A word that lowers yourself저는, 저희 (humble forms of 나, 우리)
주다, when giving to someone senior드리다: 선물을 드려요
묻다, when asking someone senior여쭙다·여쭈다: 여쭤볼게요
보다, when seeing someone senior뵙다: 내일 뵙겠습니다
데리고 가다, when accompanying someone senior모시다: 할머니를 모시고 가요
What this expression does
-(으)시-, which you’ve learned so far, honors the subject of the sentence (someone senior). Humble expressions do the opposite: they lower yourself, the speaker, to indirectly honor the other person.
할머니께서 저에게 선물을 주세요. (the subject is 할머니, subject honorification)
제가 할머니께 선물을 드려요. (the subject is “I,” but since the receiver is 할머니, a humble word is used)
나저 · I (humble)
우리저희 · we (humble)
주다드리다 · give (to someone honored)
묻다여쭙다 · 여쭈다 · ask (someone honored)
보다 · 만나다뵙다 · see/meet (someone honored)
데리고 가다모시다 · accompany, take along (someone honored)
제가 저희 부모님을 소개해 드릴게요.Let me introduce my parents. / both 저희 and 드리다 are humble forms
선생님께 여쭤보고 다시 연락드릴게요.I’ll ask the teacher and get back to you.
내일 오후에 뵙겠습니다.I will see you tomorrow afternoon. / a polite greeting
할머니를 모시고 병원에 다녀왔어요.I took Grandma to the hospital.
They honor different people. -(으)시- honors the subject of the sentence; humble expressions honor the person on the receiving end (the object) or the listener.
제가 할머니를 모시고 가세요. (✕, the subject is “I,” but -세요 was attached)
제가 할머니를 모시고 가요. (○, 모시다 is already a humble word, so -시- isn’t added again)
연습 Practice
이 레슨에는 풀어 보는 문제가 6개 있습니다. 앱에서 하나씩 맞히며 넘어갑니다. 6 exercises come with this lesson — open it to work through them.
치즈감자