Humble verbs (겸양어) are special verbs that lower the speaker to show respect to the recipient or object of an action. This is called object honorification - honoring someone by being humble about your own actions toward them.
What Are Humble Verbs?
Definition
Humble verbs are used when:
- You are doing something for a respected person
- The recipient/object deserves respect
- You want to show modesty and deference
How They Work
You lower yourself to elevate others:
- Regular: 선생님께 주다 (give to teacher)
- Humble: 선생님께 드리다 (give to teacher - humble)
The action is the same, but humble verb shows more respect
Different from Subject Honorifics
Subject honorification: Respecting the person doing the action
- 선생님께서 가세요 (Teacher goes)
Object honorification: Respecting the person receiving the action
- 제가 선생님께 드려요 (I give to teacher)
Essential Humble Verbs
드리다 (give)
Replaces: 주다 (give)
When to use: Giving to respected persons
Conjugation:
- Present: 드려요 (give - humble)
- Past: 드렸어요 (gave - humble)
- Future: 드릴 거예요 (will give - humble)
Usage:
- 선생님께 선물을 드렸어요 (I gave teacher a present)
- 할머니께 편지를 드렸어요 (I gave grandmother a letter)
- 이것을 드릴게요 (I'll give you this)
- 도움을 드리고 싶어요 (I want to give help / help you)
Common expressions:
- 말씀드리다 (tell - humble)
- 안내해 드리다 (guide/show)
- 설명해 드리다 (explain)
- 도와 드리다 (help)
여쭙다 / 여쭈다 (ask)
Replaces: 묻다 (ask)
When to use: Asking questions to respected persons
Conjugation:
- Present: 여쭤요 / 여쭈어요 (ask)
- Past: 여쭤봤어요 / 여쭈었어요 (asked)
- Future: 여쭤볼 거예요 (will ask)
Usage:
- 선생님께 여쭤봤어요 (I asked teacher)
- 질문 좀 여쭤봐도 될까요? (May I ask a question?)
- 이름을 여쭤봐도 될까요? (May I ask your name?)
- 길을 여쭤봤어요 (I asked for directions)
Note: Often used with -아/어 보다 (try doing)
- 여쭤봤어요 (I tried asking / I asked)
뵙다 (see / meet)
Replaces: 보다 (see, meet)
When to use: Seeing or meeting respected persons
Conjugation:
- Present: 뵈요 / 뵙니다 (see/meet)
- Past: 뵈었어요 / 뵈었습니다 (saw/met)
- Future: 뵐 거예요 (will see/meet)
Usage:
- 선생님을 뵈었어요 (I saw/met teacher)
- 다시 뵙겠습니다 (I'll see you again)
- 처음 뵙겠습니다 (Nice to meet you - lit. I see you for the first time)
- 만나 뵙게 되어 영광입니다 (It's an honor to meet you)
Common expressions:
- 자주 뵙겠습니다 (I'll see you often)
- 언제 뵐까요? (When shall we meet?)
모시다 (accompany / serve)
Replaces: 데리다 (take along), 모으다 (gather)
When to use: Accompanying or serving respected persons
Conjugation:
- Present: 모셔요 (accompany/serve)
- Past: 모셨어요 (accompanied/served)
- Future: 모실 거예요 (will accompany)
Usage:
- 할머니를 모시고 갔어요 (I accompanied grandmother)
- 부모님을 모시고 살아요 (I live with/serve my parents)
- 손님을 모셔 왔어요 (I brought the guest)
- 공항으로 모셔다 드릴게요 (I'll take you to the airport)
Cultural note: Implies respectful service or care
말씀드리다 (tell / speak)
Replaces: 말하다 (say, tell)
When to use: Speaking or telling to respected persons
Conjugation:
- Present: 말씀드려요 (tell - humble)
- Past: 말씀드렸어요 (told - humble)
- Future: 말씀드릴 거예요 (will tell)
Usage:
- 선생님께 말씀드렸어요 (I told teacher)
- 말씀드릴 게 있어요 (I have something to tell you)
- 실례지만 말씀 좀 여쭤봐도 될까요? (Excuse me, may I ask you something?)
Note: 말씀 is already an honorific noun (words/speech)
Less Common Humble Verbs
올리다 (offer up / give)
Replaces: 주다 (give) - even more formal than 드리다
Usage:
- Used for offerings to deities, ancestors, or very formal situations
- 제사상에 음식을 올렸어요 (I offered food on the ancestral altar)
- 신께 기도를 올렸어요 (I offered prayers to god)
Less common in daily speech
아뢰다 (report / tell)
Replaces: 말하다 (tell)
Usage:
- Very formal, historical
- Used to kings or very high authorities in historical dramas
- 왕께 아뢰었습니다 (I reported to the king)
Rarely used in modern Korean except historical contexts
Combination Patterns
Verb + -아/어 드리다
Doing something for someone (humble):
Pattern: [Verb stem] + -아/어 드리다
Common combinations:
- 도와 드리다 (help - for respected person)
- 가르쳐 드리다 (teach - for respected person)
- 설명해 드리다 (explain - for respected person)
- 안내해 드리다 (guide - for respected person)
- 보여 드리다 (show - for respected person)
- 만들어 드리다 (make - for respected person)
- 찾아 드리다 (find - for respected person)
Usage Examples
Helping:
- 도와 드릴까요? (Shall I help you?)
- 짐을 들어 드릴게요 (I'll carry your luggage)
Showing/Explaining:
- 설명해 드릴게요 (I'll explain it to you)
- 보여 드릴까요? (Shall I show you?)
- 안내해 드리겠습니다 (I'll guide you)
Making/Preparing:
- 커피를 만들어 드릴게요 (I'll make you coffee)
- 예약해 드릴까요? (Shall I make a reservation for you?)
Using Humble Verbs
Who Receives Humble Verbs?
Use when the recipient is:
- Parents, grandparents
- Teachers, professors
- Bosses, supervisors
- Customers (in service)
- Elders (anyone older)
- Strangers (when being very polite)
Who DOESN'T Receive Humble Verbs?
Don't use for:
- Friends (same age)
- Younger people
- People of equal or lower status
- When there's no need for special respect
Use regular verbs instead:
- 친구한테 줬어요 (I gave to friend - regular)
- Not: 친구한테 드렸어요 (too formal)
In Different Tenses
Present Tense
Standard polite (해요체):
- 드려요 (give)
- 여쭤요 (ask)
- 뵈요 (see/meet)
- 모셔요 (accompany)
- 말씀드려요 (tell)
Formal (합니다체):
- 드립니다 (give)
- 여쭙니다 (ask)
- 뵙니다 (see/meet)
- 모십니다 (accompany)
- 말씀드립니다 (tell)
Past Tense
Add -았/었-:
- 드렸어요 (gave)
- 여쭤봤어요 (asked)
- 뵈었어요 (saw/met)
- 모셨어요 (accompanied)
- 말씀드렸어요 (told)
Future Tense
-(으)ㄹ 거예요:
- 드릴 거예요 (will give)
- 여쭤볼 거예요 (will ask)
- 뵐 거예요 (will see/meet)
- 모실 거예요 (will accompany)
- 말씀드릴 거예요 (will tell)
With Honorific Particles
께 (to respected person)
Always use with humble verbs:
- 선생님께 드렸어요 (I gave to teacher)
- 할머니께 여쭤봤어요 (I asked grandmother)
- 교수님께 말씀드렸어요 (I told professor)
께서 (respected subject)
When the respected person is doing the action:
- 선생님께서 오셨어요 (Teacher came)
But: When you're doing action for them, use 께:
- 선생님께 드렸어요 (I gave to teacher)
Example Sentences
드리다 (give)
- 할머니께 꽃을 드렸어요 (I gave grandmother flowers)
- 선생님께 감사 카드를 드렸어요 (I gave teacher a thank-you card)
- 이것을 드릴게요 (I'll give you this)
- 도움을 드리고 싶어요 (I want to help you)
여쭙다 (ask)
- 질문을 여쭤봐도 될까요? (May I ask a question?)
- 선생님께 여쭤봤어요 (I asked teacher)
- 길을 여쭤봤어요 (I asked for directions)
- 성함을 여쭤봐도 될까요? (May I ask your name?)
뵙다 (see/meet)
- 내일 뵙겠습니다 (I'll see you tomorrow)
- 처음 뵙겠습니다 (Nice to meet you)
- 교수님을 뵈었어요 (I met professor)
- 다시 뵙게 되어 기뻐요 (I'm happy to see you again)
모시다 (accompany/serve)
- 할아버지를 모시고 병원에 갔어요 (I accompanied grandfather to the hospital)
- 부모님을 모시고 여행했어요 (I traveled with my parents - serving them)
- 손님을 공항으로 모셔다 드렸어요 (I took guest to the airport)
말씀드리다 (tell)
- 선생님께 말씀드렸어요 (I told teacher)
- 말씀드릴 게 있어요 (I have something to tell you)
- 나중에 다시 말씀드리겠습니다 (I'll tell you again later)
Example Dialogues
Dialogue 1: Customer Service
Customer: 질문 좀 여쭤봐도 될까요?
(May I ask a question?)
Employee: 네, 말씀하세요.
(Yes, please speak.)
Customer: 이것은 얼마예요?
(How much is this?)
Employee: 5만 원입니다. 자세히 설명해 드릴까요?
(It's 50,000 won. Shall I explain in detail?)
Dialogue 2: Meeting Professor
Student: 교수님, 처음 뵙겠습니다.
(Professor, nice to meet you.)
Professor: 반갑습니다.
(Nice to meet you.)
Student: 질문 좀 여쭤봐도 될까요?
(May I ask a question?)
Professor: 그럼요, 무엇이든 물어보세요.
(Of course, ask anything.)
Dialogue 3: Giving Gift
Student: 선생님, 작은 선물을 드리고 싶어요.
(Teacher, I'd like to give you a small gift.)
Teacher: 아니에요, 그럴 필요 없어요.
(No, you don't need to.)
Student: 감사의 마음을 드리고 싶어요.
(I want to show my gratitude.)
Teacher: 정말 고마워요.
(Thank you very much.)
Dialogue 4: Helping Elder
Young person: 할머니, 도와 드릴까요?
(Grandmother, shall I help you?)
Grandmother: 아니야, 괜찮아.
(No, I'm okay.)
Young person: 짐을 들어 드릴게요.
(I'll carry your luggage.)
Grandmother: 고맙구나.
(Thank you.)
Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect: 친구한테 드렸어요
Using humble verb for equal/friend
✅ Correct: 친구한테 줬어요
Use regular verb for friends
❌ Incorrect: 선생님께서 드렸어요
Using humble verb for respected subject
✅ Correct: 선생님께서 주셨어요
Use honorific for respected subject, humble for your actions to them
❌ Incorrect: 선생님이 저한테 드렸어요
Humble verb in wrong direction
✅ Correct: 선생님께서 제게 주셨어요
Teacher gives to you = use honorific, not humble
❌ Incorrect: 제가 드셔요
Mixing humble and honorific
✅ Correct: 제가 먹어요 (yourself) OR 할머니께서 드세요 (grandmother eats)
Don't mix directions
Direction of Respect
Understanding the Flow
Humble verbs: I (lower) → You (higher)
- 제가 선생님께 드렸어요 (I gave to teacher)
Honorific verbs: You (higher) → action
- 선생님께서 주셨어요 (Teacher gave)
Key Principle
Who is performing the humble action?
- If it's YOU doing something for THEM: Use humble verb
- If it's THEM doing something: Use honorific verb
Quick Reference Table
| Regular | Humble | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| 주다 | 드리다 | Giving to respected person |
| 묻다 | 여쭙다/여쭈다 | Asking respected person |
| 보다 | 뵙다 | Seeing/meeting respected person |
| 데리다 | 모시다 | Accompanying respected person |
| 말하다 | 말씀드리다 | Telling respected person |
Verb + 드리다 Patterns
| Verb | + 드리다 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 돕다 | 도와 드리다 | help (for respected) |
| 가르치다 | 가르쳐 드리다 | teach (for respected) |
| 설명하다 | 설명해 드리다 | explain (for respected) |
| 보여주다 | 보여 드리다 | show (for respected) |
| 안내하다 | 안내해 드리다 | guide (for respected) |
Key Takeaways
- ✅ Lower yourself: Humble verbs show respect by being modest
- ✅ Direction matters: You → respected person (use humble)
- ✅ Essential verbs: 드리다 (give), 여쭙다 (ask), 뵙다 (meet), 모시다 (accompany)
- ✅ -아/어 드리다: Common pattern for doing things for respected people
- ✅ Use particle 께: Always use with humble verbs (not 한테/에게)
- ✅ Don't use for friends: Only for elders/superiors/customers
- ✅ Different from honorifics: Honorifics honor subject, humbles honor object
- ✅ Service language: Essential in customer service and professional settings
Humble verbs are essential for showing proper respect in Korean, especially in service situations and when interacting with elders or superiors. Master the core verbs (드리다, 여쭙다, 뵙다) and the -아/어 드리다 pattern to speak with appropriate modesty and respect!