Korean grammar · Level 2 · 2급
-(스)ㅂ니다 / -(스)ㅂ니까?
The formal polite style
This is the formal style — the voice of the news, announcements, meetings and the start of a business phone call. After a vowel add -ㅂ니다 (question: -ㅂ니까?), after a consonant -습니다 (question: -습니까?). Stems that end in ㄹ drop the ㄹ first: 알다 → 압니다.
| When | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ends in a vowel | -ㅂ니다 · -ㅂ니까? | 가다 → 갑니다 · 갑니까? |
| ends in a consonant | -습니다 · -습니까? | 먹다 → 먹습니다 · 먹습니까? |
| ends in ㄹ | drop ㄹ + -ㅂ니다 | 알다 → 압니다 · 살다 → 삽니다 |
| nouns | 입니다 · 입니까? | 학생입니다 · 호야입니다 |
| past | -았/었습니다 | 갔습니다 · 먹었습니다 |
Examples
세종학당 사무실입니다.
Sejong Institute office.
김 선생님 계십니까?
Is Ms Kim there?
저는 매일 한국어를 공부합니다.
I study Korean every day.
Practise it in context · Level 2, Unit 6
Hello, may I speak to Ms Kim?
A dialogue with audio, practice that checks itself, Hoya’s mistakes, a reading and a writing task.
Open the unit →