주다 ("to give") is a small word with a large grammatical footprint, because Korean makes you mark who benefits from an action. As a main verb it means "give" (선물을 주다, "give a present"). As the auxiliary -아/어 주다 it means "do something for someone" — Korean overtly grammaticalizes benefaction, so "please do X" comes out literally as "do X and give (me the favour)," 해 주세요. English has no obligatory equivalent; you can say "do it for me," but you don't have to, and Korean effectively does. Layered on top is the deference system: which form of "give" you use depends on who is giving to whom. This sheet lays out the paradigm, the three-way deference split, and the benefactive auxiliary.
The stem at a glance
- Dictionary form: 주다 · stem: 주- · ends in: the vowel ㅜ (no batchim)
- Harmony vowel: ㅜ is neither ㅏ nor ㅗ, so -아/어 endings take 어 — and 주 + 어 contracts to 줘 (ㅜ + ㅓ → ㅝ). Polite present 줘요, past 줬어요.
- Vowel-stem signature: no 으 buffer (주세요, 준, 줄, 주면), formal present -ㅂ니다 → 줍니다 [줌니다].
Full paradigm: finite forms by speech level
| Mood / tense | 합니다체 (formal) | 해요체 (informal-polite) | 반말 (intimate) | 한다체 (plain / written) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | 줍니다 jumnida | 줘요 jwoyo | 줘 jwo | 준다 junda |
| Present question | 줍니까? jumnikka | 줘요? jwoyo | 줘? jwo | 주냐? / 주니? junya / juni |
| Past | 줬습니다 jwotseumnida | 줬어요 jwosseoyo | 줬어 jwosseo | 줬다 jwotda |
| Future — 겠 (will / intend) | 주겠습니다 jugetseumnida | 주겠어요 jugesseoyo | 주겠어 jugesseo | 주겠다 jugetda |
| Future — (으)ㄹ 거예요 | 줄 겁니다 jul geomnida | 줄 거예요 jul geoyeyo | 줄 거야 jul geoya | 줄 것이다 jul geosida |
| Negative — 안 (don't) | 안 줍니다 an jumnida | 안 줘요 an jwoyo | 안 줘 an jwo | 안 준다 an junda |
| Negative — 못 (can't) | 못 줍니다 mot jumnida | 못 줘요 mot jwoyo | 못 줘 mot jwo | 못 준다 mot junda |
| Imperative | 주십시오 jusipsio | 주세요 juseyo | 줘 jwo | 줘라 jwora |
| Propositive (let's) | 줍시다 jupsida | 줘요 jwoyo | 주자 juja | 주자 juja |
생일에 친구가 예쁜 꽃을 줬어요.
saeng-ire chinguga yeppeun kkocheul jwosseoyo
My friend gave me pretty flowers on my birthday.
물 한 잔만 줘.
mul han janman jwo
Just give me a glass of water. (반말 imperative)
이따가 제 번호 줄게요.
ittaga je beonho julgeyo
I'll give you my number later.
Level-invariant forms: connectives and attributives
| Category | Form | Reading | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connective — and | 주고 | jugo | "gives and…" |
| Connective — so / then | 줘서 | jwoseo | "gives and so…" (주 + 어서 → 줘서) |
| Connective — if / when | 주면 | jumyeon | "if / when one gives" |
| Connective — because | 주니까 | junikka | "since one gives" |
| Attributive — present | 주는 | juneun | "(the person) who gives" |
| Attributive — past | 준 | jun | "(the thing) one gave" |
| Attributive — prospective | 줄 | jul | "(the thing) one will give" |
The three-way deference split — the whole point of 주다
"Give" is never neutral in Korean: the form you pick encodes the rank of the giver and the receiver. There are three moves.
| Direction | Verb | 해요체 | 합니다체 | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain (equals, or to me) | 주다 | 줘요 jwoyo | 줍니다 jumnida | default giving |
| a superior gives (subject honored) | 주시다 | 주세요 juseyo | 주십니다 jusimnida | raise the giver with -시- |
| I give to a superior (speaker humble) | 드리다 | 드려요 deuryeoyo | 드립니다 deurimnida | lower myself with the humble stem |
Two different honorific mechanisms are at play. 주시다 uses subject honorification (-시-) to raise the giver — you say it when someone you respect gives to you, and it is also how the request 주세요 ("please give me") works. 드리다 is a suppletive humble verb — a separate word — used when you give to a superior; it lowers the speaker to elevate the recipient. Korean chooses the stem by the direction of the gift: up to a superior → 드리다, from or among equals → 주다.
선생님께 편지를 드렸어요.
seonsaengnimkke pyeonjireul deuryeosseoyo
I gave a letter to my teacher. (I → superior, humble 드리다; note the honorific dative 께)
할머니께서 세뱃돈을 주셨어요.
halmeonikkeseo sebaetdoneul jusyeosseoyo
Grandmother gave me New Year's money. (superior → me, subject-honorific 주시다)
죄송한데 물티슈 좀 주세요.
joesonghande multisyu jom juseyo
Sorry, could you give me some wet wipes? (request = 주세요)
The benefactive auxiliary -아/어 주다 ("do a favour for")
Attach 주다 to another verb's -아/어 form and it stops meaning "give an object." It now means "do the action for someone's benefit." This is how Korean makes requests polite and warm: 도와주다 (help), 사 주다 (buy for), 해 주다 (do for). Swap 주다 for the humble 드리다 when the favour goes to a superior.
| Pattern | Meaning | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 도와줘요 | "help me / do help" | dowajwoyo |
| 사 줬어요 | "bought (it) for me" | sa jwosseoyo |
| 해 주세요 | "please do (it for me)" | hae juseyo |
| 해 드릴게요 | "I'll do it for you" (humble offer) | hae deurilgeyo |
짐이 너무 무거운데 좀 도와줄 수 있어요?
jimi neomu mugeounde jom dowajul su isseoyo
The luggage is really heavy — could you help me? (benefactive 도와주다)
아빠가 새 자전거를 사 줬어요.
appaga sae jajeongeoreul sa jwosseoyo
Dad bought me a new bike. (사 주다 = buy for someone)
제가 사진 찍어 드릴게요.
jega sajin jjigeo deurilgeyo
I'll take the photo for you. (offering a favour to a stranger/superior → humble 드리다)
Common Mistakes
1. Using 주다/줘요 when giving to a superior. The gift goes up, so the verb must be humble 드리다.
❌ 부장님께 선물을 줬어요.
Wrong — a gift to a superior takes the humble 드리다: 선물을 드렸어요.
✅ 부장님께 선물을 드렸어요.
bujangnimkke seonmureul deuryeosseoyo
I gave the department head a present. (humble)
2. Honoring yourself with 드리다 when a superior gives to you. 드리다 lowers the giver; if the giver is honored, use 주시다.
❌ 사장님이 저한테 커피를 드렸어요.
Wrong — the superior is the giver, so raise them: 커피를 주셨어요.
✅ 사장님이 저한테 커피를 주셨어요.
sajangnimi jeohante keopireul jusyeosseoyo
The president gave me a coffee. (subject-honorific)
3. Leaving -어요 uncontracted as ×주어요. 주 + 어요 merges to 줘요.
❌ 이거 저 주어요.
Wrong — 주 + 어요 contracts to 줘요.
✅ 이거 저 줘요.
igeo jeo jwoyo
Give this to me. (casual-polite)
4. Dropping the benefactive 주다 in a request. A bare command sounds curt; -아/어 주다 makes it a polite favour.
❌ 문 열어.
Blunt — as a request to be done a favour, add 주다: 문 열어 줘 / 문 열어 주세요.
✅ 문 좀 열어 주세요.
mun jom yeoreo juseyo
Please open the door (for me).
Key Takeaways
- 주다 is a ㅜ vowel stem: 주 + 어 → 줘. Polite 줘요, past 줬어요, formal 줍니다; no 으 buffer.
- Deference has three moves: plain 줘요, superior-gives 주세요/주시다, I-give-to-superior humble 드려요/드리다 — chosen by the direction of the gift.
- The dative agrees: honorific 께 + 드리다 vs equal 한테/에게 + 주다.
- The auxiliary -아/어 주다 marks an action as a favour (도와줘요, 해 주세요); use humble -아/어 드리다 for a favour to a superior (해 드릴게요).
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Start learning Korean→Related Topics
- Auxiliary Verbs on -아/어 (주다·보다·버리다·놓다·두다·있다): Reference TableTOPIK 3 — The -아/어 + auxiliary-verb construction in one grid: the main verb takes the 아/어 connective, and a light verb (주다·보다·버리다·놓다·두다·있다) rides on top to add benefactive, attemptive, completive, resultative, or preparatory aspect.
- Humble Verbs (겸양어): Plain → Humble TableTOPIK 3 — The lookup table for Korean's humble verbs — 주다 → 드리다, 보다/만나다 → 뵙다/뵈다, 묻다 → 여쭙다/여쭈다, 데리다 → 모시다, 말하다 → 말씀드리다 — where the SPEAKER lowers their own action to elevate a higher-status object, a separate axis from the subject-honorific -(으)시-.
- -아/어 주다: Doing Something For Someone (and Requests)TOPIK 2 — The benefactive auxiliary -아/어 주다 folds 'for someone's benefit' right into the verb, and powers the everyday polite request -아/어 주세요.
- 주다 vs 드리다: Giving Up or DownTOPIK 2 — Both mean 'give', but 주다 is neutral (to a peer or junior) while 드리다 is the humble form used when the recipient outranks you — an elder, boss, teacher, or customer. The deciding factor is the recipient's status, not the giver's; 드리다 pairs with the honorific dative 께, the favor auxiliary follows suit (-아 주다 → -아 드리다), and 주시다 handles the opposite direction when a superior gives to you.
- Conjugation Sheet: 되다 (become / work out / be allowed)TOPIK 2 — The full look-up sheet for 되다 — the ㅚ-stem that contracts to 돼요 (되 + 어 → 돼) — with the definitive 되 vs 돼 spelling test and the three jobs one stem does: literal 'become,' impersonal 'turn out,' and the permission/prohibition modals -어도 되다 / -면 안 되다.