Key Facts
- Hangul: 주무시다 (jumusida)
- Meaning: to sleep (honorific)
- Level: B1
- Stem: 주무시
- Conjugation class: special
- Polite present: 주무세요
- Object marking: intransitive
What Does 주무시다 Mean?
Use 주무시다 when the sleeper is a person you respect, as in 할머니께서 주무시다, where the subject takes 께서. There is no object, because sleeping needs only a subject. Beyond describing someone else, it appears in the farewell 안녕히 주무세요, good night to an elder. It is never used for yourself.
Korean keeps separate verbs for a few daily acts of elders: 드시다 for eating, 주무시다 for sleeping and 계시다 for being present. Learning them as a set means you can talk about a grandparent's day without switching to plain words.
How Do You Pronounce 주무시다?
주무시다 is read as written in its basic forms. The past 주무셨어요 sounds like [주무셔써요], the formal 주무십니다 like [주무심니다], and the guess form 주무시겠어요 like [주무시게써요].
How Do You Use 주무시다 in a Sentence?
Three scenes with elders: a grandfather in his room, a polite question about last night, and a formal report about a grandmother.
할아버지는 방에서 주무세요.
Grandfather is sleeping in his room.
The topic 할아버지는 sets up an elder, so 주무세요 is the natural verb.
어제 편히 주무셨어요?
Did you sleep well last night?
The question 편히 주무셨어요 is a warm way to ask an elder about last night.
할머니는 지금 주무십니다.
Grandmother is sleeping now.
The formal 주무십니다 suits a report or announcement about 할머니.
How Does Jumusida Conjugation Work?
주무시다 is classed as special because it is a separate honorific word that replaces 자다, not 자다 with the honorific -시- added. Its stem already ends in the honorific 시, so nothing else is added for respect. In the polite present the 시 and the ending combine as 세: 주무세요. The contracted 주무셔요 is also correct but much rarer. All other forms are regular: 주무셨어요, 주무십니다, 주무실 거예요.
주무시다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 주무세요 / 주무셔요 | ||
| Polite past | 주무셨어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 주무실 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 주무시겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 주무십니다 | ||
| Formal past | 주무셨습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 주무실 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 주무셔 | ||
| Casual past | 주무셨어 | ||
| Casual future | 주무실 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 주무시고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 주무세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 주무셔서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 주무시면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 주무시는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 주무신 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 주무실 | ||
| Short negative | 안 주무세요 | ||
| Long negative | 주무시지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 주무셨어요 | [주무셔써요] |
| Polite future | 주무실 거예요 | [주무실꺼예요] |
| Polite guess | 주무시겠어요 | [주무시게써요] |
| Formal present | 주무십니다 | [주무심니다] |
| Formal future | 주무실 것입니다 | [주무실꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 주무셨어 | [주무셔써] |
| Casual future | 주무실 거야 | [주무실꺼야] |
| Long negative | 주무시지 않아요 | [주무시지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 제가 주무세요.
Correct: ✓ 제가 자요.
Why: 주무시다 is for others you respect, never yourself. It raises the status of the sleeper, so using it about yourself sounds as if you are honouring your own sleep. When you are the subject, go back to 자다.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 주무시다 |
|---|---|
| 자다 | 자다 is plain sleep; 주무시다 is respectful. |
| 드시다 | 드시다 is the honorific of eating; 주무시다 is the honorific of sleeping. |
A Morning Visit to Your Grandmother
A grandchild visits after breakfast. Grandmother answers about herself with 자다, while the grandchild uses 주무시다 about her. The exchange moves from a past question to a present suggestion and a future statement.
Grandchild
할머니, 잘 주무셨어요?
Halmeoni, jal jumusyeosseoyo?
Grandma, did you sleep well?
Grandmother
응, 잘 잤어.
Eung, jal jasseo.
Yes, I slept well.
Grandchild
피곤하시면 좀 더 주무세요.
Pigonhasimyeon jom deo jumuseyo.
If you are tired, please sleep a little longer.
Grandmother
괜찮아. 밤에 잘 거야.
Gwaenchana. Bame jal geoya.
I’m fine. I’ll sleep tonight.
주무셨어요 asks about completed sleep. 주무세요 here is a gentle invitation to rest. Grandmother does not copy the respectful verb when answering about herself. Her casual endings suit a close grandchild; the grandchild’s polite endings keep the exchange respectful.
Which Sleep Phrases Sound Natural?
잘 주무셨어요 is a morning greeting as well as a real question about sleep. Literally it asks whether someone slept well. At breakfast with a host family or an older relative, it shows care without requiring a detailed account of the night. Add 어제, “yesterday”, when you need to make the time explicit.
안녕히 주무세요 is a bedtime farewell. 안녕히 adds the sense of being peaceful or well; the whole phrase works as “good night”. It is not a request for someone to fall asleep immediately. Use it when leaving an older relative for the night or ending an evening call with them.
편히 주무세요 means “sleep comfortably” or “rest well”. 편히 focuses on comfort, so it fits offering a guest a quiet room. 푹 주무세요 wishes someone deep, restful sleep. These are ordinary expressions of care, rather than idioms with unrelated hidden meanings.
Where Will You Hear 주무시다?
Family conversations use 주무시다 when talking about a grandparent or another respected adult. A younger family member can tell a sibling that Grandfather is asleep and still choose 주무시다. Respect belongs to Grandfather, even though the listener is a sibling.
In a drama, a character asking an older family member about their sleep may use 주무셨어요. That choice can reveal the relationship before any family title appears. The casual form 주무셔 can also occur when someone speaks casually to a close listener about a respected sleeper. The respectful verb and the sentence ending do different jobs.
A hotel employee may ask a guest whether they slept comfortably. Here the respectful form reflects the service relationship rather than proof that the guest is older. Avoid judging the verb only by age: social role, distance and the speaker’s relationship to the sleeper also matter.
Why Is the Honorific Easy to Misuse?
The polite ending 요 addresses your listener; 주무시다 honors the person sleeping. If you politely tell a teacher that you slept, 자요 or 잤어요 is appropriate. Choosing 주무시다 would honor yourself. Conversely, talking casually to your sister does not remove the respect you may want to show your grandfather.
The 시 is already part of 주무시다. Use the forms in the table directly instead of adding another honorific layer. 주무세요 can describe a respected person’s usual sleep or invite that person to sleep. A named subject and a time expression usually make the intention clear.
The table’s 주무시고 싶어요 describes wanting to sleep with a respected sleeper as the understood subject. It is not a polite way to announce your own wish. For your own tiredness, return to 자다 rather than selecting an honorific form because it looks more courteous.
| Related word | Meaning | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| 잠 | sleep | The noun for talking about sleep itself. |
| 낮잠 | nap | Names sleep taken during the day. |
| 자다 | to sleep | Use for yourself and ordinary descriptions. |
| 일어나다 | to get up | Describes leaving bed after sleep. |
The honorific verbs lesson teaches 주무시다 alongside other respectful replacements for everyday verbs.
Mini Drill: Choose Whose Sleep You Mean
- Ask Grandfather politely whether he slept well: 잘 ____?
- Give the formal present of 주무시다.
- Choose the verb for “I sleep”: 자다 or 주무시다.
- Turn 주무시다 into its conditional “if”.
Show drill answers
- 잘 주무셨어요?
- 주무십니다.
- 자다. A polite listener does not make your own sleep honorific.
- 주무시면.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 안녕히 주무세요 do at bedtime?
- In 주무셔, is the sleeper still being honored?
- Does 주무세요 always order someone to sleep?
Show answers
- It wishes a respected person good night.
- Yes. The casual ending changes the relationship to the listener.
- No. It can also describe a respected person’s sleep.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Polite Present of 주무시다?
주무세요. The contracted form 주무셔요 is also correct, but 주무세요 is what you will hear in everyday speech.
How Do I Say Good Night to My Grandparents?
Say 안녕히 주무세요. It is the standard good-night to anyone older or senior to you, built on 주무시다.
Is 주무시다 the Same Pattern as 드시다?
They follow the same logic: each is a separate honorific word that replaces a plain verb. 드시다 replaces the plain verb for eating, and 주무시다 replaces 자다 for sleeping.
Can I Use 주무시다 about a Friend?
No. Reserve it for elders and others you respect; for friends, and for yourself, the plain 자다 is right.
Which Words Are Related to 주무시다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Learn it alongside 드시다 and 계시다, the other two honorific words for daily acts, and keep 자다 for yourself and friends. How the -세요 ending forms is shown in how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense. You can check other forms in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.