Key Facts
- Hangul: 드시다 (deusida)
- Meaning: to eat (honorific)
- Level: B1
- Syllables: 3 (드 · 시 · 다)
- Stem: 드시
- Conjugation class: special
- Object marking: transitive
- Polite present: 드세요
What Does 드시다 Mean?
드시다 takes an object with 을/를: 밥을 드세요, or with the respectful word for a meal, 진지를 드세요. Reserve it for a person you respect, such as 할머니 or 아버지, and never use it about yourself.
When you send someone off to a meal, the phrase to use is 맛있게 드세요. Because the honorific -시- is built into the stem, the polite present is 드세요 and the formal present is 드십니다. You may also see 드셔요, but 드세요 is the usual form.
How Do You Pronounce 드시다?
Deusida has 3 syllables (드 · 시 · 다) and is said as it is spelled.
How Do You Use 드시다 in a Sentence?
할머니는 밥을 드세요.
Grandmother is eating rice.
드세요 is the polite present form.
아버지가 커피를 드셨어요.
My father drank coffee.
드셨어요 is the polite past form.
많이 드시면 좋겠어요.
I hope you eat a lot.
드시면 is the if (conditional) form.
Usage Notes
Because 드시다 covers both eating and drinking, 아버지가 커피를 드셨어요 uses the same verb as 할머니는 밥을 드세요. You choose it by who is acting, not by what is consumed. Since it is only for others, a sentence about yourself, such as 제가 밥을 먹어요, uses 먹다. The conditional 많이 드시면 좋겠어요 shows a typical caring use, hoping that someone will eat plenty.
How Does Deusida Conjugation Work?
드시다 is a special case: the honorific -시- sits inside the stem 드시, so the polite present is 드세요 and the past is 드셨어요. See the honorific verbs lesson for the family of honorific verbs.
드시다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 드세요 | ||
| Polite past | 드셨어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 드실 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 드시겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 드십니다 | ||
| Formal past | 드셨습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 드실 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 드셔 | ||
| Casual past | 드셨어 | ||
| Casual future | 드실 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 드시고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 드세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 드셔서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 드시면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 드시는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 드신 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 드실 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 드세요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 드시지 않아요 |
Before a noun, 드시다 (to eat) becomes 드시는 (present) or 드신 (past); as a link between clauses it is 드셔서 for 'because' and 드시면 for 'if'.
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 드셨어요 | [드셔써요] |
| Future (plan) | 드실 거예요 | [드실꺼예요] |
| Future (guess) | 드시겠어요 | [드시게써요] |
| Formal present | 드십니다 | [드심니다] |
| Formal past | 드셨습니다 | [드셛씀니다] |
| Formal future | 드실 것입니다 | [드실꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 드셨어 | [드셔써] |
| Casual future | 드실 거야 | [드실꺼야] |
| Want to | 드시고 싶어요 | [드시고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 드시지 않아요 | [드시지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 제가 밥을 드세요.
Correct: ✓ 제가 밥을 먹어요.
Why: Never use 드시다 for yourself; it is only for people you respect.
드시다 Versus Similar Words
| Word | How it differs |
|---|---|
| 먹다 | 먹다 is the plain verb; 드시다 is used for someone you respect. |
| 마시다 | 마시다 is plain 'drink'; 드시다 can also replace it respectfully. |
Offering Tea to a Guest
A host checks whether an older guest has eaten before offering tea. The guest answers with ordinary verbs about their own actions.
Host
점심 드셨어요?
Jeomsim deusyeosseoyo?
Have you had lunch?
Guest
네, 먹었어요.
Ne, meogeosseoyo.
Yes, I have.
Host
그럼 차 드세요.
Geureom cha deuseyo.
Then please have some tea.
Guest
네, 잘 마실게요.
Ne, jal masilgeyo.
Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.
The host uses 드셨어요 for a completed meal and 드세요 for an offer. The guest uses 먹다 and 마시다 about themself. Switching back to ordinary verbs is natural; repeating the host’s honorific verb in a first-person answer would honor the speaker’s own eating or drinking.
Meal Phrases You Will Hear Often
맛있게 드세요 is the usual way to wish someone a good meal respectfully. 맛있게 literally describes eating deliciously or enjoyably, but the whole phrase functions like “enjoy your meal”. A restaurant worker can say it after serving food, and a host can say it to a guest.
많이 드세요 means “please have plenty”. A host may use it to encourage a guest to eat freely. It expresses hospitality rather than an exact portion size. The guest can accept the welcome without treating it as a demand to finish every dish.
천천히 드세요 means “take your time eating” or “eat slowly”. The adverb 천천히 adds pace to the invitation. The verb itself does not tell you whether the speaker is offering more food, encouraging someone to slow down, or simply reporting a habit; the surrounding words supply that detail.
Is 드세요 a Statement or an Invitation?
드세요 can describe what someone does or ask someone to eat or drink. In the existing example 할머니는 밥을 드세요, the sentence reports Grandmother’s eating. Said directly to a guest with a cup of tea, 차 드세요 is an invitation to have tea.
A question such as 점심 드셨어요? checks whether someone has already eaten lunch. In a family or workplace conversation, it may also open a friendly exchange. It does not by itself promise that the speaker will buy lunch. Listen to what follows before treating it as an invitation.
드시겠어요? is a courteous way to ask whether someone would like something. A server can use it when offering a drink. The ending in this setting asks about the guest’s willingness; it is not simply a prediction of what they will drink later.
What Makes the Honorific Forms Tricky?
The respect belongs to the eater or drinker. Adding 요 to 먹어요 makes your sentence polite to the listener, but it does not replace the subject honorific 드시다. You can therefore use 먹어요 politely about yourself and 드세요 politely about someone you respect in the same conversation.
드시다 already contains 시. Use the forms in the table, such as 드세요 and 드셨어요, rather than inserting another 시 to make the word more respectful. The plain-looking dictionary form is already an honorific verb.
The casual form 드셔 can still honor the person eating. For example, a family member speaking casually to a sibling may discuss their grandmother’s meal with this verb. The listener is the sibling; the respected eater is Grandmother. A casual sentence ending does not automatically remove respect from the person being discussed.
Vocabulary for Offering a Meal
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 진지 | meal, honorific | A respectful alternative to 밥 in suitable contexts. |
| 식사 | meal | Common in polite meal questions and restaurant talk. |
| 차 | tea | A drink that can take 드시다 for a respected guest. |
| 마시다 | to drink | The ordinary choice when describing your own drinking. |
The restaurant vocabulary lesson provides the food and service words used around these offers.
Mini Drill: Who Is Eating?
- Give the polite past of 드시다.
- Choose 먹다 or 드시다 when reporting your own lunch.
- Give the formal present from the table.
- Give the conditional form meaning “if someone eats”, respectfully.
Show drill answers
- 드셨어요.
- 먹다. Use the ordinary verb about yourself.
- 드십니다.
- 드시면.
Quick Self-Test
- Can 드시다 be used when offering tea?
- Does 많이 드세요 specify an exact quantity?
- Does a casual ending always mean the eater is being addressed without respect?
Show answers
- Yes. It covers respectful drinking as well as eating.
- No. It is a hospitable invitation to have plenty.
- No. The listener and the person eating may be different people.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Say 'Grandmother Is Eating' in Korean?
할머니는 밥을 드세요. With 진지 for meal, 할머니는 진지를 드세요 is even more respectful.
How Is 드시다 (to eat) Different from 먹다?
먹다 is the plain verb; 드시다 is used when someone you respect is eating.
Can 드시다 Mean Drink?
Yes. It also replaces 마시다 for a respected person: 아버지가 커피를 드셨어요.
Can I Say 제가 밥을 드세요?
No. 드시다 is never used about yourself; say 제가 밥을 먹어요.
What Is the Polite past of 드시다?
For 'to eat', the polite past is 드셨어요; the polite present is 드세요 and the formal present is 드십니다.
How Do You Say 'Not Eat' with 드시다?
For 'not eat', the short negative is 안 드세요 and the long one is 드시지 않아요.
Which Words Are Related to 드시다?
- 먹다 (to eat)
- 마시다 (to drink)
- 주무시다 (to sleep)
- 계시다 (to be)
- Korean verb dictionary
What Should You Learn Next?
Try other forms of 드시다 in the Korean verb conjugator, then continue with 먹다 (to eat). More entries like 드시다 (to eat) sit together in the Korean verb dictionary.