지금 vs 이따가: Say “Now” or “A Little Later” Without Making a False Appointment

지금 points to now. 이따가 means a little later, but it does not itself name a clock time. If you are arranging a real meeting, add a time or ask the other person when they mean.

Start with two short lines: 지금 가요. — I’m going now. 이따가 가요. — I’m going a little later. The change is small in the sentence and important for the listener’s plan.

Contents

1. 1. Give the listener a time cue
2. 2. Practise a real clarification
3. 3. Change one part at a time
4. 4. Common questions

1. Give the listener a time cue

Korean	Practical meaning	What remains unclear
지금 출발해요.	I’m leaving now.	The arrival time
이따가 출발해요.	I’m leaving a little later.	The departure time
이따가 세 시에 만나요.	Let’s meet at three a little later.	The meeting place, if not already agreed

A time word does not do every job in the message. Leaving now does not mean arriving now. “A little later” may be enough when you are in the same room; it can leave too much uncertainty when someone must travel to meet you.

The National Institute of Korean Language explains 이따가 as referring to a little later and distinguishes it from 있다가, a form involving staying before doing something. Use 이따가 for the time word in this lesson. Reference: official explanation of 이따가 and 있다가.

2. Practise a real clarification

The following dialogues are original practice examples, not quotations from a textbook.

A: 지금 전화해도 돼요?
B: 지금은 바빠요. 이따가 전화해 주세요.
A: 몇 시에 전화하면 돼요?
B: 세 시에 전화해 주세요.

A asks whether a call is okay now. B moves it to later. A then asks for a clock time instead of guessing what “later” means. The final line makes the plan usable.

A: 지금 갈까요?
B: 이따가 같이 가요.
A: 좋아요. 몇 시에 출발할까요?

Here the uncertainty is departure, so the follow-up asks when to leave. If the place is also unclear, ask 어디에서 만날까요? — Where shall we meet?

3. Change one part at a time

Practise aloud with a simple action: 가요 (go), 먹어요 (eat), 전화해요 (call). First put 지금 before it, then replace 지금 with 이따가. Keep the rest of the sentence unchanged so you can hear the time cue.

Prompt	Your line
You will eat now	지금 먹어요.
You will eat a little later	이따가 먹어요.
A later call needs an exact time	이따가 몇 시에 전화할까요?

For a conversation exercise, let your partner ask one follow-up question. You have not finished practising merely by saying the first line; you also need to respond when the listener asks what time you mean.

The examples use common polite endings. Adjusting speech level depends on the relationship and situation; the time word alone does not make a whole sentence appropriately polite.

4. Common questions

Does 이따가 always mean today?

It usually points to a near later moment in the conversation, but do not rely on a vague word for a date-sensitive plan. Add the day and clock time if there could be confusion.

Can I spell this time word 있다가?

For “a little later” in these examples, use 이따가. 있다가 belongs to a different construction, so it is not an interchangeable spelling.

Is “지금 가요” a promise about arrival?

No. It describes going now. If arrival matters, tell the person your expected arrival separately.

Look up 지금 in the official learner’s dictionary

Information checked: 30 September 2026.

The cover illustration was created with AI; the explanatory diagram was composed from the practice examples.