ㅂ니다/습니다 (mnida/seumnida): Formal Polite Style

Level: TOPIK 1. The 합니다체 (hamnidache), the “합니다 (hamnida) style”, is Korean’s formal polite speech. You hear it in the news, in announcements, in the army and whenever people want to sound respectful and official. Learn the two endings here and you can speak Korean politely in any formal setting.

The rule

Every Korean verb and adjective is listed in the dictionary in its dictionary form, which ends in 다 (da): 가다 (gada, “to go”), 먹다 (meokda, “to eat”), 좋다 (jota, “to be good”). Remove the 다 (da) and what is left is the stem: 가 (ga), 먹 (meok), 좋 (jo).

To make the formal polite statement, look at the last letter of the stem and add one of two endings:

• If the stem ends in a vowel (no final consonant), add ㅂ니다 (mnida), attached under the last syllable: 가 (ga) → 갑니다 (gamnida).
• If the stem ends in a consonant (a 받침 (batchim), the final consonant), add 습니다 (seumnida): 먹 (meok) → 먹습니다 (meokseumnida).

The ending ㅂ니다 (mnida) blends into one sound, which is why 갑니다 (gamnida) comes out as “gam-ni-da”. To ask a question, swap the final 다 (da) for 까 (kka): ㅂ니까/습니까 (mnikka/seumnikka). So 갑니까? (gamnikka?) means “Are you going?” and 먹습니까? (meokseumnikka?) means “Do you eat?”.

The forms

The ㄹ (r/l) stems and the copula

When a stem ends in ㄹ (r/l), that ㄹ (r/l) drops before the ㅂ니다 (mnida) ending: 살다 (salda) → 삽니다 (samnida), 만들다 (mandeulda) → 만듭니다 (mandeumnida), 알다 (alda) → 압니다 (amnida). A noun cannot take 습니다 (seumnida) at all; it uses the copula 이다 (ida) → 입니다 (imnida): 의사 (uisa, “doctor”) → 의사입니다 (uisa-imnida). The verbs 있다 (itda, “to exist/have”) and 없다 (eopda, “to not exist”) become 있습니다 (itseumnida) and 없습니다 (eopseumnida).

Example sentences

Each sentence was written for this lesson, with Revised Romanization.

Common mistakes

• ❌ 먹ㅂ니다 (meokmnida) → ✅ 먹습니다 (meokseumnida). The stem 먹 (meok) ends in a consonant, so it takes 습니다 (seumnida), not ㅂ니다 (mnida).
• ❌ 가습니다 (gaseumnida) → ✅ 갑니다 (gamnida). 가 (ga) ends in a vowel, so it takes ㅂ니다 (mnida).
• ❌ 살습니다 (salseumnida) → ✅ 삽니다 (samnida). A ㄹ (r/l) stem drops that ㄹ (r/l) before ㅂ니다 (mnida).
• ❌ 학생습니다 (haksaengseumnida) → ✅ 학생입니다 (haksaeng-imnida). A noun needs the copula 입니다 (imnida), never 습니다 (seumnida).
• ❌ 먹습니다 (meokseumnida) said with a rising tone → ✅ 먹습니까? (meokseumnikka?). The formal style has a separate question ending; you cannot just raise the pitch.

A short conversation

— 안녕하십니까? 지금 어디에 가십니까? (Annyeonghasimnikka? Jigeum eodie gasimnikka?) — “Hello. Where are you going now?” — 네, 회사에 갑니다. 회의가 있습니다. (Ne, hoesae gamnida. Hoeuiga itseumnida.) — “Yes, I’m going to the office. There is a meeting.” — 저도 같이 갑니다. (Jeodo gachi gamnida.) — “I’ll go with you too.”

The greeting 안녕하십니까 (annyeonghasimnikka) and 가십니까 (gasimnikka) add the honorific 시 (si), which formal speech often includes when talking about the listener.

Usage notes

• Where you use it. 합니다체 (hamnidache) is the public, formal register: news broadcasts, speeches, the military, job interviews, customer service and first introductions. The everyday 해요체 (haeyoche) is friendlier and far more common between people who know each other.
• Statements and questions split. Unlike 해요 (haeyo), the formal style marks a question with a different ending: 갑니다 (gamnida) states, 갑니까? (gamnikka?) asks.
• Past and future stack onto it. Attach the formal ending to a past or future stem: 갔습니다 (gatseumnida, “went”), 가겠습니다 (gagetseumnida, “will go”).
• Drop the subject freely. As in all Korean, you leave out “I” or “you” when they are clear: 갑니다 (gamnida) alone is a full sentence.

Compared with 아요/어요 (ayo/eoyo)

• The 해요체 (haeyoche), the everyday polite style, uses 아요/어요 (ayo/eoyo) instead: 가요 (gayo) rather than 갑니다 (gamnida), 먹어요 (meogeoyo) rather than 먹습니다 (meokseumnida). It is softer and more personal, and it is the style you will use most in conversation. Learn it in detail on the 아요/어요 (ayo/eoyo) polite present page. The formal 합니다체 (hamnidache) on this page is the one you reach for when the moment is official. Both attach to the same stem you learn with the 이다 (ida) copula, and you can browse the whole set in the Korean grammar section.

Quick recap before the quiz.

Practice

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

Next

• Compare it with the everyday style on the 아요/어요 (ayo/eoyo) polite present page
• See what the copula adds on the 이다 (ida) page
• Browse every topic in the Korean grammar section