-아/어 주다 - Do for someone

-아/어 주다 expresses doing an action for someone else's benefit. It means "do [verb] for someone" or performing a favor.

Structure

Verb stem + -아/어 주다

Breakdown:

• -아/어: Connective ending (vowel harmony)
• 주다: To give

Literal meaning: "Give the action of..." → "Do [verb] for someone"

Vowel Harmony Rules

Bright Vowels (ㅏ, ㅗ): -아 주다

Last vowel is ㅏ or ㅗ:

• 가다 → 가 주다 (go for someone)
• 오다 → 와 주다 (come for someone)
• 보다 → 봐 주다 (watch/see for someone)
• 닦다 → 닦아 주다 (clean for someone)

Dark Vowels: -어 주다

Last vowel is NOT ㅏ or ㅗ:

• 먹다 → 먹어 주다 (eat for someone)
• 입다 → 입어 주다 (wear for someone)
• 듣다 → 들어 주다 (listen for someone)
• 쉬다 → 쉬어 주다 (rest for someone)

하다 Verbs: -해 주다

All 하다 verbs:

• 하다 → 해 주다 (do for someone)
• 도와하다 → 도와해 주다 → 도와줘요 (help)
• 가르치다 → 가르쳐 주다 (teach for someone)
• 설명하다 → 설명해 주다 (explain for someone)

Politeness Levels

Formal (합니다체)

• 가 줍니다 (go for someone)
• 해 줍니다 (do for someone)
• 도와줍니다 (help)

Polite (해요체)

• 가 줘요 (go for someone)
• 해 줘요 (do for someone)
• 도와줘요 (help)

Casual (반말)

• 가 줘 (go for someone)
• 해 줘 (do for someone)
• 도와줘 (help)

Core Meaning: Doing Favors

Expressing Helpfulness

The action benefits someone else:

• 도와줘요 (help me/someone)
• 가르쳐 줘요 (teach me/someone)
• 기다려 줘요 (wait for me/someone)
• 찾아 줘요 (find for me/someone)

Without -아/어 주다: Just states the action

• 도와요 (help - neutral)
• 가르쳐요 (teach - neutral)

With -아/어 주다: Emphasizes doing for someone's benefit

• 도와줘요 (help - for someone's sake)
• 가르쳐 줘요 (teach - doing a favor)

Common Usage Patterns

Asking for Favors

Making requests politely:

• 도와줘요 (Please help me)
• 기다려 줘요 (Please wait for me)
• 말해 줘요 (Please tell me)
• 가르쳐 줘요 (Please teach me)
• 찾아 줘요 (Please find it for me)

Offering Help

Volunteering to do something:

• 도와줄까요? (Shall I help you?)
• 가르쳐 줄까요? (Shall I teach you?)
• 사 줄까요? (Shall I buy it for you?)
• 해 줄까요? (Shall I do it for you?)

Thanking for Actions

Showing gratitude:

• 도와줘서 고마워요 (Thank you for helping)
• 가르쳐 줘서 감사합니다 (Thank you for teaching)
• 기다려 줘서 미안해요 (Sorry for making you wait)
• 와 줘서 고마워요 (Thank you for coming)

Tense Conjugations

Present Tense

Polite: -아/어 줘요

• 도와줘요 (help)
• 가르쳐 줘요 (teach)
• 기다려 줘요 (wait)

Past Tense

Polite: -아/어 줬어요

• 도와줬어요 (helped)
• 가르쳐 줬어요 (taught)
• 기다려 줬어요 (waited)

Future Tense

Polite: -아/어 줄 거예요

• 도와줄 거예요 (will help)
• 가르쳐 줄 거예요 (will teach)
• 기다려 줄 거예요 (will wait)

Common Expressions

Daily Favors

• 문 열어 줘요 (Open the door for me)
• 창문 닫아 줘요 (Close the window for me)
• 불 켜 줘요 (Turn on the light for me)
• 물 좀 줘요 (Give me some water)

Communication

• 말해 줘요 (Tell me)
• 설명해 줘요 (Explain to me)
• 가르쳐 줘요 (Teach me)
• 알려 줘요 (Let me know)
• 보여 줘요 (Show me)

Help and Support

• 도와줘요 (Help me)
• 기다려 줘요 (Wait for me)
• 믿어 줘요 (Believe in me / Trust me)
• 이해해 줘요 (Understand me)
• 용서해 줘요 (Forgive me)

Actions

• 사 줘요 (Buy for me)
• 만들어 줘요 (Make for me)
• 찾아 줘요 (Find for me)
• 가져다 줘요 (Bring for me)
• 보내 줘요 (Send for me)

Honorific Form: -아/어 드리다

When Action Benefits Respected Person

드리다: Humble form when helping elders/superiors

Use when doing favor for:

• Parents
• Teachers
• Bosses
• Elders

Examples:

• 도와드릴까요? (Shall I help you? - honorific)
• 설명해 드릴게요 (I'll explain it for you - honorific)
• 가르쳐 드렸어요 (I taught them - honorific)

Note: Covered in detail in "-아/어 드리다" section

Negative Forms

Not Do for Someone

안 -아/어 주다:

• 안 도와줘요 (don't help / am not helping)
• 안 가르쳐 줘요 (don't teach)

-아/어 주지 않다:

• 도와주지 않아요 (don't help)
• 가르쳐 주지 않아요 (don't teach)

Can't Do for Someone

못 -아/어 주다:

• 못 도와줘요 (can't help)
• 못 가르쳐 줘요 (can't teach)

Don't Do (Request)

-아/어 주지 마세요:

• 말하지 말아 주세요 (Please don't tell)
• 걱정하지 말아 줘요 (Please don't worry - for my sake)

Question Forms

Asking for Favors

Can you do for me?:

• 도와줄 수 있어요? (Can you help me?)
• 가르쳐 줄래요? (Will you teach me?)
• 기다려 줄 수 있어요? (Can you wait for me?)

Offering Help

Shall I do for you?:

• 도와줄까요? (Shall I help you?)
• 사 줄까요? (Shall I buy it for you?)
• 해 줄까요? (Shall I do it for you?)

Common Contractions

Casual Speech Shortenings

줘요 often shortened in fast speech:

• 도와줘요 → 도와줘 (help - casual)
• 가르쳐 줘요 → 가르쳐 줘 (teach - casual)

주다 → 줘 contraction:

• 주 + 어 → 줘

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Asking for Help

A: 숙제 좀 도와줄 수 있어요?
(Can you help me with homework?)

B: 네, 물론이죠. 도와줄게요.
(Yes, of course. I'll help you.)

Dialogue 2: Favor

A: 문 좀 열어 줄래요?
(Will you open the door for me?)

B: 네, 열어 줄게요.
(Yes, I'll open it for you.)

Dialogue 3: Gratitude

A: 어제 도와줘서 정말 고마워요.
(Thank you so much for helping yesterday.)

B: 천만에요. 언제든지 말해 줘요.
(You're welcome. Tell me anytime.)

Dialogue 4: Offering

A: 뭐 필요한 거 있어요?
(Do you need anything?)

B: 물 좀 줄 수 있어요?
(Can you give me some water?)

A: 네, 가져다 줄게요.
(Yes, I'll bring it for you.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 도와 주세요

Space between verb and 주다

✅ Correct: 도와주세요

Written as one word

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❌ Incorrect: 가르치 주세요

Wrong vowel harmony

✅ Correct: 가르쳐 주세요

Use proper -아/어 form

Perspective and Usage

When to Use -아/어 주다

Use when:

• Asking someone to do something for you
• Offering to do something for someone
• The action benefits someone specific
• Expressing gratitude for someone's help

Compare:

• 도와요 (Help - neutral statement)
• 도와줘요 (Help me/someone - favor emphasized)

Summary Table

Verb	-아/어 주다 Form	Meaning	Question
돕다	도와줘요	Help for someone	도와줄까요?
가르치다	가르쳐 줘요	Teach for someone	가르쳐 줄까요?
기다리다	기다려 줘요	Wait for someone	기다려 줄까요?
사다	사 줘요	Buy for someone	사 줄까요?
만들다	만들어 줘요	Make for someone	만들어 줄까요?

Key Takeaways

• ✅ Expresses favors: Doing action for someone's benefit
• ✅ Vowel harmony: -아/-어/-해 주다
• ✅ Very common: Essential daily expression
• ✅ Shows kindness: Emphasizes helpfulness
• ✅ Honorific form: -아/어 드리다 for respected persons
• ✅ Written together: No space between verb and 주다

-아/어 주다 is one of the most frequently used patterns in Korean, essential for making requests, offering help, and expressing that actions are done for someone's benefit. It adds warmth and consideration to your Korean speech.