-(으)ㄹ세
(eu)lse
Grammar · 3 senses
하게체 Intention
Examples
그럼 이따가 기별할세. 잘 가게.
I'll let you know later then. Take care.
아버님이 오시면 함께 먹을세.
We'll eat together once father arrives.
When you'd hear it
This is a distinctly old-fashioned 하게체 ending, heard especially in historical dramas and occasionally in stylized writing or from older male speakers. It is not a normal choice in contemporary casual conversation.
What learners get wrong
Do not treat it as a more formal version of -(으)ㄹ게: -(으)ㄹ게 is common in modern speech, while -(으)ㄹ세 belongs to an old-fashioned 하게체 voice.
하게체 Realization
Examples
어머, 그게 바로 오늘일세.
Oh my, that’s today.
그 생각 참 좋을세.
Wow, that’s a great idea.
When you'd hear it
This is mainly encountered in historical dramas, period fiction, or deliberately old-fashioned speech. It can sound like an older man’s 하게체 style and is sometimes used humorously in modern dialogue.
What learners get wrong
Learners may mistake the ㄹ for a future marker, but this is a sentence ending for a realization, not a prediction. In comparable modern exclamations, -구나 is much more common.
하게체 Simple statement
Examples
내 가게 문 닫으면 그 자가 춤출세.
If my shop closes, that guy will be dancing for joy.
이번 그림 참 좋을세그려.
This painting is really nice.
“누구요?” “날세.”
"Who is it?" "It's me."
When you'd hear it
This ending belongs to 하게체 and is uncommon in ordinary modern conversation; it appears in historical dramas, literary dialogue, and stylized speech by an older male speaker. Modern speakers may use it jokingly or theatrically, but it can sound archaic in everyday workplace or friend-to-friend conversation.
What learners get wrong
Despite its form, it is not the same as -(으)ㄹ게, which commonly marks a speaker’s promise or intention. It is closer to an older, emphatic statement, sometimes strengthened by 뒤의 그려.
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