-(으)시-
Honorific Marker
-시- is a special marker inserted into verbs and adjectives to show respect or honor towards the person performing the action (the subject of the sentence).
How It Works
In Korean, showing respect is a crucial part of the language. The infix -시- is the primary way to make a verb or adjective honorific. It specifically honors the subject of the sentence, not necessarily the person you are talking to.
Conjugation Rules:
1. Stem ends in a vowel: Add -시-
- 가다 (to go) → 가 + 시 → 가시-
- 오다 (to come) → 오 + 시 → 오시-
2. Stem ends in a consonant: Add -으시-
- 읽다 (to read) → 읽 + 으시 → 읽으시-
- 앉다 (to sit) → 앉 + 으시 → 앉으시-
3. Stem ends in ㄹ: The ㄹ is dropped, and -시- is added.
- 만들다 (to make) → 만드 + 시 → 만드시-
- 살다 (to live) → 사 + 시 → 사시-
This honorific stem then combines with various sentence endings. The most common combination is with the polite -요 ending, which creates the familiar -세요/-으세요 form.
Examples with different endings:
- Present Tense (Polite): 가시다 + -어요 → 가세요 (He/She goes.)
- Present Tense (Formal): 읽으시다 + -ㅂ니다 → 읽으십니다 (He/She reads.)
- Past Tense: 오시다 + -았어요 → 오셨어요 (He/She came.)
It's important to use honorifics consistently. When using -시-, you should also use the honorific subject particle -께서 instead of -이/가, and the particle -께 instead of -에게/한테.
Some verbs have special honorific counterparts that are used instead of adding -시-. For example:
- 먹다 (to eat) → 드시다 / 잡수시다
- 자다 (to sleep) → 주무시다
- 있다 (to be/have) → 계시다
Examples (5)
- 선생님께서 교실에 가세요.
The teacher is going to the classroom.
Word by Word: Teacher (hon.) classroom-to go (hon.).
가다 (vowel stem) + -시- + -어요 becomes 가세요 to show respect for the teacher.
- 할아버지께서 신문을 읽으십니다.
Grandfather reads the newspaper.
Word by Word: Grandfather (hon.) newspaper-object read (hon./formal).
읽다 (consonant stem) + -으시- + -ㅂ니다 becomes 읽으십니다 to honor the grandfather in a formal context.
- 사장님은 어제 출장을 가셨어요.
The CEO went on a business trip yesterday.
Word by Word: CEO-topic yesterday business trip-object went (hon.).
The past tense is formed by adding -았/었- to the honorific stem: 가시- + -었어요 → 가셨어요.
- 어머니께서 맛있는 케이크를 만드셨어요.
Mother made a delicious cake.
Word by Word: Mother (hon.) delicious cake-object made (hon.).
For verbs ending in ㄹ like 만들다, the ㄹ is dropped before adding -시-: 만들다 → 만드시- → 만드셨어요.
- 부모님은 항상 바쁘세요.
My parents are always busy.
Word by Word: Parents-topic always are busy (hon.).
-시- can also be attached to adjectives like 바쁘다 (to be busy) to show respect for the subject (parents).
Common Mistakes
Using -시- to refer to oneself.
Not Quite제가 내일 회사에 가십니다.Better제가 내일 회사에 갑니다.The honorific marker -시- is used to elevate others, never yourself. Using it to talk about your own actions is incorrect and can sound arrogant.
Confusing subject honorifics (-시-) with listener politeness (-요).
Different Meaning내 친구가 지금 책을 읽으세요.Better내 친구가 지금 책을 읽어요.-시- honors the subject of the verb (the person doing the action). If the subject is your friend (an equal), you should not use -시-, even if you are speaking politely to someone else (like a teacher) using the -요 ending.
Learn This First
To use honorific markers, you need conjugation and honorific knowledge.
Related Patterns
- -(으)세요Please
-세요/-으세요 is the most common daily usage of -시-, formed by combining the -시- infix with the polite -아/어요 ending. Understanding -시- is key to knowing why -세요 is used.
- 께서Subject Marker (Honorific)
께서 is the honorific subject particle that replaces 이/가. It is almost always used together with a verb ending in -시- to show respect for the subject.
- 께To (Honorific)
Similar to 께서, 께 is the honorific particle that replaces 에게/한테 (to/for a person). It is used when the person being given something or spoken to is being honored, often in a sentence that also uses -시-.
- -ㅂ/습니다Formal Polite Ending
This is the formal polite sentence ending. It frequently combines with -시- to create the formal honorific forms -십니다/-으십니다, used in very formal situations like news broadcasts or presentations.