Commands and Requests

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.

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)."

The -(으)십시오 ending is a very formal, and often public, way to give a command. You will rarely use this in casual conversation, as it can sound very stiff, distant, or even like a military order.

Common Usage Scenarios

This form is primarily found in specific, non-conversational contexts:

Public announcements (e.g., at a subway station or airport)

Written instructions on signs or forms

Formal presentations and speeches

Military commands

How to Form

The conjugation rule is similar to -(으)세요 .

Stem Ends In · Rule · Example

Vowel · Add -십시오 · 오다 → 오 + 십시오 → 오십시오

Consonant · Add -으십시오 · 앉다 → 앉 + 으십시오 → 앉으십시오

Combining Forms: You might also see this combined with -아/어 주다 to make a very formal public request, such as 물러나 주십시오 (Please step back). This is common in safety announcements where the request is for the public's own benefit but delivered in a formal tone.

Quick review

Very formal command

Verb stem + -(으)십시오

오다 -> 오십시오

읽다 -> 읽으십시오