (Phone rings) Oh? There’s a call. Hello?)

서연: 민준 씨! 어디예요? 카페예요?
(서연: Minjun! Where are you? Are you at the cafe?)

민준: 아, 서연 씨! 미안해요. 정말 미안해요.
(민준: Ah, Seoyeon! I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.)

서연: 괜찮아요. 그런데 아직 집이에요?
(서연: It’s okay. But are you still at home?)

민준: 네, 아직 집이에요. 지금 바로 나갈게요.
(민준: Yes, I’m still at home. I’ll leave right now.)

서연: 무슨 일 있어요? 왜 늦었어요?
(서연: Is something wrong? Why were you late?)

민준: 그게… 열쇠가 없었어요.
(민준: Well… I didn’t have my key.)

서연: 열쇠요? 집 열쇠요?
(서연: Your key? Your house key?)

민준: 네. 집 열쇠가 없어서 계속 찾았어요.
(민준: Yes. I didn’t have my house key, so I kept looking for it.)

서연: 아, 정말요? 그래서 늦었군요. 열쇠는 찾았어요?
(서연: Oh, really? So that’s why you were late. Did you find the key?)

민준: 네! 방금 찾았어요. 바로 지금 찾았어요.
(민준: Yes! I just found it. I found it right now.)

서연: 다행이다. 어디에 있었어요?
(서연: That’s a relief. Where was it?)

민준: 소파 밑에 있었어요.
(민준: It was under the sofa.)

서연: 소파 밑에요? 왜 거기에 있었어요?
(서연: Under the sofa? Why was it there?)

민준: 제 고양이 때문에…
(민준: Because of my cat…)

서연: 고양이요? 민준 씨 고양이 있어요?
(서연: A cat? Minjun, you have a cat?)

민준: 네, 있어요. 이름은 치즈예요.
(민준: Yes, I do. His name is Cheese.)

서연: 이름이 치즈예요? 귀여워요.
(서연: His name is Cheese? That’s cute.)

민준: 고마워요. 치즈가 소파 쿠션 위에서 자고 있었어요. 열쇠는 그 쿠션 밑에 있었어요.
(민준: Thanks. Cheese was sleeping on the sofa cushion. The key was under that cushion.)

서연: 하하하! 아, 그래서 못 찾았어요?
(서연: Hahaha! Ah, so that’s why you couldn’t find it?)

민준: 네. 치즈 때문에 못 봤어요.
(민준: Yes. I couldn’t see it because of Cheese.)

치즈: 야옹.
(치즈: Meow.)

서연: 고양이 때문에 늦었네요. 재미있어요.
(서연: You were late because of a cat. That’s funny.)

민준: 저는 재미없었어요… 많이 걱정했어요. 서연 씨, 정말 미안해요. 지금 바로 갈게요!
(민준: It wasn’t funny for me… I was very worried. Seoyeon, I’m really sorry. I’ll go right now!)

서연: 알겠어요. 괜찮아요. 카페에서 기다릴게요. 천천히 조심해서 오세요.
(서연: I understand. It’s okay. I’ll wait at the cafe. Take your time and come safely.)

민준: 네! 고마워요, 서연 씨. 금방 갈게요!
(민준: Yes! Thank you, Seoyeon. I’ll be there soon!)

📝 Essential Vocabulary

Here are some of the key words and phrases you’ll hear in the dialogue. Practice your pronunciation with the audio clips.

🔍 Grammar Focus

Let’s break down two important grammar patterns from the dialogue.

1. Talking About the Past (았/었/했어요)

To talk about something that already happened, you need to use the past tense. In Korean, this is commonly done by adding -았어요 or -었어요 to the verb stem.

• If the last vowel in the verb stem is ㅏ or ㅗ, you add -았어요.
• For all other vowels, you add -었어요.
• For verbs ending in 하다, it becomes 했어요.

Notice how many times Minjun and Seoyeon use this to discuss the missing key:

• 열쇠가 없었어요. (I didn’t have my key.)
• 계속 찾았어요. (I kept looking for it.)
• 어디에 있었어요? (Where was it?)
• 많이 걱정했어요. (I was very worried.)

2. Giving a Reason with ‘Noun + 때문에’

When you want to say “because of [Noun]” or “[Noun] is the reason,” you can use the particle 때문에. You simply attach it to the end of the noun that is causing the situation. This is a very common way to explain the reason for something.

In the dialogue, Minjun uses this to explain why he was late and couldn’t find his key:

• 제 고양이 때문에… (Because of my cat…)
• 치즈 때문에 못 봤어요. (I couldn’t see it because of Cheese.)

Seoyeon also uses it to summarize the situation:

• 고양이 때문에 늦었네요. (You were late because of a cat.)

🌍 Cultural Tip

🃏 Flip & Learn

Review the key vocabulary and phrases from the dialogue with these flashcards.

💡 Key Takeaways

Here are the most important points to remember from this lesson:

• To apologize for being late, you can say 미안해요. 늦었어요. (“I’m sorry. I was late.”)
• Use the past tense endings -았/었어요 to talk about events that have already finished, like 찾았어요 (I found it) and 있었어요 (it was).
• To explain the reason for something using a noun, attach 때문에 to the noun. For example, 고양이 때문에 means “because of the cat.”
• Key vocabulary for this situation includes 열쇠 (key), 찾다 (to find), 고양이 (cat), and 소파 (sofa).

🎯 Practice Quiz

Test your understanding of the dialogue and grammar points with this short quiz.

✍️ Fill in the Blanks

Let’s test your spelling and memory! Fill in the missing words below. Use correct spelling.