KOREAN LEVEL UP › Korean grammar › 계시다 (높임)
Korean Grammar “계시다 (높임)”: Meaning and Usage (TOPIK 2)
Explanation
할머니께서는 지금 시골집에 계세요.
“계시다” is the honorific form of “있다” (to be), used for the presence of an elder or superior. The sentence means “Grandmother is at her house in the countryside now.” “있으세요” is a common mistake; the correct form is “계세요.” Only when 있다 means “to have” can “있으세요” be used.
Pronouncing the example sentence
Example sentence: 할머니께서는 지금 시골집에 계세요.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 할머니께서는 | ||
| 할 | ㅎ+ㅏ+ㄹ | hal |
| 머 | ㅁ+ㅓ | meo |
| 니 | ㄴ+ㅣ | ni |
| 께 | ㄲ+ㅔ | kke |
| 서 | ㅅ+ㅓ | seo |
| 는 | ㄴ+ㅡ+ㄴ | neun |
| 지금 | ||
| 지 | ㅈ+ㅣ | ji |
| 금 | ㄱ+ㅡ+ㅁ | geum |
| 시골집에 | ||
| 시 | ㅅ+ㅣ | si |
| 골 | ㄱ+ㅗ+ㄹ | gol |
| 집 | ㅈ+ㅣ+ㅂ | jip |
| 에 | ㅇ+ㅔ | e |
| 계세요 | ||
| 계 | ㄱ+ㅖ | gye |
| 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”.
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 |
| 지금 | noun | now | TOPIK level 1 |
Practice
Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.
Question 1 Choose the word that fits the blank: 할머니께서는 지금 시골집에 ____.
Show the answer
Answer: 할머니께서는 지금 시골집에 계세요.
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