-게 하다
make or let someone do
The general causative. One form covers both making and allowing, and only context tells you which — English needs two different verbs here.
Build it
Pick a verb
When to use it
Attach -게 하다 to any verb stem — no vowel rule, ㄹ stays, tense on 하다. The person being caused to act takes 을/를, or 에게/한테 when the verb already has an object.
Whether it means make or let depends entirely on the situation: 아이를 자게 했어요 could be putting a child to bed or letting them sleep in. Korean does not force the distinction, and neither should your translation.
Many common verbs also have a dedicated causative form built into the vocabulary: 먹다 → 먹이다, 앉다 → 앉히다, 자다 → 재우다. Where such a verb exists, it usually implies more direct physical involvement.
The negative version, 못 -게 하다, means preventing. And -도록 하다 is the softer cousin used for instructions.
How to attach it
| Situation | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Any verb | -게 하다 | 먹다 → 먹게 하다 |
| ㄹ stems keep the ㄹ | -게 하다 | 만들다 → 만들게 했어요 |
| The person | 을/를 or 에게/한테 | 아이를 자게 했어요 |
| Preventing | 못 -게 하다 | 못 가게 했어요 |
| Letting, politely | -게 해 주다 | 쉬게 해 주세요 |
| Lexical causatives | 먹이다, 앉히다, 재우다 | 아이에게 밥을 먹였어요 |
In use
아이를 일찍 자게 했어요.
I put the child to bed early.
선생님이 학생들에게 발표를 하게 하셨어요.
The teacher had the students give presentations.
동생을 좀 쉬게 해 주세요.
Please let my brother rest a while.
그 이야기가 저를 웃게 했어요.
That story made me laugh.
아이들에게 직접 만들게 했어요.
I had the children make it themselves.
기다리게 해서 죄송합니다.
I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.
Compared with
시키다
시키다 also means making someone do something, but it takes a noun rather than a verb, and always means ordering rather than allowing.
공부하게 했어요. (made or let them study) / 공부를 시켰어요. (made them study)
-도록 하다
-게 하다 reports what you did to someone; -도록 하다 asks the listener to see to something. The second is an instruction, not a report.
일찍 오게 했어요. (I made them come early) / 일찍 오도록 하세요. (please come early)
-게 되다
하다 puts an agent in charge; 되다 removes one. The pair is worth learning together.
가게 했어요. (I made them go) / 가게 됐어요. (it turned out I’m going)
Watch out
아이가 일찍 자게 했어요.
아이를 일찍 자게 했어요.
The person being caused to act is the object of 하다, so they take 을/를 rather than 이/가.
선생님이 발표를 하게 시켰어요.
선생님이 발표를 시켰어요.
시키다 already contains the causative meaning and takes a noun. Combining it with -게 하다 doubles the construction.
저녁을 만들게 됐어요. — meaning “I had her make dinner”
저녁을 만들게 했어요.
되다 means the situation came about on its own. To say you caused it, the verb is 하다.
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