공식 정중한: -습니다

목표 (Mục Tiêu / Learning Objectives)

After this lesson, you will:

• Understand the formal polite ending -습니다
• Recognize it in Grade 10 exam texts and official Korean
• Distinguish between casual polite (-어요/-아요) and formal polite (-습니다)
• Conjugate verbs correctly in -습니다 form

Tiếng Việt So Sánh (Vietnamese Comparison)

Vietnamese: Same verb form for casual and formal

• Tôi đi học. (I go to school.) — Can be casual or formal depending on context

Korean: Different verb forms for different registers

• Casual polite: 나는 학교에 가요. (I go to school.) — everyday speech
• Formal polite: 나는 학교에 갑니다. (I go to school.) — official/exam

In Grade 10 exams, -습니다 is the dominant ending. You must recognize it.

Khái Niệm (The Concept)

Korean has multiple politeness levels:

1. Informal (-다): Dictionary form, not used in polite speech
2. Casual polite (-어요/-아요): Everyday conversation
3. Formal polite (-습니다): Official contexts, exams, news, announcements

The -습니다 ending indicates the speaker is being respectful and formal.

Quy Tắc (Rules for Conjugation)

Rule 1: Basic conjugation pattern

Dictionary form (infinitive): 동사 -다
Remove -다 → get the stem
Add -습니다

Example: 가다 (go)
├─ Remove 다 → 가
└─ Add 습니다 → 갑니다

BUT: If stem ends in ㅏ or ㅗ → use -ㅂ니다 instead

Rule 2: Stem ends in ㅏ or ㅗ → add -ㅂ니다

가다 (go) → 갑니다 (goes) [ㅏ vowel]

Example: 가 + ㅂ니다 = 갑니다

Rule 3: Stem ends in other vowels → add -습니다

먹다 (eat) → 먹습니다 (eats) [ㅓ vowel]
마시다 (drink) → 마십니다 (drinks) [ㅣ vowel + sound change]

Rule 4: Special cases

하다 → 합니다 (does)
오다 → 옵니다 (comes)

예제 (Examples)

Example 1: -ㅂ니다 (ㅏ/ㅗ vowels)

가다 (go)
├─ 가 (stem with ㅏ)
└─ 가 + -ㅂ니다 = 갑니다

하다 (do)
├─ 하 (stem with ㅏ)
└─ 하 + -ㅂ니다 = 합니다 (합니다 is the result)

Example 2: -습니다 (other vowels)

먹다 (eat)
├─ 먹 (stem with ㅓ)
└─ 먹 + -습니다 = 먹습니다

읽다 (read)
├─ 읽 (stem with ㅓ)
└─ 읽 + -습니다 = 읽습니다

Example 3: In context (exam-style sentence)

나는 매일 학교에 갑니다.
(I go to school every day.) [formal polite, exam style]

학생들은 숙제를 제출합니다.
(Students submit homework.) [formal announcement style]

-어요 vs -습니다 비교 (Comparison)

Aspect	-어요/-아요	-습니다
Context	Casual conversation	Formal/Official/Exam
Politeness	Polite but familiar	Very formal and respectful
Usage	TV, friends, daily	News, announcements, exams
Frequency	Common in everyday speech	Common in reading/exam passages

Side-by-side examples:

나는 밥을 먹어요. (casual polite)
나는 밥을 먹습니다. (formal polite)
Both mean "I eat rice" but different contexts.

흔한 실수 (Common Errors)

❌ Mistake 1: Confusing -습니다 conjugation

• WRONG: 먹습니다 as 먹어습니다 (double conjugation)
• CORRECT: 먹습니다 (remove 다, add -습니다)

❌ Mistake 2: Not recognizing special cases

• WRONG: 하습니다 (applying regular rule to irregular verb)
• CORRECT: 합니다 (special case)

❌ Mistake 3: Using -습니다 in casual conversation

• WRONG: 안녕하세요. 나는 학생입니다. 나는 숙제를 합니다.
• ACCEPTABLE: 안녕하세요. 나는 학생입니다. 숙제를 해요.

어휘 & 활용 (Vocabulary & Conjugations)

Dictionary	-아요/-어요	-습니다	English
가다	가요	갑니다	go
하다	해요	합니다	do
오다	와요	옵니다	come
먹다	먹어요	먹습니다	eat
읽다	읽어요	읽습니다	read
마시다	마셔요	마십니다	drink
있다	있어요	있습니다	have/exist
없다	없어요	없습니다	not have

퀴즈 (Quiz)

요약 (Summary)

The -습니다 ending is the formal polite form used in:

• Grade 10 exam texts
• Official Korean announcements
• News broadcasts
• Formal writing

Key rule:

• If stem ends in ㅏ/ㅗ: add -ㅂ니다
• If stem ends in other vowels: add -습니다

Mastering both -어요/-아요 and -습니다 gives you access to 95% of Korean texts you'll encounter in the exam.

Next lesson: We'll learn how to negate verbs using 안 (refusal/choice).