🟠 Polite Requests in Korean with -주시겠어요 (TOPIK 3–4)

Traditional Korean jangdokdae jars and yard — polite requests with -주시겠어요

Have you ever wanted to ask for something in Korean politely but weren’t sure which ending to use? The pattern -주시겠어요 is a very natural way to say “Could you please…?” in daily life, shops, cafés, and even in emails.

🎯 Learning Goal

Understand the meaning and form of -주시겠어요
Know the difference between -주세요 / -주시겠어요 / -주시겠습니까
Use polite requests naturally in restaurants, stores, and daily life

📑 Table of Contents

Open / Close

Key Grammar
Useful Expressions
Practice Dialogue + Mini Quiz
Common Mistakes
FAQ
It’s Your Turn
Take a Lesson
Stay Connected

📚 Key Grammar: -주시겠어요

Meaning: “Could you please…?” / “Would you please…?” (polite, a bit soft and indirect)

Form: verb stem + -아/어/해 주시겠어요?

도와주다 → 도와주시겠어요? (dowa-jusigesseoyo?)
설명하다 → 설명해 주시겠어요? (seolmyeonghae jusigesseoyo?)
열다 → 열어 주시겠어요? (yeoreo jusigesseoyo?)

Structure: 주다 (to give/do for) + 시 (honorific) + 겠어요 (polite “would”) → adds respect and softness to your request.

Compare:

-주세요 → “Please …” (polite, neutral, very common)
예) 물 좀 주세요. “Please give me some water.”
-주시겠어요 → “Could you please … ?” (more polite, softer)
예) 물 좀 주시겠어요? “Could you please give me some water?”
-주시겠습니까? → very formal (announcements, CS, speeches)
예) 잠시만 자리로 이동해 주시겠습니까? “Would you please move to your seat?”

💡 Useful Expressions with -주시겠어요

도와주시겠어요?
dowa-jusigesseoyo?
Could you help me?

잠시만 기다려 주시겠어요?
jamsiman gidaryeo jusigesseoyo?
Could you wait a moment?

창문을 열어 주시겠어요?
changmun-eul yeoreo jusigesseoyo?
Could you open the window?

사진 찍어 주시겠어요?
sajin jjigeo jusigesseoyo?
Could you take a picture for me?

🙋 Practice Dialogue (Restaurant) + Mini Quiz

A: 저기요, 메뉴 좀 주시겠어요?
Jeogiyo, menyu jom jusigesseoyo?
Excuse me, could you give me the menu?

B: 네, 여기 있습니다.
Ne, yeogi itsseumnida.
Yes, here you are.

A: 물도 주시겠어요?
Muldo jusigesseoyo?
Could you also give me some water?

B: 네, 바로 가져다 드릴게요.
Ne, baro gajyeoda deurilkkeyo.
Sure, I’ll bring it right away.

📝 Quick Quiz (click to open)

Translate: “Could you explain it to me?” (use 설명하다)
Change to more casual: 물 좀 주시겠어요? → __________?
Fill in: “Could you wait a little?” 조금만 ______ 주시겠어요?

Answers:
1) 저에게 설명해 주시겠어요?
2) 물 좀 줄래요? (or 물 좀 줘요?)
3) 조금만 기다려 주시겠어요?

⚠️ Common Mistakes

Forgetting -시- ❌ 도와주겠어요? (okay but less polite)
✅ 도와주시겠어요? (more respectful)
Using -주시겠어요 with close friends It can sound too distant. With close friends, use -줄래? or -줘? instead.
Using -주시겠습니까? in casual cafés This is too formal for most daily situations. -주시겠어요 is usually enough.

❓ FAQ

Q. Is -주시겠어요 too polite for daily life?
A. No. It’s very common in shops, restaurants, and public places. It’s a safe default when you are not sure.

Q. Can I mix -주세요 and -주시겠어요?
A. Yes. For example, you can say “물 좀 주세요. 영수증도 주시겠어요?” in one conversation. Koreans do this naturally.

📝 It’s Your Turn

Write 3 polite requests using -주시겠어요 for situations in a café, subway, and hotel.
Practice saying them out loud, focusing on the melody of “-주시겠어요?”
Next time you are in Korea (or at a Korean restaurant), try one of your sentences in real life.

👋 Take a Lesson with Me

Want to practice these polite requests with real role-plays? Join my italki class and we’ll practice restaurant, shopping, and phone-call situations until -주시겠어요 feels natural.

https://www.italki.com/ko/teacher/7916559