Korean grammar
Korean honorifics: the -(으)시- form and -(으)세요
Korean has two separate kinds of politeness. The 요 at the end of a sentence is about your listener. The honorific -(으)시- goes inside the verb and is about the subject: it raises the person doing the action, an elder, a senior, a customer. In the polite 해요 form it fuses into -(으)세요, which is why 안녕하세요 and 앉으세요 already contain it. A few everyday verbs swap for a respectful word instead, and you never use any of it about yourself.
Examples are written in Hangul. New to it? Start with the hangul chart.
In short
- Put -(으)시- after the stem when the subject deserves respect: 시 after a vowel, 으시 after a consonant. In 해요체 it fuses with 어요 into -(으)세요: 가세요, 읽으세요.
- -(으)시- comes before the tense: 가셨어요 (went), 가실 거예요 (will go).
- Never about yourself: 저는 서울에 살아요, not 사세요. Telling your teacher about yourself, no -(으)시-; telling a friend about your teacher, the teacher still gets it.
- Some verbs swap for a respectful word: 먹다/마시다 → 드시다, 자다 → 주무시다, 있다 (be somewhere) → 계시다, 말하다 → 말씀하시다.
- Respectful nouns and titles go with it: 연세 (age), 성함 (name), 댁 (home), 생신 (birthday); 선생님, 사장님, 교수님; and the subject marker 께서.
Respect, made productive
-(으)시- raises the person doing the action: an elder, a senior, a stranger, a customer. It is separate from how politely you speak to your listener; the 요 at the end does that. You have heard it in set phrases from day one: 안녕하세요, 안녕히 계세요 and 앉으세요 all carry it. The sections below show how to make it yourself, starting with the people you raise.
아버지하고 같이 살아요
(I) live with (my) father
저는 이제 어른이에요
(I)'m an adult now
아저씨, 이거 얼마예요?
Excuse me, how much is this?
여러분, 안녕하세요
Hello, everyone
Raising the subject: -(으)세요
When the subject is someone you respect, put -(으)시- after the stem. In 해요체 it fuses with 어요 into -(으)세요.
Never yourself
-(으)시- raises someone else. About yourself it would be like bowing to yourself.
아버지는 회사에 가세요
(My) father goes to work
할아버지는 서울에 사세요
(My) grandfather lives in Seoul
선생님이 한국어를 가르치세요
The teacher teaches Korean
요즘 바쁘세요?
Are (you) busy these days?
씨 — and when not to use it
씨 after a name is polite for people around your own level: 민수 씨, 김민수 씨. Never after your own name, and never for a teacher, a boss or an elder: they get their title + 님 — 김 선생님, 박 사장님, 이 교수님. The family name alone + 씨 (김 씨) sounds condescending to someone's face — use the full name + 씨 or the given name + 씨.
우리 교수님은 정말 바쁘세요
Our professor is really busy
그분은 어디 사세요?
Where does that person live?
선생님께서 오세요
The teacher is coming. (respectful subject)
-시- comes first, then the tense
-(으)시- goes right after the stem, before the tense ending.
할머니가 저녁을 만드셨어요
Grandma made dinner
사장님이 곧 오실 거예요
The boss will be here soon. (honorific)
선생님이 어제 전화하셨어요
The teacher called yesterday
교수님이 내일 오실 거예요
The professor will come tomorrow
A new word instead of -시-
A few everyday verbs don't take -(으)시-. They swap for a new verb that already has it: 먹다 / 마시다 → 드시다, 자다 → 주무시다, 있다 (be somewhere) → 계시다, 말하다 → 말씀하시다. You know some already: 안녕히 계세요 'stay well' is 계시다; 맛있게 드세요 'enjoy your meal' is 드시다. 잡수시다 is an older, very respectful 'eat' you may hear; 드시다 is the one to use.
할아버지께서 커피를 드세요
Grandpa is having coffee
선생님 계세요?
Is the teacher in?
할아버지께서 아침을 드셨어요. 지금 주무세요
Grandpa had breakfast. Now (he)'s sleeping.
안녕히 주무세요
Good night (to an elder)
계세요 or 있으세요?
Both are 있다 with respect, for two different meanings. Being somewhere → 계시다: 할머니는 방에 계세요 'Grandma is in her room.' Having something → 있으세요: 할머니는 시간이 있으세요 'Grandma has time.' Say 계세요 for where someone is; you will also hear 있으세요 used that way, so recognise it.
제 방은 좀 작아요
(My) room is a little small
가게 뒤에 식당이 있어요
There's a restaurant behind the store
우산이 의자 아래에 있어요
The umbrella is under the chair.
식당 옆에 가게가 있어요
There's a store next to the restaurant
할머니는 어디 계세요?
Where is Grandma?
할머니는 방에 계세요
Grandma is in her room
Who is the subject?
1) 가세요 is a request ('please go') or a statement about someone you respect ('(he) goes'). The situation decides: as the answer to 아버지는 내일 어디 가세요?, 서울에 가세요 is about your father. 2) -(으)시- is about the SUBJECT, not the listener. Telling a friend about your teacher, the teacher still gets -(으)시-; telling your teacher about yourself, you don't. 3) 계세요 (is somewhere) vs 있으세요 (has). 4) One more pair to keep apart: 드세요 '(she) eats [respectful]' vs 드려요 '(I) give [humbly]'.
서울에 가세요
(My father)'s going to Seoul
저는 요즘 좀 바빠요. 선생님은 어떠세요?
(I)'m a bit busy these days. How about you, (teacher)? (to your teacher)
할머니는 시간이 있으세요
Grandma has time
아버지는 회사에 계세요
(My) father is at work
Check yourself
Questions from the course. Pick an answer to check it; nothing is saved.
1.'There are a lot of customers today.' Pick the Korean.
2.'The teacher is reading a book.' (honorific) Pick the Korean.
3.'(I) live in Seoul.' (about yourself) Pick the Korean.
4.'The boss is coming now.' (honorific) Pick the Korean.
5.Your teacher is Ms. Kim. What do you call her?
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Keep going
- Word listWords for people and polite titlesKorean vocabulary for people and how to address them: 사람, 여자, 남자, 어른, 손님, the title suffix 님, the name suffix 씨, and respectful words like 성함, with audio.
- Word listGreetings and polite phrasesEssential Korean greetings and polite phrases for beginners: 안녕하세요, 감사합니다, the two goodbyes and more, with romanization and audio.
- Word listFamily wordsKorean family vocabulary for beginners, including why older-sibling words depend on the speaker's gender (형, 오빠, 누나, 언니).
- ChartHangul chartEvery Korean consonant and vowel with romanization, stroke order and example words, how syllable blocks work, and a syllable chart with audio.