jabi-어 주다
-어 주다: Doing Something as a Favour
Auxiliary that marks an action as done for someone else's benefit — the favour inside the verb.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ㅏ/ㅗ stem | -아 주다 | 사 주다 → 사 주세요 |
| other stems | -어 주다 | 읽어 주다 → 읽어 주세요 |
| 하다 | -해 주다 | 설명해 주세요 |
| Honorific recipient / careful request | -아/어 주시다 | 해 주세요 / 해 주시겠어요? |
Korean builds favours into the verb chain. -아/어 주다 is how.
The idea
주다 means “to give.” After another verb’s 해요 stem, it means the action is performed for someone.
열다 → 열어 주다 open it (for someone)
가르치다 → 가르쳐 주다 teach (someone)
설명하다 → 설명해 주다So 열어 주세요 is not a bare command to open. It is a request that the opening benefit the speaker (or the group).
The request ladder
| Form | Feel |
|---|---|
| 해 줘 | intimate |
| 해 주세요 | default polite request |
| 해 주시겠어요? | careful / soft |
| 해 주시겠습니까? | formal |
-주세요 is 주다 + -세요. -주시겠어요 adds honorific -시- and a tentative question — useful with strangers and seniors.
Stem reminder
Same vowel rule as 해요체:
사다 → 사 주세요
읽다 → 읽어 주세요
돕다 → 도와 주세요
하다 → 해 주세요Giving vs requesting
| Direction | Example |
|---|---|
| I do it for you (intimate) | 내가 해 줄게 |
| I do it for you (humble) | 제가 해 드릴게요 |
| You do it for me | 해 주세요 |
Learners often learn 주세요 at the ticket window first (표 주세요) and only later notice the auxiliary pattern. Both are the same verb family.
Tiny warning
Not every English “for me” needs -아/어 주다. If the verb already implies benefit, doubling it can sound padded. When in doubt in shops and apps, V-아/어 주세요 is still the safe request shape.
Taught alongside this
In the Sejong course this appears in 사비나 씨는 어떤 사람을 좋아해요? — Sejong Korean 2, Unit 12, on the theme of 대인관계. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. What does adding -아/어 주다 mainly signal?
2. Which is the more careful request?
3. What is wrong with treating 주세요 as only 'please' with no verb?
Common questions
Is 주세요 the same as English please?
Only roughly. 주세요 is a form of 주다. Alone it often means 'please give me…'. Attached after -아/어 it means 'please do X for me'.
When do I use 해 줄게?
When you are offering to do something for someone, usually in intimate speech. To a customer or stranger, prefer 해 드릴게요 / 해 드리겠습니다.
What is 드리다 here?
드리다 is the humble counterpart of 주다 when the favour goes upward. 설명해 드릴게요 to a senior customer; 설명해 줄게 to a friend.
Can I skip -아/어 주다 and just use -세요?
-세요 commands are fine. -아/어 주세요 explicitly marks benefit to the requester and often sounds softer in service situations.
Seen in the wild
Lessons where this pattern showed up in real Korean — news, slang, drama lines.