Giving and Receiving in Korean

In Brief

Use 주다 when someone gives something, 받다 when someone receives it, and humble 드리다 when the giver respectfully gives to someone of higher status. For favors, attach -아/어 주다 to an action: 도와주세요 means “Please help me,” while 사진 찍어 드릴까요? respectfully offers, “Shall I take a photo for you?”

Overview

Korean describes gifts and favors from a particular direction. With 주다 (“to give”), the sentence looks from the giver toward the recipient. With 받다 (“to receive”), it looks from the receiver back toward the source. This direction is often shown by particles: short markers attached to a noun to show its role in the sentence.

At A2, the essential task is to choose among 주다, 받다, and 드리다, then extend the same idea to favors with -아/어 주다. English often relies on pronouns and context—“She gave me one” or “I got one from her.” Korean can omit the giver, receiver, or object when it is already understood, but the verb and particles still reveal the direction.

Respect also matters. Korean does not merely replace ordinary “give” with a more formal-sounding word. 드리다 is a humble verb: it presents the giver’s action respectfully in relation to the recipient. If the giver is the respected person, Korean normally honors that giver with 주시다, not 드리다.

How It Works

The three core verbs

Verb	Basic meaning	Viewpoint	Typical use
주다	to give	giver → recipient	Giving to a friend, child, peer, or neutral recipient
받다	to receive	receiver ← source	Receiving an object, message, help, permission, or service
드리다	to give (humble)	giver → respected recipient	Giving or doing something for a teacher, customer, elder, or other respected person

Korean usually places the verb at the end. A basic giving sentence can be mapped as follows:

giver은/는 recipient에게 object을/를 주다 “the giver gives the object to the recipient”

A receiving sentence reverses the viewpoint:

receiver은/는 source에게서 object을/를 받다 “the receiver receives the object from the source”

The subject (the person presented as doing or experiencing the main action) is the giver with 주다, but the receiver with 받다. As elsewhere in Korean, topic and subject particles may vary with context, and known information is often omitted.

Recipient and source particles

Role	Neutral/written	Conversational	Honorific	Example
recipient: “to someone”	에게	한테	께	친구에게 / 친구한테 / 선생님께
source: “from someone”	에게서	한테서	often 께	친구에게서 / 친구한테서 / 선생님께

에게 and 한테 normally refer to people or animals. For a place or institution, 에서 commonly marks the source: 회사에서 선물을 받았어요 (“I received a gift from the company”). In ordinary speech, the source marker can be shortened or omitted when the relationship is obvious: 친구한테 선물을 받았어요 is extremely common alongside the more explicit 친구한테서.

Use 께 for a respected person. It can mark the recipient with 드리다 and also the respected source with 받다:

• 선생님께 꽃을 드렸어요. — I gave the teacher flowers.
• 선생님께 책을 받았어요. — I received a book from the teacher.

Useful polite forms

These verbs follow the polite -아/어요 system. Several common forms contract:

Dictionary form	Present polite	Past polite	Question/offer
주다	줘요	줬어요	줄까요? (“Shall I give…?”)
받다	받아요	받았어요	받을까요? (“Shall I receive/take…?”)
드리다	드려요	드렸어요	드릴까요? (“Shall I give/do… for you?”)

Do not separate the contracted syllables: 주어요 is possible as an uncontracted form, but 줘요 is the normal everyday form.

Giving objects

With a physical object, the pattern is straightforward:

recipient에게/한테 object을/를 줘요

• 동생한테 우산을 줬어요. — I gave my younger sibling an umbrella.
• 저에게 기회를 주세요. — Please give me a chance.

For a respected recipient, use both the honorific particle and humble verb when appropriate:

respected recipient께 object을/를 드려요

• 할머니께 편지를 드렸어요. — I gave Grandmother a letter.

The object and even the giver are often omitted if everyone knows what they are: 선생님께 드렸어요 means “I gave it to the teacher.”

Receiving objects

With 받다, the receiver is the subject or topic:

source에게서/한테서 object을/를 받아요

• 친구한테서 메시지를 받았어요. — I received a message from a friend.
• 부모님께 용돈을 받았어요. — I received spending money from my parents.

English “get” covers many meanings that Korean divides among different verbs. Use 받다 when something is handed, sent, awarded, assigned, or granted to the receiver. It is natural with 선물 (gift), 편지 (letter), 전화 (phone call), 도움 (help), 허락 (permission), and 수업 (instruction/class), among many other nouns.

Doing a favor with -아/어 주다

Attach -아/어 주다 to a verb stem when the subject performs an action for someone’s benefit. The first verb carries the action; 주다 adds the idea “for someone.” This is called a benefactive construction—simply, a form showing who benefits from an action.

Verb	Favor form	Meaning
돕다 (help)	도와주다	to help (do helping for someone)
읽다 (read)	읽어주다	to read for someone
설명하다 (explain)	설명해주다	to explain for someone
만들다 (make)	만들어주다	to make for someone
열다 (open)	열어주다	to open for someone

The same vowel rule used for polite -아/어요 selects -아 주다 or -어 주다; 하다 becomes 해 주다. Spacing both parts—도와 주세요, 설명해 줬어요—is the conservative standard. Joined spellings such as 도와주세요 and 설명해줬어요 are also widespread and accepted when 주다 functions as an auxiliary verb (a helper verb adding a favor meaning). Be consistent in your own writing.

The beneficiary often takes 에게/한테:

• 친구가 저한테 한국어를 가르쳐 줬어요. — My friend taught me Korean.
• 제가 민수한테 문을 열어 줬어요. — I opened the door for Minsu.

Requests with -아/어 주세요

-아/어 주세요 turns the favor pattern into a polite request: “Please do…”

• 천천히 말해 주세요. — Please speak slowly.
• 이름을 써 주세요. — Please write your name.
• 도와주세요. — Please help me.

This is not simply the ordinary polite ending on the main verb. 기다려요 can be a statement (“[Someone] waits”) or a context-dependent instruction; 기다려 주세요 explicitly asks the listener to wait as a favor.

Respectful favors with -아/어 드리다

When the speaker or another lower-positioned giver does something for a respected beneficiary, replace 주다 with humble 드리다:

• 제가 설명해 드릴게요. — I’ll explain it to you.
• 사진 찍어 드릴까요? — Shall I take a photo for you?
• 할아버지께 가방을 들어 드렸어요. — I carried Grandfather’s bag for him.

Here 드리다 honors the beneficiary by lowering the giver’s action. It is especially common in customer service and in offers to elders or guests.

Examples in Context

Korean	English	Note
친구에게 선물을 줬어요.	I gave a gift to my friend.	Neutral giving; 한테 is more conversational.
선생님께 꽃을 드렸어요.	I gave flowers to the teacher.	Humble giving to a respected recipient.
동생이 저한테 초콜릿을 줬어요.	My younger sibling gave me chocolate.	The sibling is the giver; 저한테 is the recipient.
저는 친구한테서 책을 받았어요.	I received a book from a friend.	The speaker is the receiver.
회사에서 이메일을 받았어요.	I received an email from the company.	에서 marks an institutional source.
생일에 무슨 선물을 받았어요?	What gift did you receive for your birthday?	The source can be omitted.
물 좀 주세요.	Please give me some water.	A polite request for an object.
이 문장을 읽어 주세요.	Please read this sentence for me.	-어 주세요 requests an action.
친구가 숙제를 도와줬어요.	My friend helped me with my homework.	The beneficiary is understood from context.
아이에게 책을 읽어 줬어요.	I read a book to the child.	An action done for the child.
제가 문을 열어 드릴게요.	I’ll open the door for you.	Respectful favor plus a reassuring intention.
사진 찍어 드릴까요?	Shall I take a photo for you?	A polite offer to a guest or stranger.
교수님께 자료를 보내 드렸어요.	I sent the materials to the professor.	Humble action for a respected recipient.
할머니께서 용돈을 주셨어요.	Grandmother gave me spending money.	주시다 honors the giver.

Common Mistakes

Using 드리다 because the giver is respected

• Wrong: 선생님께서 저에게 책을 드렸어요.
• Right: 선생님께서 저에게 책을 주셨어요.
• Why: 드리다 humbles the giver before the recipient. Here the teacher is the giver, so honor the teacher with 주시다. The honorific subject marker 께서 supports the same viewpoint.

Keeping the giver as the subject with 받다

• Wrong: 친구가 저한테서 선물을 받았어요. when you mean “I received a gift from my friend.”
• Right: 제가 친구한테서 선물을 받았어요.
• Why: With 받다, the receiver is the subject. 친구한테서 marks the source.

Mixing a respectful recipient with ordinary markers carelessly

• Less appropriate: 할아버지한테 선물을 줬어요.
• Better: 할아버지께 선물을 드렸어요.
• Why: In a situation where Grandfather is being treated respectfully, 께 and 드리다 express that relationship consistently. Family usage varies, but this is the safe learner pattern.

Translating every English “get” as 받다

• Wrong: 학교에 늦게 받았어요. for “I got to school late.”
• Right: 학교에 늦게 도착했어요.
• Why: 받다 means receiving, not every sense of English “get.” Arrival uses 도착하다.

Dropping 주다 from a favor request

• Awkward for the intended request: 사진을 찍어요.
• Right: 사진을 찍어 주세요.
• Why: The first sentence normally says “(Someone) takes a photo.” Adding -어 주세요 clearly asks the listener to do it for you.

Using 드리다 to elevate yourself

• Wrong viewpoint: 제가 친구에게 도와 드렸어요. in an ordinary peer relationship.
• Natural: 제가 친구를 도와줬어요.
• Why: 드리다 does not make your speech generally “more polite.” It humbles your action toward a respected beneficiary. With a close peer, -아/어 주다 is normally enough. Also note that 돕다 commonly takes the person helped with 을/를: 친구를 돕다.

Usage Notes

Politeness belongs to more than one layer

Korean separates the relationship inside the event from politeness toward the listener. 드리다 shows respect toward the recipient of the gift or favor. The sentence ending—such as -아요/어요, -습니다, or an informal ending—shows the speech level used toward the person hearing the sentence. That is why 드렸어요 contains both humble 드리다 and the polite ending -어요.

주다 can sound warm—or presumptuous

Adding -아/어 주다 presents an action as benefiting someone. It often sounds considerate, but not every action should be framed as a favor. In some contexts, especially if the speaker claims credit for helping, it may sound self-important. Native speakers choose it according to whether the beneficiary relationship matters in the conversation.

주세요 is useful but not universal

-아/어 주세요 is an everyday polite request, suitable for many shops, restaurants, and routine interactions. A demanding request is not made harmless merely by adding 주세요. More indirect patterns such as -아/어 주실 수 있어요? (“Would you be able to…?”) can soften a larger request.

Pronouns are often unnecessary

English repeatedly names “me,” “you,” “him,” and “her.” Korean commonly leaves these out when the direction is clear. 이거 주세요 naturally means “Please give me this,” even without 저한테. Add the person only to prevent ambiguity or create contrast.

Beyond the Basics: Honorifics and Viewpoint

You do not need to master all of these patterns at A2, but you will encounter them often.

주시다 is the honorific form of 주다 when the giver—or the person doing a favor—is respected:

• 선생님이 설명해 주셨어요. — The teacher explained it for me.
• 할머니께서 선물을 주셨어요. — Grandmother gave me a gift.

This creates an important three-way contrast:

Form	Whose action is highlighted?	Social viewpoint
해 줬어요	ordinary giver/helper	neutral favor
해 주셨어요	respected giver/helper	honor the person doing the action
해 드렸어요	humble giver/helper	respect the person benefiting from the action

Unlike Japanese and some textbook diagrams of “giving and receiving,” Korean does not normally teach 받다 as an automatic auxiliary mirror of every -아/어 주다 favor. Learners will more often meet noun combinations such as 도움을 받다 (“receive help”), 치료를 받다 (“receive treatment”), and 교육을 받다 (“receive education”). Choose a natural expression for what is received rather than mechanically replacing 주다 with 받다.

Another later pattern is -아/어 달라고 하다, used to report a request: 친구에게 도와 달라고 했어요 means “I asked my friend to help me.” In a direct request you say 도와주세요; when reporting what was requested, 달라고 하다 becomes important.

Finally, verbs related to giving can become fixed respectful expressions. 말씀드리다 means “to tell/say” humbly, and 감사드리다 means “to offer thanks.” Their meaning grows beyond physically giving something, but the same social direction remains: the speaker directs a humble action toward a respected person.

Practice Tips

1. Draw an arrow before choosing the verb. For “Mina gave me a book,” draw Mina → me and use 주다. For “I received a book from Mina,” keep the same real-world event but place yourself as receiver and use 받다.
2. Build each favor in three steps. Start with an action such as 읽다, make 읽어 주다, then turn it into a request (읽어 주세요) or respectful offer (읽어 드릴까요?).
3. Sort examples by social direction. Make three short lists: ordinary 주다, respected giver 주시다, and humble giver 드리다. Naming who deserves respect is more useful than memorizing “formal give.”

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Polite Ending -아/어요 — supplies the everyday polite endings and contraction patterns used in 줘요, 받아요, and 드려요.