-(으)소서
(eu)soseo
Grammar · 1 sense
Solemn request
Examples
신이시여, 우리를 버리지 마소서!
O Lord, do not forsake us!
주님을 믿사오며 나의 마음에 용기를 채워주소서.
As I trust in you Lord, please fill my heart with courage.
식단의 고통을 이겨내게 하소서.
Help me overcome the hardships of this diet.
When you'd hear it
This is an archaic, highly solemn form found mainly in prayers, hymns, religious writing, and stylized historical or dramatic speech. It is not used for ordinary requests in modern conversation.
What learners get wrong
Do not treat it as a more formal version of -(으)세요 or -(아/어) 주세요. Those forms suit everyday polite requests, while -(으)소서 creates a prayer-like or ceremonial tone.
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