Korean Formal Conjugation: How to Use -ㅂ니다 and -습니다

What you will be able to do after this lesson

• Build the formal statement of any regular verb or adjective: 갑니다, 먹습니다, 좋습니다.
• Apply the ㄹ rule to stems such as 살다, 만들다 and 알다, which give 삽니다, 만듭니다 and 압니다.
• Make formal questions, the formal past, the formal future and the formal request: 갑니까?, 갔습니다, 갈 겁니다, 가십시오.
• Say how 갑니다 and 먹습니다 are pronounced and tell when the formal style fits.

Before you start: know how to find a verb stem, as explained in what a verb stem is. Time: about 35 minutes. Level: A1.

How Do You Form Formal Korean Verbs?

You form a formal Korean verb in three steps: remove 다 to find the stem, look at the last sound of the stem, and add -ㅂ니다 or -습니다. The ending is the same for every subject, so 갑니다 can mean "I go", "you go", "she goes" or "they go".

1. Find the stem. Remove 다 from the dictionary form: 가다 → 가, 먹다 → 먹.
2. Look at the last sound of the stem. Is it a vowel (가) or a consonant (먹)?
3. Add the ending. A vowel stem takes -ㅂ니다: 가 + ㅂ니다 = 갑니다. A consonant stem takes -습니다: 먹 + 습니다 = 먹습니다.

In 갑니다, the ㅂ is written as the final consonant (받침, batchim) of the stem syllable 가, which turns it into 갑. The rest, 니다, follows as a new syllable. Revised Romanization (RR) in parentheses is a reading aid only: 갑니다 (gamnida) and 먹습니다 (meokseumnida). The Hangul is the form to learn.

The formal style is one of the Korean speech levels. It is polite and also distant and official in tone. Compare it with the everyday polite style: 가요 (gayo) is relaxed polite, and 갑니다 is formal polite. This page teaches how to build the formal forms. When to choose the style is explained in formal polite speech, and the meaning of -ㅂ니다/습니다 is in formal speech -ㅂ니다/습니다. First, the choice between the two endings.

When Do You Use -ㅂ니다 and When -습니다?

Use -ㅂ니다 after a stem that ends in a vowel and -습니다 after a stem that ends in a consonant. The rule is purely about sound: it does not matter whether the word is a verb or an adjective. The table shows 16 words in both groups, with the statement, the question and the formal past.

Three details in the table are worth a second look.

• ㅡ stems take -ㅂ니다. 쓰 and 아프 end in the vowel ㅡ, so they take the vowel branch: 씁니다, 아픕니다. The ㅡ does not drop here, because -ㅂ니다 starts with a consonant. The ㅡ drop happens only before 아 and 어, as in 써요.
• 하다 words follow the vowel branch. 하 ends in the vowel ㅏ, so 합니다 and 공부합니다 are the formal forms. The common word 감사합니다 (thank you) is 감사하다 in this style.
• The question swaps one syllable. The question ending is -ㅂ니까 or -습니까, and it replaces 다 with 까: 갑니다 → 갑니까?, 먹습니다 → 먹습니까?

The 까 already marks the sentence as a question, and a question mark is added in writing. With the two branches in place, one group of stems needs special care.

What Happens to ㄹ Stems?

A stem that ends in ㄹ loses the ㄹ before -ㅂ니다, and then the ending is attached as for a vowel stem. So 살다 (to live) has the stem 살, which becomes 사, and 사 + ㅂ니다 = 삽니다. This is the ㄹ-drop rule: the ㄹ disappears before the sounds ㄴ, ㅂ and ㅅ.

The ㄹ never takes -습니다. The forms 살습니다 and 만들습니다 are errors. Adjectives follow the same rule, so 길다 (to be long) gives 깁니다 and 멀다 (to be far) gives 멉니다.

One group of ㄹ-looking stems does not drop. Stems with a two-letter final such as 읽- (ㄺ), 넓- (ㄼ), 젊- (ㄻ) and 삶- (ㄻ) are consonant stems, not ㄹ stems, so they take -습니다: 읽습니다, 넓습니다, 젊습니다, 삶습니다. The full set of ㄹ words is on the ㄹ irregular hub, and the rule is explained further on the same hub. Next, the other forms that use the same two branches.

What Does the Full Korean Formal Conjugation Paradigm Look Like?

The formal paradigm has seven forms, and each one is built on the same two-branch rule. Learn the table once and every verb follows. The examples use 가다 (vowel stem) and 먹다 (consonant stem).

Here is how each row works.

• Past. Build the past stem with 았/었, then add 습니다. The stem is always a consonant stem now, because 았 and 었 end in ㅆ: 갔 + 습니다 = 갔습니다. The 았/었 choice follows the same vowel harmony as the polite past.
• Future. Two choices exist. -(으)ㄹ 겁니다 is the formal version of -(으)ㄹ 거예요 (겁니다 is 것 + 입니다 spoken fast). -겠습니다 is used for firm decisions and promises, for polite offers such as 제가 하겠습니다 (I will do it), and for forecasts such as 내일은 비가 오겠습니다 (it will rain tomorrow). The future forms are built step by step in future tense conjugation.
• Honorific. The honorific marker -(으)시- is placed before the formal ending. After a vowel stem it gives -십니다 (가 + 시 + ㅂ니다), and after a consonant stem -으십니다 (읽으십니다). For many common verbs, Korean uses a different honorific word instead, such as 드시다 for 먹다. This page shows the formal ending only; the honorific system is in Korean honorifics.
• Request. -(으)십시오 is the formal polite command: 가십시오 (please go), 앉으십시오 (please sit), 읽으십시오 (please read). ㄹ stems drop the ㄹ here too: 만드십시오.
• Let's. -(으)ㅂ시다 suggests doing something together: 갑시다 (let's go), 먹읍시다 (let's eat), 만듭시다 (let's make).

The table below shows 가다 across three of these forms, with the rule written out for each. The same data feeds the Korean verb conjugator.

Statement, question and past all keep the same two-branch logic. The only new piece is the past stem ending in ㅆ. Irregular stems add one more layer, so they come next.

How Do Irregular Stems Behave in the Formal Style?

Irregular stems barely change in the formal style, because -ㅂ니다 and -습니다 start with a consonant. Most Korean irregular rules fire only before a vowel, so they stay switched off. The one class that does change is the ㄹ class, which you have already met.

This is good news for beginners. If you only need the formal style, six of the seven classes need no extra work: add -ㅂ니다 or -습니다 to the dictionary stem. A learner who knows only the polite present sees the irregular change in 더워요 and 들어요, but the formal forms 덥습니다 and 듣습니다 keep the stem intact. The classes are laid out together on the irregular verbs chart. Now for how these endings sound.

How Are the Formal Endings Pronounced?

The spelling -ㅂ니다 is read [ㅁ니다], and -습니다 is read [씀니다]. A ㅂ before ㄴ changes to the nasal ㅁ, so 갑니다 is spoken [감니다]. The ㅅ of 습 is pronounced as a tense [ㅆ] after a final consonant, which is why 먹습니다 sounds like [먹씀니다]. Nasalization (the ㅂ → ㅁ change) is a regular rule in the Standard Pronunciation Rules (표준 발음법) of the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원).

Write the spelling, say the sound. A common beginner error is to write what you hear, such as 감니다 or 먹씀니다. Both are wrong spellings. The Hangul spelling keeps the stem visible, and the pronunciation changes follow rules you can learn once. The sound rules are taught in Korean nasalization. With the sound clear, the four most common formal words come next.

What Are the Formal Forms of 이다, 아니다, 있다 and 없다?

The formal forms are 입니다 (is), 아닙니다 (is not), 있습니다 (exists, has) and 없습니다 (does not exist). They are the first formal words most learners meet, in sentences like 저는 학생입니다 (I am a student). The copula 이다 attaches directly to a noun and has no space before it.

Notice that 이다 and 아니다 take -ㅂ니다 even though the verbs look like they end in a consonant: 이 and 아니 are vowel stems, so 이 + ㅂ니다 = 입니다 and 아니 + ㅂ니다 = 아닙니다. A frequent mix-up involves 입다 (to wear), whose stem 입 is a consonant stem. Its formal form is 입습니다, which is not the same as 입니다 (is). The sentence 옷을 입습니다 means "I wear clothes", and 학생입니다 means "I am a student".

Set phrases show the style in everyday use: 감사합니다 (thank you), 죄송합니다 (I am sorry), 알겠습니다 (understood) and 안녕하십니까 (hello, formal). These phrases are worth learning whole. Knowing the forms, the practical question is when to use them.

When Is the Formal Style Appropriate?

The formal style fits situations where the speaker addresses an audience, a customer or a superior in an official setting. It is the default of broadcast news, public announcements, business meetings, service counters, military speech and formal letters. It is also common in presentations and job interviews.

Typical places where you will hear or use it:

• News and announcements. A newsreader says 내일은 비가 오겠습니다 (it will rain tomorrow).
• Presentations and speeches. A speaker starts with 지금부터 발표를 시작하겠습니다 (I will now begin the presentation).
• Customer service. A shop assistant greets a customer with 어서 오십시오 (welcome).
• Interviews and meetings. A candidate opens with 자기소개를 하겠습니다 (I will introduce myself).
• Formal writing. Official letters and notices.

It also has limits. Among friends or in a relaxed chat with a shopkeeper, the formal style sounds stiff or even cold, and the relaxed polite style (-아요/어요) fits better. Many Koreans switch between 합쇼체 and 해요체 in the same conversation depending on the mood, and that mixing is explained in mixing -요 and -ㅂ니다. The informal counterpart is built in casual conjugation. The common mistakes come next.

Which Mistakes Do Learners Make with Formal Endings?

Learners mostly choose the wrong branch, forget the ㄹ drop, or write the sound. The table lists the six most common errors, the correct form and the cause.

Two more points trip up beginners. First, a formal question does not change the verb ending alone: it needs 까, as in 갑니까? and not 갑니다? Second, formal and honorific are different things. Formal (합쇼체) is about how you address the listener, while the honorific marker -(으)시- shows respect to the person who does the action. A sentence can be formal without honorific (저는 갑니다) or honorific without formal (선생님이 가세요). The last piece is practice.

Practice

Form the formal statement of each word, then check the answers below the list.

1. 가다 (go)
2. 읽다 (read)
3. 살다 (live)
4. 만들다 (make)
5. 좋다 (be good)
6. 모르다 (not know)
7. 마시다 (drink), formal question
8. 먹다 (eat), formal past

Answers: 1 갑니다. 2 읽습니다 [익씀니다]. 3 삽니다 (ㄹ drops). 4 만듭니다 (ㄹ drops). 5 좋습니다 [조씀니다]. 6 모릅니다. 7 마십니까? 8 먹었습니다.

What Should You Learn Next?

Learn the casual style next, because it completes the three styles you need as a beginner. The formal conjugation in this lesson covers forms only; it does not teach the full meaning of speech levels, honorific words or humble verbs, which live in the grammar section. After the casual style, the Korean verb conjugator checks any form you build, and Korean verb conjugation lists every other form in order.

Korean formal conjugation reduces to one decision: vowel stem plus -ㅂ니다, consonant stem plus -습니다, with ㄹ dropped before ㅂ. Keep the pronunciation rule in mind ([감니다], [먹씀니다]) and use the formal style where the situation calls for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the formal style the same as honorific speech? No. The formal style (합쇼체) shows how you address the listener, while honorific -(으)시- shows respect to the person who performs the action. 저는 갑니다 is formal without honorific, and 선생님이 가세요 is honorific without formal. Combining them gives 선생님께서 가십니다.

How do I ask a question in the formal style? Replace 다 with 까 on the formal ending: 갑니다 becomes 갑니까? and 먹습니다 becomes 먹습니까?. The rule is the same for the past, so 갔습니다 becomes 갔습니까?. The question mark is added in writing, and in speech a yes/no question such as 갑니까? usually ends with a slight rise.

Is -ㅂ니다 more polite than -아요/어요? Both are polite, but they feel different. The formal -ㅂ니다 is more official and distant, and it suits news, speeches, business and service. The -아요/어요 style is the everyday polite style for conversation. Neither is rude, and many speakers mix them in one conversation.

Why is 감사합니다 not 감사하습니다? The stem 감사하 ends in the vowel ㅏ, so it takes -ㅂ니다, not -습니다. The ㅂ moves onto the last syllable to make 합. The spelling is 감사합니다, and the spoken form is [감사함니다] because ㅂ turns into ㅁ before ㄴ.

Do adjectives use the same formal endings as verbs? Yes. Adjectives follow the same two-branch rule: 크다 gives 큽니다, 좋다 gives 좋습니다, and 길다 gives 깁니다. The only difference is the present modifier before a noun. The formal statement, question and past all work exactly as they do for action verbs.

Can I use the formal style with friends? You can, but it sounds stiff, so most people use it only when the situation is official, such as a speech or a meeting. With friends, the casual style fits better. In some groups, such as the military or some workplaces, speakers use formal endings even among colleagues.