아/어 주다 (a/eo juda) means doing something for someone, and 아/어 주세요 (a/eo juseyo) is how you ask someone to do it for you.
Indicates doing an action for the benefit of someone else.
Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language
- Stems with ㅏ or ㅗ take 아 a, others take 어 eo, and 하다 hada becomes 해 hae.
Build it
The forms you need
Please
도와주세요dowajuseyoplease help meDid for
도와줬어요dowajwosseoyohelped (me)For elders
도와드렸어요dowadeuryeosseoyohelped (someone senior)Casual
도와줘dowajwohelp me (to friends)When to use it
Asking a favor
주세요 juseyo turns a verb into a request.
Doing for someone
Shows who got the benefit.
Offering
With 줄까요 julkkayo: "shall I … for you?"
For elders
Swap in 드리다 deurida.
Watch out
When the person you help is above you, use 드리다 deurida.
Only ㅏ and ㅗ stems take 아 a.
In context
9 examples- 1
문 좀 열어 주세요.
Mun jom yeoreo juseyo.
Please open the door (for me).
- 2
엄마가 김밥을 만들어 줬어요.
Eommaga gimbabeul mandeureo jwosseoyo.
My mom made gimbap for me.
- 3
사장님께 커피를 사 드렸어요.
Sajangnimkke keopireul sa deuryeosseoyo.
I bought coffee for my boss.
- 4
이것 좀 들어 줄래?
Igeot jom deureo jullae?
Could you hold this for me?
- 5
길 좀 가르쳐 주시겠어요?
Gil jom gareuchyeo jusigesseoyo?
Could you tell me the way?
- 6
생일 선물로 언니가 가방을 사 줬어요.
Saengil seonmullo eonniga gabangeul sa jwosseoyo.
My older sister bought me a bag for my birthday.
- 7
제가 설명해 드릴게요.
Jega seolmyeonghae deurilgeyo.
Let me explain it to you.
- 8
잠깐만 기다려 주세요.
Jamkkanman gidaryeo juseyo.
Please wait just a moment.
- 9
어렸을 때 아빠가 책을 자주 읽어 주셨어요.
Eoryeosseul ttae appaga chaegeul jaju ilgeo jusyeosseoyo.
My dad read to me a lot when I was little.
Practice
8 questions쓰다 + 아/어 주세요
From casual to very polite
The same favor can be asked at several levels. Pick by who you're talking to:
- 문 좀 닫아 줘. mun jom dada jwo To a friend.
- 문 좀 닫아 주세요. mun jom dada juseyo Everyday polite.
- 문 좀 닫아 주시겠어요? mun jom dada jusigesseoyo Extra polite, for strangers and customers.
- 문 좀 닫아 주실 수 있어요? mun jom dada jusil su isseoyo Very gentle, almost "would you mind…?"
Adding 좀 jom, "a little", softens any of them.
Saying thanks: 아/어 줘서 고마워요
When you thank someone for doing something, Korean almost always keeps 주다 juda in the sentence. It reminds the listener you know they did it for you:
- 와 줘서 고마워요. wa jwoseo gomawoyo "Thanks for coming."
- 기다려 줘서 고마워. gidaryeo jwoseo gomawo "Thanks for waiting."
- 도와주셔서 감사합니다. dowajusyeoseo gamsahamnida "Thank you for your help."
Hanja in this lesson
Words from the examples that are written with Chinese characters. Tap a character to see its page.
Use it with
Look it up in the dictionary
The entry for 아 in two trusted Korean dictionaries.
