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.