Korean Humble Forms 드리다 뵙다: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Replace five everyday verbs with their humble forms.
• Use 저 and 저희 instead of 나 and 우리 in respectful speech.
• Build humble offers and promises with -겠습니다 and -(으)ㄹ게요.
• Decide between a humble and an honorific verb by asking who acts.

Before you start: you should know honorific -(으)시- and Korean honorific verbs 드시다 주무시다 계시다. Time: about 35 minutes.

What Do the Korean Humble Forms 드리다 뵙다 Mean?

The Korean humble forms 드리다 and 뵙다 mean "give" and "see" or "meet" when you give to, or see, someone you respect. They have the same meaning as 주다 and 보다. The difference is direction: instead of raising the senior, they lower you, so the senior ends up higher.

Korean grammar calls this object honorification (객체 높임법): respect for the person who receives the action, not for the person who does it. English has traces of the idea in phrases such as "May I offer you…" instead of "I'll give you…".

All three humble sentences keep the speaker as the subject, which is the everyday case. A third person can also be the subject when the receiver is senior: 동생이 할머니께 선물을 드렸어요 ("My younger sibling gave Grandmother a present").

A First Example

Listen to each sentence at normal speed, then slowly.

1. 제가 도와드릴게요. (jega dowadeurilgeyo) "I will help you."

Pronunciation: [제가 도와드릴께요]. The ending -(으)ㄹ게요 is spoken with a tense [께]. 도와드리다 is 돕다 ("to help") plus the humble helper 드리다, so it means "help, for a senior".

2. 내일 뵙겠습니다. (naeil boepgetseumnida) "I will see you tomorrow."

Pronunciation: [내일 뵙껟씀니다]. 뵙다 replaces 보다 when you meet a senior, and -겠습니다 adds a formal, modest promise. Office workers often end a meeting or a phone call with this sentence.

In both sentences the speaker acts and the listener is honoured. The next section lists the humble verbs and shows how to conjugate them.

How Do the Korean Humble Forms 드리다 뵙다 Work?

The Korean humble forms 드리다 뵙다 work by replacing a plain word with a humble one whenever you act toward a senior. Follow three steps.

1. Check who acts. If you, or your family or company, do the action, a humble form may apply.
2. Check who receives. If the receiver is older or senior, switch to the humble verb: 주다 → 드리다.
3. Change the particle and pronoun too. 에게 or 한테 becomes 께, and 나 or 우리 becomes 저 or 저희.

Pattern Table

Pronunciation of the harder forms: 드렸어요 is [드려써요], 뵀어요 is [봬써요], 여쭸어요 is [여쭤써요], and 말씀드렸어요 is [말씀드려써요].

Two Forms of 뵙다 and 여쭙다

뵙다 and 여쭙다 each have a twin: 뵈다 and 여쭈다. The 국립국어원 dictionary lists both pairs. In practice, the ㅂ forms are most common before endings that start with a consonant (뵙겠습니다, 뵙고, 여쭙고 싶어요), and the short forms supply the everyday forms before vowel endings (봬요, 뵐게요, 여쭤봐도 돼요?). 여쭙다 also has a rarer vowel form, 여쭈워요. Learners do not need to memorise the rule: copy the five most common forms in the table, and the rest follows by sound.

The Helper Verb -아/어 드리다

드리다 also works as a helper after another verb, the humble partner of -아/어 주다 ("do for someone"). 도와주다 ("help") becomes 도와드리다, 알려 주다 ("let know") becomes 알려 드리다, and 보여 주다 ("show") becomes 보여 드리다. Standard spelling allows a space or no space before 드리다 here, so 도와 드릴게요 and 도와드릴게요 are both accepted. The plain pattern is taught in -아/어 주다 do for. The worked example below builds one sentence from start to finish.

Worked Example, Step by Step

To offer help politely, as in 제가 도와드릴게요, start from the casual sentence and change three parts. Follow the steps.

1. Start from the casual offer. 내가 도와줄게. ("I'll help you.") It suits a friend.
2. Make the pronoun humble. 내가 becomes 제가. The humble pronoun 저 plus 가 contracts to 제가, just as 나 plus 가 becomes 내가.
3. Make the verb humble. 도와주다 becomes 도와드리다, because the person you help is senior.
4. Choose the ending. For a friendly promise to a senior, add -(으)ㄹ게요: 도와드릴게요. For a formal setting, add -겠습니다: 도와드리겠습니다.
5. Check for -(으)시-. You are the subject, so the verb must not contain 시: 도와드리실게요 is wrong.

You'll know it worked when the sentence has 제가 or 저는, a humble verb, and no 시. Common mistake at this step: keeping 내가 with 드릴게요. The mix sounds odd, because 내가 is casual and 드리다 is humble.

Repeat with 내일 뵙겠습니다: the plain sentence is 내일 봐요, the humble verb for meeting a senior is 뵙다, and -겠습니다 adds a formal promise. With the steps clear, the next section compares humble and honorific forms side by side.

How Are Humble Forms Different from Similar Forms?

Humble forms describe your own act toward a senior, while honorific forms describe the senior's own act. Both show respect, but they point in opposite directions. Korean grammar names them 겸양어 (humble words) and 존경어 (honorific words).

One pair needs extra care, because the spellings are close. 드리다 is humble ("I give"), and 드시다 is honorific ("you eat"). Read the third syllable: 리 means you give, 시 means they eat.

A conversation shows both directions in two lines:

• Customer: 이거 얼마예요? ("How much is this?")
• Staff: 제가 확인해 드릴게요. 잠시만 기다리세요. ("I will check for you. Please wait a moment.")

The staff member uses humble 드리다 for their own act and honorific 기다리세요 for the customer's act. The honorific side is taught in Korean honorific verbs 드시다 주무시다 계시다, and the pronoun pair in 나 vs 저 Korean. The next section covers when humble forms apply and the one case where they combine with -(으)시-.

When Do You Use It, and When Not?

Use humble forms when you, or your group, act toward someone older or senior. Do not use them toward children, younger people or close friends, and do not use them for the senior's own actions.

Typical Situations

• At work: 제가 내일 말씀드리겠습니다. ("I will tell you tomorrow.") 회의 자료를 보내 드렸어요. ("I sent you the meeting materials.")
• In service: 제가 안내해 드릴게요. ("I will show you the way.")
• With family elders: 할머니께 용돈을 드렸어요. ("I gave Grandmother some pocket money.") 부모님을 모시고 여행 갔어요. ("I took my parents on a trip.")
• Greetings: 처음 뵙겠습니다. ("Nice to meet you", literally "I will see you for the first time.") This set phrase opens many first meetings.

Does a Humble Verb Ever Take -(으)시-?

Yes, but only when the subject is not you. When a respected person acts toward someone even more respected, both markers can appear. 어머니께서 할머니를 모시고 오셨어요 means "Mother brought Grandmother": 모시다 respects the grandmother, and 시 respects the mother. Requests work the same way. 선생님께 말씀드리세요 means "Please tell the teacher", said to a respected listener who will do the telling.

So the rule in the key facts is about you: when you are the subject, never add -(으)시- to a humble verb. 제가 말씀드리세요 is always wrong, because it honours the speaker.

Speech, Writing and Formal Settings

Humble forms appear in conversation, business email, letters and speeches. An email to a professor might close with 감사드립니다 ("I thank you") or 다음 주에 찾아뵙겠습니다 ("I will visit you next week"). Formal announcements use 저희 for the company: 저희 매장을 찾아 주셔서 감사합니다 ("Thank you for visiting our store"). The next section lists the errors to avoid.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make?

Learners make five predictable mistakes with Korean humble forms. Each one comes from mixing up who acts and who receives.

1. Using 드리다 for a younger person. Learners often assume 드리다 is just the polite word for "give", so they say 동생에게 선물을 드렸어요. Actually 드리다 raises the receiver, and a younger sibling should not be raised. Say 동생에게 선물을 줬어요.
2. Using 드시다 for yourself. 저는 밥을 드셨어요 honours the speaker. Say 저는 밥을 먹었어요.
3. Adding -(으)시- to your own humble act. 제가 말씀드리세요 is wrong. Say 제가 말씀드릴게요.
4. Writing 뵈요. The correct spelling is 봬요, the short form of 뵈어요.
5. Saying 저희 나라. Use 우리나라 for your own country, and keep 저희 for smaller groups, such as 저희 회사.

These and other errors from across the honorific system are collected in Korean honorific mistakes. The verb 뵙다 has its own page in the verb dictionary: 뵙다 (boepda). Now test yourself.

Practice and Answers

Try all four items before you read the answers. Each answer has audio, normal and slow.

1. Choose the form. 제가 선생님께 이메일을 (보낼게요 / 보내 드릴게요). ("I will send the teacher an email.")
2. Fix the error. 제가 사장님께 말씀드리세요. (The speaker means "I will tell the boss.")
3. Translate. "May I ask you something?" Use 하나 (one thing) and 여쭤보다.
4. Write your own. Write one sentence about something you gave to an older family member.

Answer Key

1. 제가 선생님께 이메일을 보내 드릴게요. (jega seonsaengnimkke imeireul bonae deurilgeyo) Pronounced [제가 선생님께 이메이를 보내 드릴께요]. You act for a senior, so add the humble helper 드리다. 보낼게요 is understandable but less respectful.

2. 제가 사장님께 말씀드릴게요. (jega sajangnimkke malsseumdeurilgeyo) Pronounced [제가 사장님께 말씀드릴께요]. You are the subject, so remove 시 and use the promise ending.

3. 하나 여쭤봐도 될까요? (hana yeojjwobwado doelkkayo) Pronounced [하나 여쭤봐도 될까요]. 여쭤보다 is the humble form of 물어보다 ("to ask").

4. Sample answer: 할머니께 꽃을 드렸어요. (halmeonikke kkocheul deuryeosseoyo) "I gave Grandmother flowers." Pronounced [할머니께 꼬츨 드려써요]. Any sentence with you as the giver, 께 and 드리다 is right.

If you chose the plain verb in item 1 or kept 시 in item 2, return to the two questions: who acts, and who receives. Then continue with the next lessons.

What This Lesson Does Not Cover

The humble forms lesson covers the common humble verbs and pronouns at B1. It does not cover the literary humble endings of prayers and old letters, or the full family of titles; titles such as 씨 and 님 come next, and the honorific nouns are in Korean honorific nouns.

Next Lessons and Where to Go from Here

After the Korean humble forms 드리다 뵙다, the natural next lesson is ssi vs nim in Korean, which shows how to address the people you are being humble toward. To review the other direction of respect, revisit Korean honorific verbs 드시다 주무시다 계시다. The set overview, Korean honorifics, lists every lesson in learning order.

This page uses Revised Romanization only as a learning aid; the Hangul is the reference. To remember the idea in one line: Korean humble forms 드리다 뵙다 lower your own act toward a senior, change 나 to 저 and 에게 to 께, and never take -(으)시- when you are the subject.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 봬요 or 뵈요 Correct?

봬요 is correct. It is the short form of 뵈어요, from the verb 뵈다, and the 국립국어원 spelling rules write the merged 뵈 + 어 as 봬. 뵈요 is a common spelling error because the sound is the same. So write 내일 봬요 (See you tomorrow) and 나중에 뵐게요 (I will see you later).

What Is the Difference between 드리다 and 드시다?

드리다 is humble and means "to give" to a senior; you or your side are the giver. 드시다 is honorific and means "to eat or drink"; the senior is the eater. They look alike because both begin with 드. 제가 차를 드릴게요 means "I will give you tea", while 차 드세요 means "Please have some tea".

Should I Say 저희 나라 or 우리나라?

Say 우리나라 when you mean your own country, even in formal speech. 저희 lowers your group in front of the listener, and the 국립국어원 advises against lowering a whole nation that way. Keep 저희 for groups such as 저희 회사 (our company) or 저희 가족 (our family) when the listener is outside the group.

Do I Need Humble Forms with Friends?

No. With close friends your age you use casual speech and plain verbs: 내가 줄게 (I will give it to you). Humble forms appear when the person you act toward is older or senior, such as a teacher, a boss, a customer or your grandparents. Using 드리다 with a friend sounds stiff or jokingly formal.

Is 말씀 Humble or Honorific?

Both, depending on the verb around it. 말씀하시다 is honorific and means a senior speaks: 선생님이 말씀하셨어요. 말씀드리다 is humble and means you speak to a senior: 제가 말씀드릴게요. The noun alone can mean a senior's words, as in 선생님 말씀, or your own words, humbly, as in 제 말씀은.