There are seven verb paradigms or speech levels in Korean, and each level has its own unique set of verb endings which are used to indicate the level of formality of a situation. Unlike honorifics – which are used to show respect towards someone mentioned in a sentence – speech levels are used to show respect towards a speaker's or writer's audience, or reflect the formality or informality of the situation. They represent a system of honorifics in the linguistic use of the term as a grammar system, distinct from honorific titles.
The names of the seven levels are derived from the non-honorific imperative form of the verb hada (하다; "to do") in each level, plus the suffix che (체), which means "style". Each Korean speech level can be combined with honorific or non-honorific noun and verb forms. Taken together, there are 14 combinations.
Some of these speech levels are disappearing from the majority of Korean speech. Hasoseo-che is now used mainly in movies or dramas set in the Joseon era and in religious speech. Hage-che is nowadays limited to some modern male speech, whilst Hao-che is now found more commonly in the Jeolla dialect and Pyongan dialect than in the Seoul dialect.
Higher levels Hasoseo-che Name Hasoseo-che(하소서체) Formality very high Politeness high Currency uncommon Very formally polite Traditionally used when addressing a king, queen, or high official.
When the infix op / saop, jaop (옵; after a vowel / 사옵, 자옵; after a consonant) or sap / jap (삽 / 잡) or sao / jao (사오 / 자오) is inserted, the politeness level also becomes very high. hanaida (하나이다) becomes haomnaida (하옵나이다; non-honorific present declarative very formally very polite), hasinaida (하시나이다) becomes hasiomnaida (하시옵나이다; honorific present declarative very formally very polite). The imperative form hasoseo (하소서) also becomes haopsoseo (하옵소서; non-honorific imperative very formally very polite) and hasiopsoseo (하시옵소서; honorific imperative very formally very polite). It is used now:
in historical dramas in religious texts such as the Bible, Buddhist scriptures, etc. to address royalty
Present Honorific Present 1st Person 2nd Person hanaida(하나이다) hasinaida(하시나이다) jeo(저) a title, e.g. imgeum (임금)
Hasipsio-che Name Hasipsio-che(하십시오체) Formality high Politeness high Currency common Formally polite This conversational style is generally called either the "formal" or the "formal polite". Another name for this is hapsyo-che or 합쇼체. This is a common style of speaking. A conversation with a stranger will generally start out in this style and gradually fade into more and more frequent haeyo-che. It is used between strangers at the start of a conversation among colleagues in more formal settings; for example, in work meetings by TV announcers to customers in certain fixed expressions like 만나서 반갑습니다 mannaseo bangapseumnida "Pleased to meet you"
Present Honorific Present 1st Person 2nd Person hamnida(합니다) hasimnida(하십니다) jeo(저) a title, e.g. seonsaengnim(선생님)
Middle levels The middle levels are used when there is some conflict or uncertainty about the social status of one or both participants in a conversation. The hage-che and hao-che are being replaced by or merging with haeyo-che.
Haeyo-che Name Haeyo-che(해요체) Formality low Politeness high Currency common Casually polite This speech style is called the "polite" style in English. Like the 해체 Hae-che, it exhibits no inflection for most expected forms. Unlike other speech styles, basic conjugations for the declarative, interrogative and imperative forms are identical, depending on intonation and context or other additional suffixes. Most Korean phrasebooks for foreigners follow this speech style due to its simplicity and proper politeness. Second person pronouns are generally omitted in the polite speech styles. (See Korean pronouns.) It is used: In Korean phrasebooks for foreigners. Between strangers, especially those older or of equal age. Between colleagues By younger speakers as a less old-fashioned alternative to the hao-che. By men and women in Seoul as a less formal alternative to the hasipsio-che. Present Honorific Present 1st Person 2nd Person haeyo(해요) haseyo(하세요) (common),hasyeoyo(하셔요) (rare) jeo(저)
Hao-che Name Hao-che(하오체) Formality high Politeness neutral Currency less common Formally neither polite nor impolite This conversational style is called the "semi-formal", "middle", "formal lateral", or "authoritarian" style in English. In Seoul, the 쇼 -syo ending is frequently pronounced 수 su. It is similar to the 하십시오체 Hasipsio-che, but does not lower oneself to show humility. It was originally a refined, poetic style that people resorted to in ambiguous social situations. Until the end of the nineteenth century, it was used widely in the ways the polite style is used now; but with the emergence of the polite style, the range of the semiformal style narrowed, and it became a style used only with inferiors. Further, due to its over-use by authority figures during Korea's period of dictatorship, it became associated with power and bureaucracy and gained a negative connotation. Consequently, this style has almost completely fallen out of use in modern South Korea, and the generation of Koreans who came of age after democratization also conspicuously avoid using it. In North Korean standard Korean (munhwaŏ) it is still used when talking to equals who may be addressed by 동무 dongmu ("comrade"). It is used: Occasionally among the older generation, by civil servants, police officers, middle management, middle-aged people, and other people of intermediate social rank who have temporary authority over what would normally be considered their superiors Used in written language such as signs and public notices, in which case the imperative form is used. In historical dramas, where it gives the dialogue a more old-fashioned sound. In the North Korean standard language In the spoken form of certain dialects, such as the Hamgyŏng dialect. Present Honorific Present 1st Person 2nd Person hao(하오) hasyo(하쇼),hasio(하시오) na(나) dangsin(당신)
Hage-che Name Hage-che(하게체) Formality neutral Politeness neutral Currency less common Neither formal nor casual, neither polite nor impolite This conversational style is called the "familiar." It is intermediate in politeness between haeyo-che and hae-che. It is not used to address children, and is never used to address blood relatives. It is used only: By some older people when addressing younger people or especially in-laws in a friendly manner. Used for those under one's authority: by professors toward their students, by bosses toward their employees etc. Between adult male friends, occasionally. In novels Present Honorific Present 1st Person 2nd Person hane(하네) hasine(하시네) na(나) jane(자네)
Lower levels The hae-che and haera-che styles are frequently mixed together in the same conversation, so much so that it can be hard to tell what verb endings belong to which style. Endings that may be used in either style are: Question: -니?/-냐?/-느냐? Proposition: -자. (this is roughly equivalent to "let's" in English) Casual statement: -지. (this is roughly equivalent to "I suppose") Casual question: -지?. (this is roughly equivalent to "I wonder if" in English) Exclamation: -구나! -다!
Haera-che Name Haera-che(해라체) Formality high Politeness low Currency common Formally impolite This conversational style is generally called the "plain" style. In writing and quoting, the plain style is the equivalent of the third person. Any other written style would feel like a first-person account (that is, anything else would seem to be told in the main character's own voice). It is used: To close friends or relatives of similar age, and by adults to children. In impersonal writing (books, newspapers, and magazines) and indirect quotations ("She said that..."). In grammar books, to give examples. In some exclamations.
Present Honorific Present 1st Person 2nd Person handa(한다) hasinda(하신다) na(나) neo(너)
Hae-che Name Hae-che(해체) Formality low Politeness low Currency common Casually impolite This conversational style is called the "intimate" in English. Like the 해요체 Haeyo-che, it exhibits no inflection for most expected forms. Basic conjugations for the declarative, interrogative and imperative forms are identical, depending on intonation and context or other additional suffixes. It is used: Between close friends and relatives. When talking to children.
Present Honorific Present 1st Person 2nd Person hae (해)(in speech),hayeo (하여)(in writing) hasyeo (하셔) na(나) neo(너)
Endings
Formal Speech
Hasoseo-che Raises the addressee very highly. Declarative mood (평서법)Indicative -나이다 -naidaHumble -사옵나이다, -(으)옵나이다, -삽나이다, - saomnaida, -(eu)omnaida, -samnaidaTo indicate a reminder by conveying a fact that has been seen, heard, or experienced. -더니이다, -더이다 -deoniida, -deoida -사오리이다, -사오리다, -(으)오리이다 -saoriida, -saorida, -(eu)oriidaInterrogative mood (의문법)Indicative -나이까 -naikkaHumble -사옵나이까, -(으)옵나이까 -saomnaikka, -(eu)omnaikkaTo indicate a question about the other party's intentions for an action or state -사오리이까, 사오리까 -saoriikka, saorikka -(으)오리이까, -(으)오리까 -(eu)oriikka, -(eu)orikkaTo ask the other party about the action he intends to do -(으)리이까, -리까 -(eu)riikka, -rikka To ask to reflect on past -더니이까, -더이까 -deoniikka, -deoikkaImperative mood (명령법) -(으)옵소서, -(으)소서 -(eu)opsoseo, -(eu)soseoPropositive mood (청유법) -(으)사이다 -(eu)saida
Hasipsio-che Raises the addressee highly. Declarative mood (평서법)Indicative -(스)ㅂ니다 -(seu)mnidaHumble -(으/느)ㄴ뎁쇼 -(eu/neu)ndepsyo-(으)옵니다, -사옵니다-(eu)omnida, -saomnidaTo describe a fact -(이)올시다 -(i)olsida To express certainty in belief/assertion -(스)ㅂ지요/ㅂ죠 -(seu)bjiyo/bjyo Interrogative mood (의문법)Indicative-(스)ㅂ니까-(seu)mnikkaHumble-사옵니까, -(으)옵니까-saomnikka, -(eu)omnikka-사오니까, -(으)오니까-saonikka, -(eu)onikkaTo ask the other party about the action he intends to do. -(으)리까 -(eu)rikka To express certainty in belief/assertion -(스)ㅂ지요 -(seu)pjiyoImperative mood (명령법)-(으)ㅂ시오-(eu)psioPropositive mood (청유법)-(으)십시다, -(으)시지요, -(으)시라-(eu)sipsida, -(eu)sijiyo, -(eu)siraRequest-(으)ㅂ시사-(eu)psisa
Hao-che Raises the addressee moderately. Declarative mood (평서법)Indicative -(으)오, -오/소 -(eu)o, -o/so To show speaker already knows -(ㄴ/는)다오, -(이)라오 -(n/neun)dao, -(i)raoTo express intention or conjecture -(으)리다 -(eu)rida To express experienced event/action -(스)ㅂ디다 -(seu)bdidaImperative mood (명령법)-(으)오, -(으)우-(eu)o, -(eu)uExclamatory mood (감탄법)-(는)구려, -(이)로구려-(neun)guryeo, -(i)roguryeo
Hage-che Lowers the addressee moderately. MoodEndingDeclarative mood (평서법)Indicative-네-neTo indicate intention or conjecture -(으)ㄹ레 -(eu)lle To show speaker already knows -(ㄴ/는)다네 -(n/neun)daneTo explain one's thoughts -(으)ㄹ세 , -(eu)lseConnective ending -(으/느)니 -(eu/neu)niImperative mood (명령법)-게-geInterrogative mood (의문법)Indicative-나-na, -(으/느)ㄴ가-(eu/neu)gaTo show the speaker guesses a certain situation -(으)ㄹ런가 (eu)lleonga To strongly deny the preceding content by a question, meaning similar "How could that be ? " -(으)ㄹ쏜가 -(eu)lssongaPropositive mood (청유법)-(으)세, -(으)세나-(eu)se, -(eu)senaExclamatory mood (감탄법)-(으)ㄹ세, -(이)로세-(eu)lse, -(i)rose Supposition-(으)ㄹ세-(eu)lse
Haera-che Lowers the addressee. Declarative mood (평서법)Indicative -(ㄴ/는)다 -(n/neun)da To show speaker already knows -(ㄴ/는)단다, -(이)란다 -(n/neun)danda, -(i)randaConnective ending -(이/었/겠)거니 -(i/eot/get)geoniTo present a fact the speaker realized anew from a person -더라 -deora To show the speaker guesses a certain situation -(으)리라 -(eu)rira To express intention -(으)리로다 -(eu)riroda To express certainty in belief/assertion -(으)렷다 -(eu)ryeotdaImperative mood (명령법)-어라, -(으)라, -도록Interrogative mood