The short version: Put -(으)시- after a verb stem to show respect for the person doing the action: 가요 → 가세요, 읽어요 → 읽으세요, 갔어요 → 가셨어요. It respects the subject, not the listener, so you never use it about yourself. Some verbs change completely: 먹다 → 드시다, 자다 → 주무시다, 있다 → 계시다.
Learners usually meet -세요 as “the polite form” and start adding it everywhere, including to sentences about themselves. The confusion comes from the fact that Korean has two separate systems of respect. One shows respect to the person you are talking to. The other shows respect to the person you are talking about. -시- belongs to the second system, and once that is clear, most of the mistakes disappear.
Two kinds of respect
Because the two are independent, they can combine in any way. These four sentences show every combination:
| 할머니가 오셨어요.halmeoniga osyeosseoyo | -시--요To a stranger, about your grandmother: My grandmother has come. |
| 할머니가 오셨어.halmeoniga osyeosseo | -시--요To a close friend, about your grandmother. Casual ending, but she is still honoured. |
| 제가 할게요.jega halgeyo | -시--요To your manager, about yourself: I'll do it. Polite, but no -시- for yourself. |
| 민수가 왔어.minsuga wasseo | -시--요To a friend, about another friend: Minsu's here. |
How to form it
| Verb | Present | Past | Formal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 (vowel stem) | 가세요 | 가셨어요 | 가십니다 |
| 읽다 (consonant stem) | 읽으세요 | 읽으셨어요 | 읽으십니다 |
| 살다 (ㄹ stem) | 사세요 | 사셨어요 | 사십니다 |
| 하다 | 하세요 | 하셨어요 | 하십니다 |
Consonant stems add 으 first. Stems ending in ㄹ lose it before ㅅ, so 살다 becomes 사세요 and 만들다 becomes 만드세요. The future is 가실 거예요.
The two jobs of -세요
The present form -세요 does double duty. It can describe or ask about a respected person, and it can be a polite request. Context and intonation tell them apart.
Statement or question
어디 가세요?eodi gaseyo?Where are you going?
Respectful question about the listener.
Polite request
여기 앉으세요.yeogi anjeuseyoPlease sit here.
Asking the listener to do something.
Verbs with their own honorific form
A few of the most common verbs do not simply add -시-. They have a separate honorific word, and using the regular form for an elder sounds noticeably blunt.
| Plain | Honorific | Example | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 먹다, 마시다 | 드시다 | 많이 드세요. | mani deuseyo · Enjoy your meal. |
| 자다 | 주무시다 | 안녕히 주무세요. | annyeonghi jumuseyo · Good night. |
| 있다 (be somewhere) | 계시다 | 선생님 계세요? | seonsaengnim gyeseyo? · Is the teacher in? |
| 있다 (have) | 있으시다 | 시간 있으세요? | sigan isseuseyo? · Do you have time? |
| 말하다 | 말씀하시다 | 천천히 말씀해 주세요. | cheoncheonhi malsseumhae juseyo · Please speak slowly. |
| 아프다 | 편찮으시다 | 할머니가 편찮으세요. | halmeoniga pyeonchaneuseyo · My grandmother is unwell. |
| 죽다 | 돌아가시다 | 작년에 돌아가셨어요. | jangnyeone doragasyeosseoyo · He passed away last year. |
안녕히 가세요 or 안녕히 계세요?
The two everyday goodbyes are built from exactly these honorific verbs, which is why they are easy to remember once you know the pattern.
To someone leaving
안녕히 가세요.annyeonghi gaseyoGo in peace.
Said by the person who stays.
To someone staying
안녕히 계세요.annyeonghi gyeseyoStay in peace.
Said by the person who leaves.
So when you walk out of a shop, you say 안녕히 계세요, and the staff answer 안녕히 가세요.
Particles and nouns
In polite speech about elders, the subject particle 이/가 can become 께서, and 에게 (to) becomes 께. A few nouns also have honorific versions, such as 성함 for name, 연세 for age and 댁 for home.
The full list of words that need an honorific version, with what Korean listeners hear when you leave them out, is in 15 Korean phrases that accidentally sound rude.
Not for things: 커피 나오셨습니다
In cafés and shops you will often hear staff say 커피 나오셨습니다 or 이 제품은 할인이 안 되세요. They are trying to be extra polite, but -시- honours the subject, and here the subject is the coffee or the product. The National Institute of Korean Language treats this as incorrect, and the correct sentences are 커피 나왔습니다 and 할인이 안 됩니다. You will hear the incorrect version everywhere, but there is no need to copy it.
Check yourself
Who is doing the action, and do they need respect?
An elder is the subject: 오세요.
Never use -시- for yourself: 제가 할게요.
자다 has a special honorific: 주무시다.
Being somewhere: 계시다.
The staff stay, so 안녕히 계세요.
ㄹ drops before ㅅ: 살다 → 사세요.
Speak to elders with confidence
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Learn Korean with Hanguljo - FreeQuick reference
- What -시- does
- Respects the subject (who does the action). The ending (-요, -습니다) respects the listener.
- Forms
- 가세요, 가셨어요, 가실 거예요, 가십니다; 읽으세요; 살다 → 사세요; 하세요.
- Never for yourself
- 제가 할게요. Answer 어디 가세요? with 학교에 가요.
- Two jobs of -세요
- Respectful statement or question (어디 가세요?) and polite request (앉으세요).
- Special verbs
- 드시다 (eat, drink), 주무시다 (sleep), 계시다 (be somewhere), 있으시다 (have), 말씀하시다 (speak), 편찮으시다 (be ill), 돌아가시다 (pass away).
- Goodbyes
- 안녕히 가세요 to someone leaving; 안녕히 계세요 to someone staying.
- Particles
- 께서 (subject), 께 (to).
- Not for things
- 커피 나왔습니다, not 커피 나오셨습니다.
Frequently asked questions
What does -시- mean in Korean?
It is the subject honorific. It shows respect for the person doing the action: 선생님이 가세요, the teacher is going. Politeness toward the listener is shown separately, by the ending (-요 or -습니다).
Can I use -세요 about myself?
No. -시- honours the subject, so you never use it about yourself: 제가 할게요, not 제가 하실게요. When someone asks 어디 가세요?, you answer 학교에 가요.
What is the difference between 계세요 and 있으세요?
Both are honorific forms of 있다. 계세요 means a respected person is somewhere: 선생님 계세요? (Is the teacher in?). 있으세요 means they have something: 시간 있으세요? (Do you have time?).
What is the difference between 안녕히 가세요 and 안녕히 계세요?
안녕히 가세요 (go in peace) is said to the person who is leaving. 안녕히 계세요 (stay in peace) is said by the person leaving to the one who stays. When you leave a shop, you say 안녕히 계세요.
Is 커피 나오셨습니다 correct?
It is very common in shops and cafés, but -시- should honour people, not things, so it is considered incorrect. The correct sentence is 커피 나왔습니다.
- National Institute of Korean Language, 『표준 언어 예절』 (Standard Language Etiquette, 2011): guidance on subject honorifics, honorific verbs and the treatment of objects.
- National Institute of Korean Language, Standard Korean Language Dictionary (표준국어대사전): entries for -시-, 드시다, 주무시다, 계시다 and 편찮다.
- National Institute of Korean Language, Basic Korean Dictionary (한국어기초사전).