안녕하세요! 🤗 In this lesson, you will learn how to say "to" with some respect. You'll be able to say "I wrote a letter to my grandmother," or "I gave a present to my father,' at the end of the lesson. I'll also show you the comparisons with similar grammar materials.
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1. 께 Grammar
Meaning
The marker 께 is the honorific version of 에게. It is attached to a person or people who receive action. You can translate it as "to" in English.
The difference between 께 and 한테 or 에게 is that 께 has an honorific manner. So, you attach it to someone who is older or has a higher social status.
할머니 means "grandmother." She is the one who received the gift. So, we need to attach "께" to her.
You can also use it when you write a letter. When a receiver of the letter is someone who needs to be called with honor, attach 께 after their title.
할아버지께 Dear grandfather (To grandfather)
Verbs
Since it is the marker with an honorific manner, you must use the honorific versions of verbs when they exist. If you want to learn more about these honorific words, please click here to read my other lesson.
Meaning | Basic Form | Honorific Form | Example |
to give | 주다 | 드리다 | 할머니께 선물을 드렸어요. I gave a gift to my grandma. |
to talk | 말하다 | 말씀 드리다 | 할아버지께 말씀 드렸어요. I talked to Grandpa. |
to ask | 묻다 | 여쭈다* | 선생님께 여쭤보세요. Ask teacher. |
*여쭈다 is often used with the grammatical expression "아/어/여 보다" which means "try Ving."
2. Conjugation Information
It only has one form. So, no matter whether there is a final consonant or not, you'll simply attach 께 directly to a noun, without any space.
선생님께 to teacher
교수님께 to professor
부모님께 to parents
어머니께 to mother
아버지께 to father
조부모님께 to my grandparents
할머니께 to grandmother
할아버지께 to grandfather
사장님께 to the boss/CEO/the store owner
부장님께 to the head of the department
손님께 to a customer
3. Extension
Comparison: 한테, 에게, 께
한테, 에게, and 께 mean "to" and they show who receives the action. However, there are some differences!
한테 | 에게 | 께 |
께 is honorific version. You attach to a noun that needs more respect. | ||
(O) 친구한테 선물을 줘요. | (O) 친구에게 선물을 줘요. | (X) 친구께 선물을 줘요. (O) 어머니께 선물을 드려요. |
It is usually used in spoken language. | You can use it in both spoken and written language. | You can use it in both spoken and written language. |
Comparison: 께, 께서
께, and 께서 are both markers that can be attached when you show some respect.
께 | 께서 |
It shows the noun that it is attached to that receives the action. | It shows the subject of the sentence. |
저는 선생님께 편지를 드렸어요. I gave a letter to the teacher. | 선생님께서 저에게 편지를 주셨어요. The teacher gave me the letter. |
Various Meanings of 께
Just like 한테 and 에게, 께 also can show a lot of meanings. They are pretty much the same.
① With a movement verb like 가다 or 오다, you can show a direction with 께. You can also use the version with the direction marker, 께로.
I went to(towards) my professor.
저는 교수님께 갔어요.
저는 교수님께로 갔어요.
② It can show a belonging. A noun has something. In this case, you'll see verbs like 있다(to have) and 없다(not to have).
선생님께 사전이 있어요. The teacher has the dictionary.
③ It indicates a standard of comparison. In this case, you'll see words like 맞다(to be right/correct), 알맞다(to be proper), 어울리다(to suit), etc.
이 옷이 어머니께 잘 어울릴 거예요. These clothes seem to suit well to my mom.
이 안경은 할머니께 딱 맞을 거예요. These glasses will fit perfectly with my grandma.
④ You can show a person that is being ordered to do something. In this case, you use 께 with a causative verb.
어머니는 아버지께 병원에 가게 했어요. Mom made Dad to go to the hospital.
⑤ 께 can indicate a subject that holds a feeling. You can also show the subject that made you feel that way.
어머니께 요리는 쉬워요. Cooking is easy for my mom.
아버지는 어머니께 매우 죄송했어요. Dad was sorry for Mom.
4. Examples
1
저는 선생님께 전화를 드렸어요. I called my teacher.
You may know 전화하다 to say to make a phone call. You have to say 전화를 드리다 when you call someone that you have to show respect.
2
저는 할머니께 편지를 썼어요. I wrote a letter to my grandmother.
썼어요 came from 쓰다(to write). 할머니 is the one who receives the letter. So, we need to attach 께.
3
어제 아버지 생신이었어요. 그래서 저는 선물을 드렸어요.
Yesterday was my father. So, I gave him a present.
생신 is an honorific version of the word 생일(birthday). To show respect, we don't say 주다(to give). We have to say 드리다.
4
부장님께 보고드리겠습니다. I'll report to the head of the department.
This time I used the formal ending ㅂ니다/습니다. In official and formal situations, it is appropriate to use this formal ending.
보고드리겠습니다 came from 보고드리다. It is the honorific version of 보고하다 which means to report. 겠 is the pre-final ending that shows the future tense.
5
(슈퍼에서 in a supermarket)
손님께 봉투를 드렸어요. I gave a bag to the customer.
봉투 is either a plastic bag or an envelope. In Korea, people use a polite version of 손님(customer). You may hear "Customer is the king," or "Customer is always right." Korea has the same vibe.
5. Wrap-up & Worksheet
How was 께 grammar lesson today? It wasn't too difficult, right? Let's review what you learn!
께 is attached to a noun that receives the action.
The noun is someone to whom you have to show some respect, like parents, grandparents, boss, etc.
I prepared the free and printable worksheet. The answers are throughout in this lesson! Once you finish, please come back to this lesson and check your answers as you read through again!
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