께서
kkeseo
Grammar · 1 sense
Subject marker
Examples
아버지께서 뭘 읽고 계세요?
What is my father reading?
사장님께서 직원들에게 선물을 주셨어요.
The boss gave presents to the employees.
When you'd hear it
께서 is used in respectful speech and writing when the subject is someone deserving honor, such as a parent, teacher, customer, or boss. It is common in workplace conversations, service interactions, announcements, and formal writing, but sounds overly respectful for ordinary friends.
What learners get wrong
께서 marks an honored subject, while 께 marks an honored recipient or destination. Compare 사장님께서 오셨어요 “The boss came” with 사장님께 선물을 드렸어요 “I gave the boss a gift.”
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