LESSON 25

Honorifics

When you talk about someone who has a relatively high social status—a government official, a foreign guest, a minister, a teacher—you use some special forms called HONORIFICS. These forms are also frequently used for not just the third but also the second person—it’s often a way to show I’m talking about YOU without actually using a pronoun.

You have come across some honorific nouns already:

bun	an honored person 분
abeonim	honored father (or father of an honored person) 아버님
daek	honored house or family -댁
jinji	honored food 진지

We even find an honorific particle kke = to or for (an honored person)—this is the honorific equivalent of hante, ege, and bogo:

Harabeoji-kke pyeonji-reul sseosseoyo.

할아버지께 편지를 썼어요.

I wrote a letter to Grandfather.

Kkeseo means from an honored person:

Moksa nim-kkeseo pyeonji-reul sseusyeoseoyo.

목사님께서 편지를 쓰셨어요.

I received a letter from the pastor.

There are also a few special honorific verbs. For an honored person eats instead of meogeoyo you use chapsuseyo or chapsueoyo. For an honored person stays or is in a place you use keseyo instead of isseyo:

Abeonim-i daek-e keseyo?

아버님이 댁에 계세요?

Is your father at home?

But for the meaning an honored person has something you use iseueseyo, the expected honorific of iseyo:

Abeonim-i geu japji-reul gajigo geseyo?

아버님이 그 잡지를 가지고 계세요?

Does your father have that magazine?

The negative of geseyo is an geseyo:

Jip-e eomeon-i geseyo?

집에 어머니 계세요?

Is your mother at home?

Daek-e an geseyo?

댁에 안 계세요?

Isn’t she at home?

Most verbs are made honorific very easily—you just slip a suffix onto the base before you attach the endings. The suffix has the basic shape -eusi-after a consonant base, -si- after a vowel base. But the final i drops when the ending begins with a vowel.

Here are some examples with verbs you have had:

MEANING	ORDINARY		HONORIFIC
	PRESENT	PAST	PRESENT	PAST
catches	jabayo	jabaseoyo	jabeuseyo	jabeusyeosseoyo
	잡아요	잡았어요	잡으세요	잡으셨어요
closes	dadayo	dadasseoyo	dadeuseyo	dadeusyeo-sseoyo
	닫아요	닫았어요	닫으세요	닫으셨어요
laughs	useoyo	useosseoyo	useuseyo	useusyeosseoyo
	웃어요	웃었어요	웃으세요	웃으셨어요
reads	ilgeoyo	ilgeosseoyo	ilgeuseyo	ilgeusyeo-sseoyo
	읽어요	읽었어요	읽으세요	읽으셨어요
puts	noayo	noasseoyo	noeuseyo	noeusyeo-sseoyo
	놓아요	놓았어요	놓으세요	놓으셨어요
cuts	kkakkayo	kkakka	kkakkeu	kkakkeu-
		sseoyo	seyo	syeosseoyo
	깎아요	깎았어요	깎으세요	깎으셨어요
sits	anjayo	anjasseoyo	anjeuseyo	anjeusyeo-sseoyo
	앉아요	앉았어요	앉으세요	앉으셨어요
rests	swieoyo	swieoseoyo	swiseyo	swisyeosseoyo
	쉬어요	쉬었어요	쉬세요	쉬셨어요
pays	naeyo	naeosseoyo	naeseyo	naesyeosseoyo
	내요	내었어요	내세요	내셨어요
writes	sseoyo	sseosseoyo	sseuseyo	sseusyeosseoyo
	써요	썻어요	쓰세요	쓰셨어요
goes	gayo	gasseoyo	gaseyo	gasyeosseoyo
	가요	갔어요	가세요	가셨어요
gives	jwoyo	jueosseoyo	juseyo	jusyeosseoyo
	줘요	주었어요	주세요	주셨어요
sees	bwayo	bwasseoyo	boseyo	bosyeosseoyo
	봐요	봤어요	보세요	보셨어요
reads	ilgeoyo	ilgeosseoyo	ilgeoboseyo	ilgeobo-syeosseoyo
	읽어요	읽었어요	읽어보	읽어보셨
			세요	어요
does	haeyo	haesseoyo	haseyo	hasyeosseoyo
	해요	했어요	하세요	하셨어요

For negative honorific statements, you can make either the -ji form or the anayo honorific; or if you really want to do it up fancy, make both of them honorific: jusiji anayo, juji aneuseyo, jusiji aneuseyo, juji aneusyeosseoyo, jusiji aneusseosseoyo.

In addition to the verb jwoyo = gives there is another verb deuryeo yo = gives to someone honored. So juseyo means someone honored gives or you give me, deuryeo yo means I give someone honored or I give you, and deulise yo means someone honored gives someone honored or you give someone honored.

When you command someone to do something, it’s good to use the honorific form of the verb:

Jom oseyo.         Juseyo!

좀 오세요.       주세요

Please come here.       Give (it to me)!

Jega chaekeul deurilgeyo.

제가 책을 드릴께요.

I'll give you the book.

Chaekeul juseyo.

책을 주세요.

(Please) give me the book.

Akka gimchireul deuryeosseoyo.

아까 김치를 드렸어요.

I just gave you the kimchi.

Akka gimchireul ju-eosseoyo.

아까 김치를 주었어요.

You just gave me the kimchi.

The polite present form of 주다 can be written 줘요 (jwoyo) or 주어요 (ju-eoyo); both are frequently used.

Notice how the use of honorifics makes a conversation between YOU and ME quite clear even though we don’t use pronouns:

Eodi gaseyo?

어디 가세요?

Where are you going?

Ucheguk-e gayo.

우체국에 가요.

I’m going to the post office.

Eodi danyeooseyo?

어디 다녀오세요?

Where did you come from?

Jip-eseo naon geoeyo.

집에서 나온 거에요.

I came from home.

Jinji japsusyeosseoyo?

진지 잡수셨어요?

Have you eaten?

Ajik an meogeosseoyo.

아직 안 먹었어요.

I haven’t eaten yet.

Gim Gildong abeonim iseyo?

김길동 아버님이세요?

Are you Kim Kildong’s father?

Aniyo. Gim Haksu abeoji eyo.

아니요. 김학수 아버지에요.

No, I’m Kim Haksu’s father.

Mueo-seul haseyo?

무엇을 하세요?

What do you do?

Seonsaengnim ieyo.

선생님이에요.

I’m a teacher.

Yeongeo-reul gareuchyeoyo.

영어를 가르쳐요.

I teach English.

Myeongham-i isseoyo?

명함이 있어요?

Do you have a name card?

Beolsseo deuriji anasseoyo?

벌써 드리지 않았어요?

Didn’t I already give it to you?

Gabang-eul eodi-da dueottura?

가방을 어디다 두었더라?

Where did I put the briefcase?