I can politely ask a guest to sit down, open the window, or turn on the light, and politely ask the other person where they live and what they're doing.
Come in, have a seat: -(으)세요
Come in, have a seat: -(으)세요
When: -(으)세요 is a polite request to the person you're talking to (“please have a seat”) and a polite question to them (“where do you live?”). One form: with a period and a falling voice it's a request; with “?” and a rising voice, a question. English adds “please” to any verb; Korean puts the politeness into the ending. The familiar 안녕하세요, 어서 오세요, 주세요 are built the same way.
Form: the stem (the word without -다) + -으세요 after a 받침 (앉으세요, 닫으세요, 읽으세요), -세요 after a vowel (켜세요, 가세요, 배우세요). 끄다 → 끄세요: ㅡ drops only before -아요 / -어요 (꺼요).
ㄹ-stem verbs: ㄹ drops and 으 isn't needed: 열다 → 여세요, 살다 → 사세요, 만들다 → 만드세요 (as in 놉시다). In 듣다 (and verbs like it) ㄷ turns into ㄹ before 으: 듣다 → 들으세요; 닫다 has no such change: 닫으세요.
You don't use this form about yourself: to “뭐 읽으세요?” you answer “책을 읽어요”. In a question to the other person both are correct: “뭐 봐요?” and the more polite “뭐 보세요?”. To offer a guest tea, you say “차 드세요” (the special word comes later).
Common mistakes:
• ×앉세요 — after a 받침 you need 으: 앉으세요
• ×열으세요, ×만들으세요 — ㄹ-stem verbs take no 으: 여세요, 만드세요
• ×꺼세요 — before -세요 the stem stays whole: 끄세요
• ×달으세요 — 닫다 has no change: 닫으세요
• ×저는 회사에 다니세요 — about yourself: 저는 회사에 다녀요
The -(으)세요 form
The stem is the word without -다. The end of the stem decides the form.
| Dictionary form | End of the stem | -(으)세요 |
|---|---|---|
| 앉다 | 받침 | 앉으세요 |
| 켜다 | vowel | 켜세요 |
| 끄다 | vowel ㅡ | 끄세요 |
| 열다 | ㄹ drops | 여세요 |
| 살다 | ㄹ drops | 사세요 |
| 듣다 | ㄷ → ㄹ | 들으세요 |
Request or question
The words are the same — the voice and the punctuation at the end tell them apart.
| How it's written | Voice | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 앉으세요. | ↘ down | request: “have a seat” |
| 앉으세요? | ↗ up | question: “are you sitting down?” |
Lesson notes
Come in, have a seat: -(으)세요
When: -(으)세요 is a polite request to the person you're talking to (“please have a seat”) and a polite question to them (“where do you live?”). One form: with a period and a falling voice it's a request; with “?” and a rising voice, a question. English adds “please” to any verb; Korean puts the politeness into the ending. The familiar 안녕하세요, 어서 오세요, 주세요 are built the same way.
Form: the stem (the word without -다) + -으세요 after a 받침 (앉으세요, 닫으세요, 읽으세요), -세요 after a vowel (켜세요, 가세요, 배우세요). 끄다 → 끄세요: ㅡ drops only before -아요 / -어요 (꺼요).
ㄹ-stem verbs: ㄹ drops and 으 isn't needed: 열다 → 여세요, 살다 → 사세요, 만들다 → 만드세요 (as in 놉시다). In 듣다 (and verbs like it) ㄷ turns into ㄹ before 으: 듣다 → 들으세요; 닫다 has no such change: 닫으세요.
You don't use this form about yourself: to “뭐 읽으세요?” you answer “책을 읽어요”. In a question to the other person both are correct: “뭐 봐요?” and the more polite “뭐 보세요?”. To offer a guest tea, you say “차 드세요” (the special word comes later).
Common mistakes:
• ×앉세요 — after a 받침 you need 으: 앉으세요
• ×열으세요, ×만들으세요 — ㄹ-stem verbs take no 으: 여세요, 만드세요
• ×꺼세요 — before -세요 the stem stays whole: 끄세요
• ×달으세요 — 닫다 has no change: 닫으세요
• ×저는 회사에 다니세요 — about yourself: 저는 회사에 다녀요