Sometimes you will be talking to someone who is clearly a superior (a manager at a business meeting, a teacher, a clergyman). If you are using the polite form, you will add something called an honorific to let the other person know you respect him or her. You never use an honorific in referring to yourself.
The honorific comes between the stem and the verb ending.
| Vowel Stem | Consonant Stem | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Honorific | Verb ending | Honorific | Verb Ending |
| 시- | -ᅟᅠᆸ니다 | 으시- | -ᅟᅠᆸ니다 |
Here's an example:
| Verb | Stem | Honorific | Ending | Conjugated Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (to go)가다 | 가 | 시- | -ᅟᅠᆸ니다 | 가십니다 |
| (to be good)좋다 | 좋 | 으시- | -ᅟᅠᆸ니다 | 좋으십니다 |
Pronunciation
Grammar Index