-아/어 주다 Do for: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Build -아/어 주다 on any verb stem, including 사다, 하다 and 돕다.
• Ask for help politely and offer to help someone.
• Choose between 주다 and the humble 드리다.
• Spot and fix the most common mistakes, such as using 주다 for a teacher.

Prerequisites: the lesson on -아/어 보다 try, which teaches the same vowel rule, and the polite ending -아요/어요. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• -아/어 주다 is an auxiliary construction: the main verb comes first and 주다 follows it.
• The main verb says what is done, and 주다 says that someone else benefits.
• The vowel rule is the same as for -아요/어요: 아 after ㅏ or ㅗ, and 어 after other vowels.
• -아/어 주세요 is the standard polite request, and -아/어 줄게요 offers help.
• For a senior, 주다 changes to the humble verb 드리다.

Listen to the two model sentences for this lesson.

The next section defines the pattern and shows what it means.

What Does -아/어 주다 Do for Mean?

-아/어 주다 means that you do an action for the benefit of another person. The main verb names the action, and 주다 adds the idea of giving it to someone. An auxiliary verb is a verb that follows a main verb and adds a meaning instead of acting alone. In 열어 주다, the main verb is 열다 ("open") and the auxiliary is 주다.

The ordinary meaning of 주다 is "to give". The auxiliary use is a natural extension: you "give" your action. 책을 주세요 means "Please give me the book", where 주다 is the main verb. 책을 읽어 주세요 means "Please read the book for me", where 주다 is the auxiliary. The second sentence has two verbs, and the first one carries the action.

A First Example

Here are two sentences, one request and one offer.

The first sentence is a request, so the listener is the doer and the speaker benefits. The second is an offer, so the speaker is the doer and the listener benefits. The same pattern covers both directions. The next section shows how it is formed.

How Does -아/어 주다 Do for Work?

The rule has two steps: attach 아 or 어 to the stem of the main verb, then add 주다 and conjugate it. The stem is the verb without its dictionary ending -다. For 열다 the stem is 열.

1. Choose 아 or 어 by the last vowel of the stem. After ㅏ or ㅗ use 아. After every other vowel use 어. 하다 uses its own form, 해.
2. Add the auxiliary 주다. 열어 주다, 닫아 주다.
3. Conjugate 주다 for the speech level. 줘요 (polite present), 줬어요 (polite past), 주세요 (polite request).

Pattern Table

Three small points explain most of the table. First, when the stem ends in a vowel, 아 or 어 merges with it: 사 + 아 gives 사, and 가르치 + 어 gives 가르쳐. Second, 돕다 is a ㅂ-irregular verb, so its ㅂ changes to 오/우 before a vowel and gives 도와. Third, 도와주다 is a very common pair that dictionaries list as one word, so it is usually written joined, while most other combinations are written with a space (열어 주다). The spelling rules (한글 맞춤법, Article 47) allow both in many cases.

How Does 주다 Change?

Only 주다 changes with tense and speech level. The main verb stays as 열어. The next table shows the forms you will use most.

The next section builds one sentence from scratch.

Worked Example: Building 문 좀 열어 주세요

To ask someone to open the door, start from the dictionary verb and add the pattern in five steps.

1. Pick the main verb. "Open" is 열다, and the object is 문 ("door").
2. Find the stem and its last vowel. The stem is 열, and its vowel is ㅕ, so the connecting vowel is 어: 열어.
3. Add the auxiliary 주다. 열어 주다 means "open for someone".
4. Choose the request ending. For a polite request, 주다 + 세요 becomes 주세요.
5. Add the softener and the object. 좀 means "a little" and makes a request gentler. The result is 문 좀 열어 주세요.

You'll know it worked when the sentence ends with 주세요, 열어 stands directly before it, and 문 comes first. The same steps give 창문 좀 닫아 주세요 ("Please close the window") and 사진 좀 찍어 주세요 ("Please take a photo for me"). In a request the order of adverbs and objects follows the habits in Korean adverb position in a sentence, so 천천히 말해 주세요 ("Please speak slowly") puts the adverb before the verb pair.

The next section compares 주다 with the forms learners confuse it with.

How Is -아/어 주다 Different from Similar Forms?

Three ideas are close to each other, and each has its own Korean form. -아/어 주다 says you do something for a person in a neutral way. -아/어 드리다 says the same for a person you must show respect to. Receiving help is expressed from the other side with 도움을 받다.

The humble verb 드리다 is a special form of 주다. It lowers the speaker and raises the person who receives the action, and it is taught in Korean humble forms 드리다 뵙다. Compare 선생님을 도와줘요 (not suitable) and 선생님을 도와드려요 (suitable): both say "I help the teacher", but only the second shows respect. The beneficiary can also take a particle: 선생님께 책을 보내 드렸어요 means "I sent the teacher a book", with 께 as the honorific form of 에게.

Is there an -아/어 받다? Some learners expect a mirror pattern, such as 열어 받다 for "have it opened for me". Korean does not use that. To say that someone did something for you, put that person as the subject and keep 주다: 친구가 도와줬어요 ("My friend helped me"), 언니가 저를 데려다줬어요 ("My older sister took me there"). To name the help itself, use 받다 with a noun: 도움을 받았어요.

The next section covers speech levels and the cases where 주다 does not fit.

When Do You Use -아/어 주다, and When Not?

Use -아/어 주다 when one person's action helps another person, in requests, offers and reports. The speech level decides how the request sounds, and the choice of 주다 or 드리다 shows how you see the listener.

The Politeness Ladder

The same request has four common levels. The sentences below all mean "Please open the door", with a growing amount of respect.

The very polite form uses 주시다, the honorific of 주다, plus -겠어요 for a gentle question: "Would you be so kind as to open the door?" The form 열어 줄래요? ("Will you open it for me?") is polite but more familiar than 주세요, and suits friends and colleagues. For offers to a senior, change 주다 to 드리다: 열어 드릴까요? ("Shall I open it for you?") and 도와드리겠습니다 ("I will help you", formal).

Common Service Phrases

Four service phrases appear every day: 도와주세요 ("Help me" or "Please help"), 잠깐만 기다려 주세요 ("Please wait a moment"), 사진 좀 찍어 주세요 ("Please take a photo") and 다시 한번 말해 주세요 ("Please say it once more"). To ask someone not to do something, the matching pattern is -지 마세요 don't.

When the Pattern Does Not Fit

Skip -아/어 주다 in three situations. First, when you do something for yourself, since there is no other beneficiary: use 샀어요 and not 사 줬어요. Second, when no person benefits, as in 비가 와 줘요 for a plain "it rains", which is not natural. Third, when you describe a routine duty, because -아/어 주다 suggests a favour, so 매일 청소해 줘요 sounds like you clean for someone as a kindness.

What this lesson does not cover. The pattern for leaving something done in advance (-아/어 놓다), for finishing something with feeling (-아/어 버리다), and casual commands and suggestions each have their own lesson. The related pages are -아/어 놓다 -아/어 두다 and -아/어 버리다 finish regret.

An honest limit. Politeness in Korean depends on the relationship and the situation, not only on grammar. A form that is correct can still sound too direct or too stiff in a given room. The ladder above is a guide for beginners, not a fixed rule.

The next section lists the errors that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with -아/어 주다?

Learners make five predictable mistakes. Each has a reason and a fix.

Learners often assume 주다 works for every listener. Actually it is neutral, and a senior needs 드리다. Wrong: 선생님을 도와줘요. Right: 선생님을 도와드려요. Fix: ask who benefits, and switch to 드리다 for a teacher, a customer or an older relative.

Learners often assume the vowel is always 어. Actually the vowel follows the stem. Wrong: 열아 주세요 or 닫어 주세요. Right: 열어 주세요 and 닫아 주세요. Fix: look at the last vowel of the stem.

Learners often assume the pattern can describe a benefit to oneself. Actually the beneficiary is normally another person ("treat yourself" jokes aside). Wrong: 저에게 사 줬어요 for "I bought it for myself". Right: 제가 샀어요. Fix: use the plain verb when you act for yourself.

Learners often assume the main-verb 주다 and the auxiliary are the same. Actually the first means "give" and the second "do for". 물을 주세요 means "Please give me water". 물을 가져다주세요 means "Please bring me water". Fix: look for a second verb before 주다.

Learners often assume Korean has -아/어 받다. Actually it does not. Fix: say 친구가 도와줬어요 or 도움을 받았어요.

Practice puts these rules into your own sentences, as the next section shows.

Practice and Answers

Complete the four tasks, then compare your answers with the key.

Task 1: choose 아 or 어. Write the form with 주세요.

1. 닫다
2. 읽다
3. 사다
4. 기다리다

Task 2: fix the error. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 선생님을 도와줘요. (the helper speaks to a teacher)
2. 창문 좀 닫어 주세요.
3. 저에게 사 줬어요. (the meaning is "I bought it for myself")

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "Please wait a moment." and "I will help you." (to a friend).

Task 4: write your own. Write one request you would make in a shop and one offer you would make to a friend.

Answer key

1. (1) 닫아 주세요 (2) 읽어 주세요 (3) 사 주세요 (4) 기다려 주세요
2. (1) 선생님을 도와드려요. (2) 창문 좀 닫아 주세요. (3) 제가 샀어요. (The plain verb already says you acted for yourself.)
3. 잠깐만 기다려 주세요. 제가 도와줄게요.
4. Sample answers: 이거 좀 포장해 주세요. ("Please wrap this.") 제가 짐을 들어 줄게요. ("I will carry the bags for you.") Any verb is correct if the vowel matches the stem and 주다 follows as its own word.

If task 1 was correct, you have the vowel rule. If task 2 was hard, return to the comparison table and check who benefits. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after -아/어 주다 Do For?

After -아/어 주다 do for, learn the humble forms in Korean humble forms 드리다 뵙다, which let you offer help to a teacher, a customer or an elder. Then read -아/어 놓다 -아/어 두다 and -아/어 버리다 finish regret, which follow in the same set.

For a wider view, the parent page Korean auxiliary verbs lists every lesson in learning order. To compare how friends give commands and suggestions, see banmal commands and suggestions -아/어 -자. To practise the first lesson of the set again, return to -아/어 보다 try.

This lesson covers -아/어 주다 in the polite and casual forms, with a short introduction to 드리다. It does not cover every honorific combination. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. The Korean text and spoken forms on this page were machine-generated and reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026. Romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does -아/어 주다 mean? -아/어 주다 means "to do something for someone". The main verb names the action, and 주다, which normally means "give", shows that another person benefits. 문을 열어 줘요 means "I open the door for you", and 도와줘요 means "I help you". It often sounds like a favour.

How do I form -아/어 주다? Take the verb stem and add 아 after the vowels ㅏ and ㅗ, or 어 after any other vowel. 하다 becomes 해. Then add 주다 as its own word and conjugate it. 열다 becomes 열어 줘요, 닫다 becomes 닫아 줘요, and 돕다 becomes 도와줘요. Politely asking for help uses 주세요.

What is the most common mistake with -아/어 주다? The most common mistake is using 주다 for a senior person, as in 선생님을 도와줘요. The respectful form is 도와드려요, using 드리다. A second mistake is using 주다 for your own benefit, as in 저에게 사 줬어요 for "I bought it for myself". A third is the wrong vowel, as in 열아 주세요.

How is -아/어 주다 different from -아/어 드리다? Both mean "do for someone". 주다 is neutral and fits friends, family and polite requests to equals. 드리다 is the humble form, used when the person who benefits is a teacher, a customer, an older relative or another senior. Compare 제가 도와줄게요 with 제가 도와드릴게요, "I will help you", said to a senior.

Do I use -아/어 주다 in speech, writing or both? -아/어 주다 is common in speech, in messages and in service language such as 도와드리겠습니다. In writing it appears in instructions and in stories, with plain forms such as 열어 주었다. Signs and announcements often use the formal request 주십시오. The grammar stays the same, and only the ending changes.