One verb form tells the listener how the sentence addresses them

You learn 가요, then hear 갑니다 in an announcement and 가 between close friends. All three can describe going, but they do not address the listener in the same style.

This intermediate lesson compares three useful speech styles: polite conversational 해요체, casual 해체 and formal polite 하십시오체. Korean grammar recognises additional speech levels; these three give learners a practical contrast, not the whole system.

Imagine asking a friend’s grandmother whether she has eaten. You remember 밥 먹었냐? from a drama. The question makes sense, but it sounds far too familiar for this situation. Try 식사하셨어요? instead: ‘Have you eaten?’

With a close friend who already uses casual speech with you, 밥 먹었어? can be perfectly ordinary. 먹었냐? also occurs between people who are close, but its tone can sound blunt. It is not a good default to copy when you are still getting to know someone.

Notice that adding 요 is only part of the choice. 먹었어요? addresses the listener politely; 드셨어요? also uses an honorific verb for the person who ate. Age, your relationship and the setting all matter. If you are unsure, start with polite speech and listen to how people address one another.

Keep meaning steady while the listener style changes

해요체 commonly ends in -아요/-어요 or 요-bearing forms. 해체 uses casual endings without 요. 하십시오체 uses formal endings such as -ㅂ니다/-습니다 and -ㅂ니까/-습니까.

Do not create casual speech by deleting every visible 요. Some forms change more: 먹어요 → 먹어, but 갑니다 → 가 requires choosing a different ending system.

Convert statements as complete units

The past marker remains while the ending changes: 바빴- plus the chosen listener style. Practise one tense across all three columns before mixing many verbs.

The English meaning does not show the Korean relationship. Add a situation label—friend, customer conversation or formal briefing—to every conversion exercise.

Questions keep the style contrast too

In 해요체 and 해체, intonation and the question mark can distinguish a question from a statement with the same visible ending. 하십시오체 uses a distinct formal question ending in these examples.

Formal does not automatically mean warmer or more respectful in every interaction. It also marks an institutional or public setting. A natural service conversation may use 해요체 even when it remains polite.

Do not convert a request by sound alone

The casual column can sound direct or intimate depending on the relationship and tone. Do not use it with an unfamiliar person merely because the sentence is short.

Signs and announcements may use formal commands without representing a personal relationship. Read the function of the text as well as its ending.

Ask before changing to casual speech

말을 놓다 means to move to non-honorific casual speech in this relationship context. 반말 refers broadly to non-honorific speech, while the exact ending can vary.

Permission is not permanent or transferable to every setting. Two friends may use casual speech privately and polite speech in a workplace meeting.

Separate speech level from respect inside the sentence

와요 is polite toward the listener but does not contain the subject-honorific marker 시. 오세요 combines subject honorification with 해요체.

A learner can choose the correct listener ending and still need to revise a subject or recipient form. Review these layers separately instead of calling every change “formal Korean.”

Change style only after both speakers agree

The conversation moves from formal/polite forms to casual forms after an explicit exchange. Being the same age provides context in this fictional dialogue, but it does not force either person to change.

The first two lines mix 하십시오체 and 해요체 between speakers without communication failure. Real conversations can contain style choices by different speakers; the key is whether each choice fits the relationship and setting.

Keep tense, meaning and listener style separate

Choose one four-line dialogue and rewrite it in 해요체, 해체 and 하십시오체. Keep the facts and tense unchanged. Add a setting label to explain which version you would actually use.

A small listening check

Official speech-level references and related lessons

• Korean–English Learners’ Dictionary: addressee honorification — Official learner entry explains that sentence-final endings mark the way a speaker raises the addressee and lists the speech-level system.
• National Institute of Korean Language: 상대 높임법 — Current official answer confirms six addressee speech levels and identifies 해체 through a final -어 ending.
• Korean With a Local: honorific roles — Separate listener, subject and recipient choices before combining them.
• Korean With a Local: polite present tense — Review the formation of beginner -아요/-어요 predicates used in 해요체.

Reviewed September 4, 2026. Found a mistake? Send a correction.