-ㅂ니다/습니다
formal polite present
The formal register: presentations, announcements, interviews, the news. Simpler to form than -아요/어요 — no vowel harmony, no merging — with one irregular stem type.
Build it
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When to use it
The rule has two lines. A stem ending in a vowel takes -ㅂ니다, and the ㅂ tucks into the last syllable: 가 becomes 갑니다. A stem ending in a consonant takes -습니다: 먹 becomes 먹습니다. Questions swap 다 for 까: 갑니까, 먹습니까.
One stem type breaks the pattern. Verbs ending in ㄹ drop it before this ending: 만들다 becomes 만듭니다, not 만들습니다. 살다, 알다, 놀다, 팔다 all behave this way.
Choosing between this and -아요/어요 is a question of setting rather than politeness. Both are polite. -ㅂ니다 creates distance and authority; used with a friend it sounds like a joke or a rebuke. Note also that this ending is written 니다 but pronounced closer to [nida] with the ㅂ assimilating — 갑니다 sounds like [감니다].
How to attach it
| Stem type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ends in a vowel | -ㅂ니다 | 가다 → 갑니다 |
| Ends in a consonant | -습니다 | 먹다 → 먹습니다 |
| Ends in ㄹ | ㄹ drops | 만들다 → 만듭니다 |
| 하다 verbs | -ㅂ니다 | 공부하다 → 공부합니다 |
| Question | -ㅂ니까 / -습니까 | 가ㅂ니까? / 먹습니까? |
| 이다 | 입니다 | 학생입니다 |
In use
저는 회사에 다닙니다.
I work at a company.
매일 아침 신문을 읽습니다.
I read the newspaper every morning.
이 제품은 한국에서 만듭니다.
This product is made in Korea.
지금부터 발표를 시작하겠습니다.
I will now begin the presentation.
실례지만 어디에서 오셨습니까?
Excuse me, where are you from?
제 이름은 김민수입니다.
My name is Kim Minsu.
Compared with
-아요/어요
Same politeness, different distance. Use -ㅂ니다 when you are addressing a room, a customer, or a superior in a formal setting; use -아요 for ordinary conversation, including with people you respect.
발표를 시작하겠습니다. (to an audience) / 이제 시작해요. (to a colleague)
-(으)십시오
The formal imperative that belongs with this register. Its everyday counterpart is -(으)세요, which pairs with -아요/어요.
이쪽으로 오십시오. (formal) / 이쪽으로 오세요. (everyday)
Mixed registers
Korean speakers do move between the two inside one conversation, softening a formal talk with occasional -아요. What sounds wrong is switching mid-sentence or mid-thought.
감사합니다. 그럼 시작할게요. (natural) / 감사해요. 그럼 시작하겠습니다. (jarring)
Watch out
이 제품은 한국에서 만들습니다.
이 제품은 한국에서 만듭니다.
Stems ending in ㄹ drop it before -ㅂ니다. The same applies to 삽니다, 압니다, 놉니다, 팝니다.
저는 학교에 가습니다.
저는 학교에 갑니다.
가 ends in a vowel, so it takes -ㅂ니다 and the ㅂ joins the syllable. -습니다 is only for consonant stems.
친구야, 우리 밥 먹습니다.
친구야, 우리 밥 먹자.
The formal ending clashes with casual address. Register has to stay consistent across the whole sentence.
Next
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