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안녕하세요? 어떻게 지내요? 😊 (Hello. How are you?) Thanks for coming back to "My Korean Lesson!" The place where you can learn Korean grammar from a native Korean teacher and download the free printable PDF worksheets! 😍
Today, you will continue learning the Korean formal ending, especially the command form. 잘 읽으십시오. (Read carefully.) 열심히 공부하십시오! (Study hard!) I just made commands using the target grammar of this post. In the end, you will be able to give a command using 으십시오 grammar as well!
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1. V(으)십시오 grammar
-(으)십시오 is the command ending in the formal ending. With this ending, you can command the listener to take a certain action. In an informal ending, the counterpart is (으)세요. This (으)세요 has a less strict tone.
책을 읽으십시오. Read the book. (Please read the book.)
으십시오 is a direct imperative. That means it seems rude to use it on someone who is way older than you or who has a higher social status than you. In that case, you'd better use "으시지요". It is a suggestion, not a command, so it has a softer tone.
책을 읽으시지요. (Less command tone) Please read the book.
One thing I noticed from my students is that they often confused it as 으십시요. They added 요 [yo] like the informal ending. But it is a formal ending. It doesn't end with 요. Make sure to write and say 으십시오 with "오 [oh]."
(O) 으십시오.
(X) 으십시요. - It doesn't exist in Korean.
2. Conjugation Information
Since (으)십시오 is a command, you can only attach it to a verb stem. I'll show you how to change the verbs into this formal command ending! We have to pay attention to the existence of the final consonant.
A. Regular Rules
1. 받침 X + 십시오.
If a stem ends with a vowel, simply attach 십시오 to it.
가다 → 가십시오. Please go.
오다 → 오십시오. Please come.
고르다 → 고르십시오. Please choose.
2. 받침 O + 으십시오.
If a stem ends with a final consonant, you can add 으십시오.
앉다 → 앉으십시오. Please sit.
찾다 → 찾으십시오. Please find.
읽다 → 읽으십시오. Please read.
3. ㄹ 받침: Drop ㄹ + 십시오.
If a word has the ㄹ as the final consonant, you have to erase that ㄹ first. We don't have the final consonant anymore. So, please add 십시오.
만들다 → 만드십시오. Please make.
풀다 → 푸십시오. Please solve.
열다 → 여십시오. Please open.
B. Irregular Rules
Here are irregular verbs. You can see them almost whenever you conjugate verbs. Did you get used to them? If not, please make sure to know there recurring ㄷ, ㅅ, and ㅂ! They are quite important matters!
1. ㄷ 받침: ㄷ → ㄹ + 으십시오
When a verb ends with the final consonant 'ㄷ,' you always start with changing that to another consonant ㄹ. Then, we will add 으십시오.
듣다 → 들으십시오. Please listen.
걷다 → 걸으십시오. Please walk.
2. ㅅ 받침: Drop ㅅ + 으십시오.
For irregular ㅅ words, you should erase the ㅅ first. Then, even though we don't have the final consonant anymore, we will still add 으십시오. It was because there was the final consonant before. Yes, I know. You added 십시오 for ㄹ. But ㄹ is the "regular" rule and we are changing the "irregular" rule now. So, things are a bit different!
긋다 → 그으십시오. Please draw lines.
짓다 → 지으십시오. Please build.
3. ㅂ 받침: Drop ㅂ + 우십시오.
The special friend ㅂ is being special again. Instead of 으십시오, you will add 우십시오 this time!
눕다 → 누우십시오. Please lie down.
줍다 → 주우십시오. Please pick it up.
4. In the case of ㅡ words
Since ㅡ words like 쓰다 and 부르다 don't have the final consonant all the time, you need to add the "십시오" version. That means, the consonant "ㅅ" will meet the stems (쓰 or 르). Those ㅡ words only work irregularly when they meet a vowel. What does that mean? That means you don't have to worry about irregular conjugation! Just attach 십시오 to the stem. No difficult process is needed!
쓰다 → 쓰십시오. Please write.
부르다 → 부르십시오. Please call.
⚠︎ 부르다 means to call out (like call someone's name). When you make a phone call, that time you have to use 전화하다. 부르다 also means "cause (a result)," "sing," or "(stomach) to be full." Yes, it has many meanings! 😂 You will judge which one it means by the context.
C. Honorific Words
For words with honorific versions like "먹다, 마시다, 자다, 말하다, and 있다", you must conjugate the honorific form.
먹다 → 드시다 → 드십시오.
먹다 → 잡수시다 → 잡수십시오.
↪ 먹다 has both 드시다 and 잡수시다 as honorific form. You can use either one.
마시다 → 드시다 → 드십시오.
자다 → 주무시다 → 주무십시오.
말하다 → 말씀하시다 → 말씀하십시오.
있다 → 계시다 → 계십시오.
If you say "선생님, 말하십시오." that will be a very wrong sentence. 말하다 will be changed into 말씀하시다, so you have to say "선생님, 말씀하십시오."
3. Sentence Information
1. Restrictions
It doesn't conjugate with an adjective or 이다 be/아니다 be not.
(X) 예쁘십시오. Be pretty. - You can't command it to be an adjective.
(X) 내일부터 선생님이십시오. Be a teacher from tomorrow. - It sounds weird, right?
2. Idioms
It is often used in idioms. In this case, 으십시오 isn't considered as a command. It is just a very formal expression to say. Those idimos of course have the informal versions as well. The informal ending will give them a more soft, friendly vibe.
어서오십시오. = 어서오세요. Welcome. - A clerk says it to a customer when they enter a store.
안녕히 주무십시오. = 안녕히 주무세요. Sleep well Good night.
안녕히 가십시오. = 안녕히 가세요. Bye. (Go well.) - The expression you can say to someone who leaves.
안녕히 계십시오. = 안녕히 계세요. Bye. (Stay well.) - The expression you can say to someone who will stay.
3. Negative form: -지 마십시오
Okay, I know this was so far a lot of things to study. Here is the last important information. How can we say "Don't V" with a banning tone? You can use the ending "지 마십시오." This ending is often used as "banning" in public places.
미술관에서 사진을 찍지 마십시오. Don't take a picture in the art museum.
건물 안에서 담배를 피우지 마십시오. Do not smoke inside the building.
4. Examples
This ending is often found in the test questions.
1
잘 듣고, 알맞은 답을 고르시오.
Listen well and choose the correct answer.
↳ 듣고 came from 듣다 to listen with the connective ending "고". 알맞은 means "correct," or "right". 답 means "answer".
2
잘 읽고, 정답을 고르시오.
↳ 읽고 is a combination of 읽다 to read and 고. 정답 is a noun meaning the correct answer.
3
여기는 미술관입니다. 조용히 하십시오.
This is an art museum. Please be quiet.
↳ A formal command is well used in a public place.
4
교실 벽에 낙서를 하지 마십시오.
Do not scribble on the classroom walls.
↳ 벽 is a wall. 교실 벽 is a classroom wall. 낙서하다 means "to scribble." Just like this example, "지 마십시오" is often used to ban someone to do something.
5. Wrap-up & Worksheets
(으)십시오 is a formal command.
You conjugate verb stems depending on their final consonants.
It is often used as idioms and in well used in public places.
Here is a worksheet for you! I provide you with both a quiz and an answer sheet. Please write each conjugated form with your own hand and check the answer!
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