Giving and Receiving in Korean

Overview

Korean's giving and receiving system is more nuanced than English, reflecting the language's emphasis on social hierarchy. At the CEFR A2 level, you need to know 주다 (give), 받다 (receive), and 드리다 (give humbly to a superior). The auxiliary form -아/어 주다 means "do something as a favor for someone," one of the most common patterns in Korean.

How It Works

Verb	Meaning	Usage
주다	give	to equals or lower
드리다	give (humble)	to superiors
받다	receive	from anyone
-아/어 주다	do a favor	helping someone
-아/어 드리다	do a favor (humble)	helping a superior

Direction particles: 에게/한테 (to, casual), 께 (to, honorific), 에게서/한테서 (from).

Examples in Context

Korean	Romanization	English	Note
친구에게 선물을 줬어요.	chin-gu-e-ge seon-mu-reul jweo-sseo-yo	Gave a gift to a friend.	standard giving
선생님께 드렸어요.	seon-saeng-nim-kke deu-ryeo-sseo-yo	Gave (it) to the teacher.	humble
도와주세요.	do-wa-ju-se-yo	Please help me.	favor request
사진 찍어 드릴까요?	sa-jin jji-geo deu-ril-kka-yo	Shall I take a photo for you?	humble offer
선물을 받았어요.	seon-mu-reul ba-da-sseo-yo	Received a gift.	receiving
가르쳐 주세요.	ga-reu-chyeo ju-se-yo	Please teach me.	favor request
읽어 줄게요.	il-geo jul-ge-yo	I'll read it for you.	favor promise
말씀해 주세요.	mal-sseum-hae ju-se-yo	Please tell me.	polite request

Common Mistakes

Using 주다 instead of 드리다 for superiors

• Wrong: 선생님에게 줬어요
• Right: 선생님께 드렸어요
• Why: 드리다 is the humble form of 주다, required when giving to superiors. 께 replaces 에게 as well.

Confusing the favor pattern with simple giving

• Wrong: Thinking 도와주세요 means "give help"
• Right: It means "help me (as a favor)" — 돕다 (help) + 아/어 주다 (do for me)
• Why: -아/어 주다 turns any verb into a "do it for someone" expression.

Incorrect direction particle

• Wrong: 친구를 선물을 줬어요
• Right: 친구에게 선물을 줬어요
• Why: The recipient of giving takes 에게/한테 (to), not 를 (object).

Usage Notes

The -아/어 주다 pattern is one of the most productive in Korean. 사 주세요 (please buy for me), 만들어 주세요 (please make for me), 찾아 주세요 (please find for me). In humble form, 드리다 replaces 주다: 도와 드릴게요 (I'll help you, humble). At restaurants, 주세요 alone means "please give me": 물 주세요 (water, please).

Practice Tips

• Practice the favor pattern with common verbs: 도와주세요, 가르쳐 주세요, 보여 주세요 (please show me).
• Practice switching between 주다 and 드리다 depending on the recipient.
• Use 주세요 for ordering: 이거 주세요 (this one please), 커피 주세요 (coffee please).

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Polite Ending -아/어요 — base conjugation for these patterns