I can speak and write formally — 갑니다, 먹습니다, 입니다, 갑니까?, 앉으십시오 — recognize an announcement on the subway and at work, and say 알겠습니다, 잘 먹겠습니다, 처음 뵙겠습니다 at the right moment.
The formal style 합쇼체: -ㅂ니다 / -습니다
The formal style 합쇼체: -ㅂ니다 / -습니다
합쇼체 is the formal style. It's used at work and in meetings, in speeches, and in subway and airport announcements. You already know its set phrases: 감사합니다, 죄송합니다. With a neighbor, a teacher, or a friend you stay in 해요체; within one conversation the style doesn't change.
The form is built on the stem (the dictionary form without -다); see the table:
• after a vowel, -ㅂ니다: 가다 → 갑니다, 하다 → 합니다;
• after a 받침, -습니다: 먹다 → 먹습니다, 있다 → 있습니다;
• a question has its own ending, not just a rising voice: -ㅂ니까? / -습니까?; after a noun, “to be” is 입니다, 입니까? after any sound: 학생입니다, 의사입니다;
• past: after -았 / 었- always -습니다: 갔습니다, 했습니다.
A request is -(으)십시오: 가십시오, 앉으십시오. In ㄹ-stem verbs ㄹ drops before ㅂ and ㅅ: 살다 → 삽니다, 열다 → 여십시오.
Here -겠- appears only in three set phrases: 알겠습니다 (“I understand”), 잘 먹겠습니다 (before a meal), 처음 뵙겠습니다 (when you first meet someone). 합니다 sounds [함니다]: ㅂ before ㄴ sounds like ㅁ; you still write ㅂ.
Common mistakes:
• ×가습니다 → 갑니다
• ×살습니다 → 삽니다
• ×학생습니다 → 학생입니다
• ×학생입니다? → 학생입니까?
• to a friend: ×뭐 마십니까? → 뭐 마셔요?
• 노래를 ×듭니다 → 듣습니다: in 듣다, ㄷ changes to ㄹ only before a vowel
해요체 and 합쇼체
The 합쇼체 form is built on the stem: the dictionary form without -다.
| Dictionary form | 해요체 | 합쇼체 | 합쇼체 question |
|---|---|---|---|
| 가다 | 가요 | 갑니다 | 갑니까? |
| 하다 | 해요 | 합니다 | 합니까? |
| 먹다 | 먹어요 | 먹습니다 | 먹습니까? |
| 있다 | 있어요 | 있습니다 | 있습니까? |
| 살다 | 살아요 | 삽니다 | 삽니까? |
| 학생이다 | 학생이에요 | 학생입니다 | 학생입니까? |
| 의사이다 | 의사예요 | 의사입니다 | 의사입니까? |
| 가다 (past) | 갔어요 | 갔습니다 | — |
| 하다 (past) | 했어요 | 했습니다 | — |
| 가다 (request) | 가세요 | 가십시오 | — |
| 앉다 (request) | 앉으세요 | 앉으십시오 | — |
Which style where
The style doesn't change within one conversation.
| Situation | Style | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a subway announcement | 합쇼체 | 다음 역은 서울역입니다. |
| a talk in front of a group | 합쇼체 | 반갑습니다. 저는 김민준입니다. |
| talking with a neighbor | 해요체 | 어디 가세요? |
| talking with a friend | 해요체 | 뭐 먹을까요? |
Lesson notes
The formal style 합쇼체: -ㅂ니다 / -습니다
합쇼체 is the formal style. It's used at work and in meetings, in speeches, and in subway and airport announcements. You already know its set phrases: 감사합니다, 죄송합니다. With a neighbor, a teacher, or a friend you stay in 해요체; within one conversation the style doesn't change.
The form is built on the stem (the dictionary form without -다); see the table:
• after a vowel, -ㅂ니다: 가다 → 갑니다, 하다 → 합니다;
• after a 받침, -습니다: 먹다 → 먹습니다, 있다 → 있습니다;
• a question has its own ending, not just a rising voice: -ㅂ니까? / -습니까?; after a noun, “to be” is 입니다, 입니까? after any sound: 학생입니다, 의사입니다;
• past: after -았 / 었- always -습니다: 갔습니다, 했습니다.
A request is -(으)십시오: 가십시오, 앉으십시오. In ㄹ-stem verbs ㄹ drops before ㅂ and ㅅ: 살다 → 삽니다, 열다 → 여십시오.
Here -겠- appears only in three set phrases: 알겠습니다 (“I understand”), 잘 먹겠습니다 (before a meal), 처음 뵙겠습니다 (when you first meet someone). 합니다 sounds [함니다]: ㅂ before ㄴ sounds like ㅁ; you still write ㅂ.
Common mistakes:
• ×가습니다 → 갑니다
• ×살습니다 → 삽니다
• ×학생습니다 → 학생입니다
• ×학생입니다? → 학생입니까?
• to a friend: ×뭐 마십니까? → 뭐 마셔요?
• 노래를 ×듭니다 → 듣습니다: in 듣다, ㄷ changes to ㄹ only before a vowel