Breakdown of seonsaengnimege seomyeongeul badasseoyo.
~을~eul
object particle
선생님seonsaengnim
teacher
~에게~ege
dative particle
받다batda
to receive
서명seomyeong
signature
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Korean grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about seonsaengnimege seomyeongeul badasseoyo.
In this sentence, does 에게 mean “to” or “from”?
With verbs of receiving like 받다, 에게 is understood as “from.” With verbs of giving like 주다, 에게 means “to.” You can also use 에게서/한테서 to make the “from” meaning explicit.
Should I use 선생님에게, 선생님한테, or 선생님께?
- 선생님께: most respectful (honorific for people of higher status). Very natural here.
- 선생님에게: neutral/standard, common in writing; fine in speech too.
- 선생님한테: casual/conversational.
All three are acceptable; choose based on formality.
What about 에게서, 한테서, or 으로부터 to say “from”?
- 에게서 / 한테서 explicitly mean “from” (에게서 is a bit more formal; 한테서 more colloquial).
- 으로부터 is formal/literary: 선생님으로부터 서명을 받았습니다 sounds very formal.
- With honorifics you usually say 선생님께 (not “께서” for “from”—께서 is a subject marker).
Why is there an object marker on 서명 (서명을)? Can I drop it?
받다 is a transitive verb, so its object (서명) normally takes -을/를: 서명을 받다. In casual speech, Koreans often drop it: 서명 받았어요 is fine. In careful writing, keep the object marker.
Is 서명 the same as 사인?
- 서명: a formal/legal signature on documents, forms, contracts.
- 사인: commonly used for a celebrity’s autograph; many Koreans also say 사인 for everyday signatures, but in official contexts 서명 is preferred.
Note: the correct spelling is 사인, not “싸인.”
Can I change the word order?
Yes. 선생님에게 서명을 받았어요 and 서명을 선생님에게 받았어요 are both natural. Korean allows flexible order; place what you want to emphasize earlier.
How is 받았어요 pronounced?
It’s pronounced roughly as [바다써요] due to liaison and tensification. A practical romanization is badasseoyo.
What’s the politeness level of 받았어요, and how can I change it?
-았어요/-었어요 is polite informal (해요체).
- Formal polite: 받았습니다.
- Casual: 받았어.
Pick the level to match your relationship and context.
Can I say this more honorifically, focusing on the teacher’s action?
Yes: 선생님께서 서명해 주셨어요.
This highlights that the teacher did the signing for you, using honorific -시- and the benefactive 주다 → 주시다.
Is “선생님에서” ever correct here?
No. 에서 marks a place or source of an action/event, not a person as a giver/receiver. With people, use 에게/한테/께 (…에게서/한테서) or 으로부터.
Do I need to write “서명받다” without a space?
Write 서명을 받다 with a space (and usually the object marker). 받다 is an independent verb, so it does not attach to the noun like 서명하다 does.
Is the subject “I” omitted here? How would I include it?
Yes, it’s omitted by default. You can add it:
- Topic: 저는 선생님께 서명을 받았어요.
- Subject: 제가 선생님께 서명을 받았어요.
Use 저 (polite) rather than 나 in formal situations.
Could I say “배웠어요” or another verb instead of 받았어요?
Not for this meaning. 받다 collocates with 서명/사인 to mean “receive/get a signature.” If you want the act of signing itself, use 서명하다/서명해 주시다.
How can I show it took effort to get the signature?
Use a resultative like 받아 냈어요: 선생님께 서명을 받아 냈어요 implies you managed to secure the signature after some effort.