Polite Requests: -(으)세요
The -(으)세요 ending is attached to a verb stem to create a polite command or request. This is one of the most common and essential forms you'll use in everyday Korean.
It's polite and respectful, making it suitable for speaking to people you don't know well, people older than you, or in professional settings.
How to Form
The ending you use depends on whether the verb stem ends in a vowel or a consonant.
Stem Ends In · Rule · Example
Vowel · Add -세요 · 가다 → 가 + 세요 → 가세요
Consonant · Add -으세요 · 읽다 → 읽 + 으세요 → 읽으세요
Consonant ㄹ · Drop ㄹ, add -세요 · 만들다 → 만들 → 만드 + 세요 → 만드세요
Honorific Note: -(으)세요 is actually the imperative form of the honorific marker -(으)시- . This is why it carries a respectful tone. For certain verbs, a special honorific word is used instead, like 드세요 for 먹다 and 주무세요 for 자다.
Asking for Favors: -아/어 주세요
When you want to ask someone to do something for you , the pattern -아/어 주세요 is perfect. It combines a verb with 주세요 (the polite form of 주다, to give), creating the meaning "Please do [verb] for my benefit."
How to Form
First, you conjugate the verb stem with -아/어 based on vowel harmony, and then you add 주세요 .
Last Vowel of Stem · Rule · Example
ㅏ or ㅗ · Add -아 주세요 · 닫다 → 닫 + 아 주세요 → 닫아 주세요
Not ㅏ or ㅗ · Add -어 주세요 · 만들다 → 만들어 + 주세요 → 만들어 주세요
하다 verb · Becomes -해 주세요 · 설명하다 → 설명해 주세요
Examples:
사진을 찍어 주세요 . (Please take a picture for me.)
이것 좀 도와주세요 . (Please help me with this.)
Subtle Difference: While both -(으)세요 and -아/어 주세요 are requests, -아/어 주세요 adds a clear nuance that the action is a favor for the speaker. For example, 문을 닫으세요 is a general instruction to close the door, while 문을 닫아 주세요 implies "Please close the door (because I'm cold/busy)."