KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › -(으)시-
Korean Grammar “-(으)시-”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 1)
How to attach it
Attach the pattern to the verb stem, which is the dictionary form without 다. Compare how each verb below changes depending on its last sound.
| Dictionary form | Meaning | With this pattern | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 보다 | to see, to watch | 보세요 | boseyo |
| 읽다 | to read | 읽으세요 | ilgeuseyo |
| 하다 | to do | 하세요 | haseyo |
| 살다 | to live | 사세요 | saseyo |
What changes
- -(으)시- is the honorific marker. After a vowel it becomes 세요 (보 → 보세요), after a consonant 으세요 (읽 → 읽으세요), and a stem ending in ㄹ drops the ㄹ (살 → 사세요).
Explanation
할머니께서 방에서 책을 읽으세요.
“-(으)시-” is the honorific ending that shows respect to the subject of the action: “-시-” after a vowel stem and “-으시-” after a consonant stem. “읽다” ends in a consonant, so it becomes “읽으세요,” meaning “Grandmother is reading a book in her room.” Dropping “으,” as in “읽세요,” is a typical mistake.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 할머니께서 방에서 책을 읽으세요.
In natural speech, sounds link and shift across words. The table below reads each word separately, as it sounds when said on its own.
| Syllable | Letters (consonant + vowel + final) | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 할머니께서 | ||
| 할 | ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄹ | hal |
| 머 | ㅁ+ㅓ | meo |
| 니 | ㄴ+ㅣ | ni |
| 께 | ㄲ+ㅔ | kke |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 방에서 | ||
| 방 | ㅂ+ㅏ+ㅇ | bang |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | e |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 책을 | ||
| 책 | ㅊ+ㅐ+ㄱ | [채] chae |
| 을 | ㅇ+ㅡ+ㄹ | [글] geul |
| 읽으세요 | ||
| 읽 | ㅇ+ㅣ+ㄺ | [일] il |
| 으 | ㅇ+ㅡ | [그] geu |
| 세 | ㅅ+ㅔ | se |
| 요 | ㅇ+ㅛ | yo |
A ㅇ at the start of a syllable is silent; at the end of a syllable it sounds like “ng”.
Sound changes in this phrase
- Linking: when a syllable ending in a consonant (patchim) is followed by a syllable that starts with a vowel, the consonant moves over to the next syllable. 책을 → [채글]
Politeness level of the example
Ends in -요. The everyday polite style, and a safe choice with shop staff, colleagues, strangers and anyone older than you.
It contains the honorific -(으)시-, which shows respect to the person being talked about or talked to.
Words in the example sentence
These words from the TOPIK vocabulary lists appear in the phrase (shown in dictionary form).
| Korean | Part of speech | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 할머니 | noun | grandmother | TOPIK level 1 |
| 방 | noun | room | TOPIK level 1 |
| 읽다 | verb | to read | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 할머니께서 방에서 책을 ____.
Show the answer
Answer: 할머니께서 방에서 책을 읽으세요.
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