TOPIK II · LEVEL 3
-요 (높임 조사)
A particle added to a word, phrase or connective ending to make a short or unfinished utterance polite (해요-style): 저요, 커피요, 왜요?, 그래서요.
조사ParticlesHan: 요 does not standardly attach to the plain suggestion -자; use the 해요-form 가요 (or 가시죠).
Examples
가: 누가 이 케이크를 만들었어요? 나: 저요.A: Who made this cake? B: I did.
왜요? 무슨 일 있어요?Why? Is something wrong?
어제요, 시장에 갔는데요, 사람이 정말 많았어요.So yesterday, I went to the market, and it was really crowded.
Don’t mix up
-요 (높임 조사)vs-아요/어요-아요/어요 is a verb ending that completes a sentence; 요 is a particle stuck onto a fragment: 내일 가요 'I'm going tomorrow' vs 가: 언제 가요? 나: 내일요.-요 (높임 조사)vs-이에요/예요이에요/예요 states what something is; 요 just answers with the word: 가: 뭐 마실래요? 나: 커피요 (my choice) vs 이건 커피예요 'This is coffee.'How to build it
N / adverb / N+particle
V+connective ending+요
저 → 저요; 빨리 → 빨리요; 학교에서 → 학교에서요; 그래서 → 그래서요; 먹고 → 먹고요; 책 → 책요 / (spoken) 책이요
- It attaches to nouns, adverbs, particles and to the endings of casual (반말) speech: connectives such as -고요, -는데요 and casual final endings such as -지요, -거든요, -네요. On a bare fragment it turns it into a polite answer or remark.
- After a final consonant, speech often uses 이요 (책이요, 물이요); both 책요 and 책이요 are heard in answers.
- In speech it can follow each phrase of a long sentence (어제요, 친구랑요, …), but used too often it sounds childish; in formal settings (presentations, interviews) full -ㅂ니다 sentences are expected instead.
- It is not standard after the plain suggestion ending -자 (가자요); say 가요 or the more polite 가시죠.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 가: 같이 점심 먹으러 가요. 나: 좋아요, 가자요.
Right: 가: 같이 점심 먹으러 가요. 나: 좋아요, 같이 가요.
요 does not standardly attach to the plain suggestion -자; use the 해요-form 가요 (or 가시죠).
Practise -요 (높임 조사) on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(이)야-(이)야 emphasizes a topic as obvious or as the only one meant: 'as for N, of course …'.
- -(이)라도N(이)라도 means "at least N": you settle for something that is not ideal but is better than nothing.
- -뿐Attached to a noun, it means 'only N, nothing but N', usually as N뿐이다 'it is only N' or N뿐만 아니라 'not only N'. More emphatic than 만.
- -보고Colloquial particle marking the person a remark, request or label is aimed at: 'to (someone)', with verbs of saying. Often carries a note of complaint or surprise.
- -에다가-에다가 marks the place where something is put or added ('onto / into'), or something added on top ('in addition to').
- N대로The particle 대로 on a noun means 'according to N, just as N says' (약속대로, 계획대로), 'as one likes' in 마음대로, and, in N은 N대로, 'each on its own, separately'.
- -(으)ㅁ-(으)ㅁ turns a verb or adjective into a noun; it is used in notes, notices, memos and written records.
- -(으)며-(으)며 is a formal, written 'and' (listing) or 'while' (two actions at once).
- -(으)ㄹ 겸-(으)ㄹ 겸 gives one of two or more purposes for a single action: 'partly to …, and also to …'.
