jabi-읍시다
-(으)ㅂ시다: Let's — and Why It Can Sound Like an Order
Let's — proposes a shared action directly, in the formal register.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stem ends in a vowel | -ㅂ시다 | 가다 → 갑시다 |
| Stem ends in a consonant | -읍시다 | 먹다 → 먹읍시다 |
| Stem ends in ㄹ | -ㅂ시다 (ㄹ drops) | 살다 → 삽시다 |
| Casual equivalent | -자 | 가자 / 먹자 |
| Softer alternative | -(으)ㄹ까요? or 해요 | 갈까요? / 같이 가요 |
-(으)ㅂ시다 is the word textbooks give you for let’s. It is regular, easy to build, and the first suggestion form most learners meet.
It is also the one most likely to land awkwardly, and the reason has nothing to do with grammar.
Building it
Vowel → -ㅂ시다
Consonant → -읍시다
ㄹ → drop the ㄹ, then -ㅂ시다
가다 → 갑시다
먹다 → 먹읍시다
살다 → 삽시다 ← ㄹ drops
시작하다 → 시작합시다The ㄹ-drop matches -(스)ㅂ니다 (삽니다) but not -(으)ㄹ까요, where the ㄹ stays (살까요). Each ending has its own behaviour.
The problem
-읍시다 proposes. And proposing a course of action is something done by whoever is leading.
So aiming it at someone senior puts you, briefly, in charge of them:
(to your manager) 그럽시다. △ grammatically fine, socially off
(to your manager) 그러죠. ✅
(to your manager) 네, 알겠습니다. ✅Nobody will take offence. But it registers, in the same way that “right, let’s wrap this up” from the most junior person in a meeting registers in English.
This is why the ending appears constantly in textbooks and comparatively rarely between individuals in real conversation.
What to say instead
Ask rather than propose — -(으)ㄹ까요?
같이 갈까요? — Shall we go together?
It is a question, so it leaves room to decline. This is the safe default with anyone you are not close to.
Or just use 해요체, which is softer than either:
같이 가요. — Let’s go together.
Same form as the statement and the question — intonation carries it. Extremely common, and it sounds like a person rather than a textbook.
Where -읍시다 genuinely belongs
It is not a bad ending. It is a leading ending, so it fits wherever someone is addressing a group:
- Announcements — 이제 시작합시다.
- Speeches and slogans — 함께 갑시다.
- Coaching — 한 번 더 해봅시다.
- A teacher to a class — 책을 펴 봅시다.
In those settings the directness is the point.
Casual: -자
가자. — Let’s go.
밥 먹자. — Let’s eat.
하자. — Let’s do it.
-자 is the 반말 propositive. Just as direct, which between friends is exactly right.
Quick reference
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Friend | -자 — 가자 |
| Peer, polite | 해요체 — 같이 가요 |
| Anyone, softest | -(으)ㄹ까요? — 갈까요? |
| Addressing a group, leading | -읍시다 — 갑시다 |
| Someone senior | avoid -읍시다 |
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
In the Sejong course this appears in 같이 점심을 먹을까요? — Sejong Korean 1, Unit 10, on the theme of 약속. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. What is 살다 in this form?
2. Your manager suggests wrapping up. Which should you NOT say back?
3. What is the casual equivalent?
Common questions
Is -읍시다 rude?
Not rude — direct. The issue is that proposing a course of action is something done by whoever leads, so aiming it upward is socially off even though the ending is formal.
What should I say to someone senior instead?
-(으)ㄹ까요? to ask rather than propose, or simply 해요체: 같이 가요. Both leave the decision with them.
Why do textbooks teach it so early?
Because it is regular, easy to form and pairs neatly with -(스)ㅂ니다. That makes it convenient to teach, not necessarily the first thing you should say.
Where will I actually hear it?
Announcements, speeches, slogans, sports coaching, and anywhere a leader is addressing a group. 함께 갑시다 is the shape of a campaign line.
Seen in the wild
Lessons where this pattern showed up in real Korean — news, slang, drama lines.