Special honorific verbs¶
When the subject is esteemed¶
We saw in Verb Basics that the subject honorific -(으)시- is added to a verb when its subject deserves respect. There are also a few verbs for which just adding 시 is not enough and one actually has to use a special verb (which usually has 시 in it too).
| Normal verb | Special honorific verb |
|---|---|
| 자다 ("to sleep") | 주무시다 |
| 있다 only for existence or staying | 계시다 |
| 먹다 ("to eat") and 마시다 ("to drink") | 드시다1 |
| 죽다 ("to die") | 돌아가시다 |
| 아프다 sometimes | 편찮으시다 |
| 말하다 ("to speak") | 말씀하시다 |
When 있다 is used for possession, it's just 있으시다 as usual.
Combined with the adverb 안녕히 ("in peace"), for example, gives the set phrases for "goodbye" (there are two!):
Example
- 안녕히 계세요 = In peace [you] stay = Goodbye, said by the person leaving to someone who is staying
- 안녕히 가세요 = In peace [you] go = Goodbye, said by the person staying to someone who is leaving
When the object is esteemed¶
There is no pre-final ending for showing respect to the object of a verb (or the recipient, the person you meet, etc.). Instead, a handful of common verbs are replaced by a special humble verb when the esteemed person is on the receiving end of the action.
| Normal verb | Special honorific verb |
|---|---|
| 주다 ("to give") | 드리다 |
| 보다 / 만나다 ("to see / meet") | 뵙다 or 뵈다 |
| 묻다 ("to ask") | 여쭙다 or 여쭈다 |
| 데리다 ("to take along") | 모시다 |
The examples below also use the honorific particle 께 ("to"); see place and time particles.
Example
- 할머니께 선물을 드렸어요 = I gave a present to my grandmother.
- 선생님께 여쭤볼게요 = I'll ask the teacher.
- 처음 뵙겠습니다 = Nice to meet you. (lit. I'll see you for the first time)
- 부모님을 모시고 왔어요 = I brought my parents along.
This is independent of -(으)시-, which still depends only on the subject. So if both the subject and object are esteemed, you use both:
Example
- 아버지께서 할머니께 선물을 드리셨어요 = My father gave a present to my grandmother.
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HTSK says you can use 잡수시다 instead of 드시다 if you want to give "a ridiculous amount of respect". To quote HTSK:
Saying it to anybody other than people who deserve that amount of respect will most likely just make people laugh. When I first met my girlfriend's parents, I used "잡수시다" and they both thought it was funny. I only reserve that word for the rare times that I have dinner with my girlfriend's grandparents.