✍️Intermediate Day 5: Giving Instructions and Advice – ~(으)세요 / ~지 마세요
📘 Intermediate Day 5: Giving Instructions and Advice – ~(으)세요 / ~지 마세요
Welcome to Day 5 of our Intermediate Korean series! 🌟 Today’s focus is on one of the most essential and practical grammar patterns in Korean: How to politely tell someone to do something — or not do something.
You'll learn how to use two common structures:
- ~(으)세요 – polite command/request
- ~지 마세요 – polite prohibition (“Please don’t…”)
These are used every day in conversation, in signs, instructions, and advice from teachers, friends, or anyone speaking respectfully.
📘 Part 1 – Using ~(으)세요 (Please Do...)
~(으)세요 is used to make a polite request or instruction. It’s formed by attaching ~(으)세요 to the verb stem.
- 받침 (final consonant) O →
verb + 으세요
e.g., 읽다 → 읽으세요 (Please read) - 받침 X →
verb + 세요
e.g., 가다 → 가세요 (Please go)
Examples:
- 조용히 하세요.
jo-yong-hi ha-se-yo
👉 Please be quiet. - 여기 앉으세요.
yeo-gi an-jeu-se-yo
👉 Please sit here. - 물을 많이 마시세요.
mu-reul man-hi ma-si-se-yo
👉 Please drink a lot of water.
📘 Part 2 – Using ~지 마세요 (Please Don't...)
~지 마세요 is the negative command form. It means “please don’t do…”
- Verb stem +
지 마세요
Examples:
- 사진을 찍지 마세요.
sa-jin-eul jjik-ji ma-se-yo
👉 Please don’t take pictures. - 늦지 마세요.
neut-ji ma-se-yo
👉 Don’t be late. - 여기서 담배 피우지 마세요.
yeo-gi-seo dam-bae pi-u-ji ma-se-yo
👉 Don’t smoke here.
📘 📊 Sentence Endings Comparison
| Form | Meaning | Use Example |
|---|---|---|
| ~(으)세요 | Polite instruction/request | 책을 읽으세요 (Please read the book) |
| ~지 마세요 | Polite prohibition | 떠들지 마세요 (Please don’t make noise) |
💬 Real-Life Dialogue
👧 수지: 아, 감기에 걸렸어요.
👦 준호: 푹 쉬세요. 약도 드세요!
👧 수지: 네! 그리고 매운 음식은 먹지 마세요, 그렇죠?
👦 준호: 맞아요. 물 많이 마시세요!
📘 Practice Sentences
- 운전할 때 핸드폰을 보지 마세요.
- 시험을 잘 보고 싶으면 일찍 주무세요.
- 밖에 추우니까 따뜻하게 입으세요.
- 식사 전에 손을 씻으세요.
🧪 Mini Quiz – Commands and Advice
- Translate: “Please don’t run.”
Click to Show Answer
✅ 뛰지 마세요.
- How do you say “Please come here” politely?
Click to Show Answer
✅ 여기 오세요.
- What does “문을 닫으세요” mean?
Click to Show Answer
✅ Please close the door.
✅ Conclusion
👏 Well done! You’ve now mastered how to give polite instructions and say “don’t do that” in Korean.
- ✔️ Use ~(으)세요 for polite commands and suggestions
- ✔️ Use ~지 마세요 to ask someone not to do something
- ✔️ Practice both in daily conversation and writing!
📘 Coming Up Next
Tomorrow: Intermediate Day 6: Using -거나 / -든지 – Expressing Choices
Learn how to say “or” and give options naturally in Korean!
Related Keywords:
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