Do, Do Not in Korean: (으)세요, 지 마세요

How to Ask For Favors in Korean

To ask someone to do something for you, first, pick the action (verb) you need them to do for you. Then:

- Get the verb stem.

- Attach “으” if the stem ends in a consonant, else go next.

- Attach “세요.”

Examples:

사다 (to buy)

Verb stem is 사

Attach “세요”

세요 (please buy)
읽다 (to read)

Verb stem is 읽

Attach “으”

Attach “세요”

으세요 (please read)

Sentence examples:

감자를 사세요.

Please buy potatoes.

열심히 공부하세요.

Please study hard.

책을 읽으세요.

Please read the book.

Exception 1: for verbs that end with the consonant ㄹ, like “팔다” (to sell), remove the ㄹ before adding 세요:

많이 파세요!

Please sell a lot!

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Did you know?

많이 파세요 is a common way to say goodbye to a shop owner after you make a purchase.

Exception 2: for verbs that end with the consonant ㅂ, like “굽다” (to bake), remove the ㅂ, add 우, then 세요:

구우세요!

Please bake!

How to Say “Do Not” in Korean

To ask someone to not do something, simply add “지 마세요” to the verb stem.

지 마세요.

Don’t go.

사진을 찍지 마세요.

Please don’t take photos.

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Vocab Review!

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사진 (photos)
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찍다 (to stab/stamp/take (a pic))
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굽다 (to bake)
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팔다 (to sell)
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(book)
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사다 (to buy)
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읽다 (to read)
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감자 (potatoes)
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