Korean grammar patterns › Level 1
-(으)시-
subject honorific (shows respect to the subject)
Level 1 · TOPIK I · beginner
How to use it
Shows respect to the SUBJECT of the sentence (older people, superiors, customers). It goes right after the stem and before tense and endings: 가+시+었+어요 → 가셨어요, 가+시+ㅂ니다 → 가십니다.
Forming it
| 가다 | → 가셨어요 |
| 읽다 | → 읽으세요 |
| 바쁘다 | → 바쁘세요 |
| 선생님 | → 선생님이세요 |
Never use it about yourself: ✗ 제가 가세요. Some verbs have special forms: 드시다 (먹다), 주무시다 (자다), 계시다 (있다, be somewhere), 말씀하시다 (말하다). The subject particle can become 께서.
Examples
우리 아버지는 은행에서 일하세요.
My father works at a bank.
사장님께서 방금 회의실로 가셨어요.
The company president just went to the meeting room.
Compared with similar patterns
-(으)세요 is -(으)시- + -어요; it can be an honorific statement or a polite request depending on context.