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.

조사Particles

Han: 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

  1. 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.
  2. After a final consonant, speech often uses 이요 (책이요, 물이요); both 책요 and 책이요 are heard in answers.
  3. 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.
  4. 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).

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