Korean Honorific Irregular Verbs: 듣다, 알다, and More

You've learned -(으)시- - the honorific verb marker that shows respect for the subject of a sentence. And you've learned irregular verbs like ㅂ, ㅡ, and 르 irregulars.

Now these two worlds collide.

Some of the most commonly used verbs in Korean are irregular - and when you add -(으)시- to them, the irregularity plays out first, then the honorific ending attaches. If you don't know this, the results can look completely unexpected.

This post focuses on two key irregular types that come up constantly in honorific speech: ㄷ irregular (듣다 type) and ㄹ irregular (알다 type).

Quick Review: How -(으)시- Works

Before diving in, a quick recap:

• Vowel stem + 시 → 가다 → 가세요
• Consonant stem + 으시 → 먹다 → 먹으세요
• ㄹ stem + 시 (ㄹ drops) → 살다 → 사세요

The irregular verbs below follow their own stem-changing rules before the honorific ending attaches.

1. ㄷ Irregular - 듣다 Type

The Rule

Verbs ending in ㄷ are irregular when followed by a vowel. The ㄷ changes to ㄹ:

듣다 → 듣 + 으시 = 들으시 → 들으세요

Common ㄷ Irregular Verbs + Honorific Forms

⚠️ Regular ㄷ verbs exist too - not all ㄷ-ending verbs are irregular: 받다 (receive) → 받으세요 ✅ (regular — ㄷ stays) 닫다 (close) → 닫으세요 ✅ (regular)

듣다 - The Most Important ㄷ Irregular

듣다 (to listen/hear) is one of the most commonly used verbs in honorific contexts. Here it is across all tenses:

듣다 in real sentences:

선생님, 잘 들으세요? Teacher, can you hear well?

음악을 자주 들으세요? Do you often listen to music?

할머니가 귀가 잘 안 들으세요. Grandmother can't hear well.

제 말씀 들으셨어요? Did you hear what I said?

천천히 말씀해 주세요. 잘 못 들었어요. Please speak slowly. I couldn't hear well.

2. ㄹ Irregular - 알다 Type

The Rule

Verbs ending in ㄹ drop the ㄹ when followed by ㄴ, ㅂ, 시, or 오/아. This affects honorific conjugation because -(으)시- starts with 시.

알다 → 알 + 시 = ~~ㄹ~~ + 시 → 아시 → 아세요

Common ㄹ Irregular Verbs + Honorific Forms

* 모르다 is 르 irregular, not ㄹ irregular - but its honorific form follows the same ㄹ-drop pattern via the 르 rule.

알다 - The Most Important ㄹ Irregular

알다 (to know) is one of the most frequent verbs in Korean - and its honorific form 아세요 looks nothing like the original verb at first glance.

알다 in real sentences:

선생님, 이거 아세요? Teacher, do you know this?

이 길 아세요? Do you know this road?

할머니, 아셨어요? 제가 결혼해요! Grandmother, did you know? I'm getting married!

사장님이 그 문제를 아실 거예요. The CEO will probably know about that issue.

이미 아세요? Do you already know?

Side-by-Side: Regular vs Irregular Honorific Forms

This comparison makes it clear why these verbs can be confusing:

Real Conversations Using Both

📍 Conversation 1: At a language school

선생님: 이 문법 아세요? (Do you know this grammar?)

학생: 아직 잘 모르겠어요. 다시 설명해 주세요. (I'm still not sure. Please explain it again.)

선생님: 물론이죠. 잘 들으세요. 한 번 더 설명할게요. (Of course. Please listen carefully. I'll explain it one more time.)

학생: 감사합니다. 이제 알겠어요! (Thank you. Now I understand!)

📍 Conversation 2: With a grandparent

손자: 할머니, 이 노래 아세요? (Grandmother, do you know this song?)

할머니: 응, 알아. 어렸을 때 자주 들었어. (Yes, I know it. I used to listen to it a lot when I was young.)

손자: 할머니도 들으셨어요? 오래된 노래네요. (You used to listen to it too, grandmother? It's an old song.)

할머니: 그럼, 아주 유명한 노래야. (Of course, it's a very famous song.)

📍 Conversation 3: Asking for directions

A: 저기요, 혹시 이 근처에 편의점 아세요? (Excuse me, do you happen to know of a convenience store near here?)

B: 네, 알아요. 저쪽으로 걸어가시면 돼요. (Yes, I know. Just walk that way.)

A: 얼마나 걸어요? (How far is it?)

B: 오 분 정도 걸으시면 바로 있어요. (If you walk about 5 minutes, it's right there.)

A: 감사합니다! (Thank you!)

Quick Summary: -(으)시- With Irregular Verbs

The key is to apply the irregular change first, then attach the honorific ending.

Quick Practice

Convert into honorific form (present tense):

1. 선생님이 음악을 듣다.
2. 할머니가 그 사실을 알다.
3. 교수님이 공원에서 걷다.
4. 사장님이 그 내용을 알다.
5. 어머니가 한국 노래를 듣다.

Answers:

1. 선생님이 음악을 들으세요.
2. 할머니가 그 사실을 아세요.
3. 교수님이 공원에서 걸으세요.
4. 사장님이 그 내용을 아세요.
5. 어머니가 한국 노래를 들으세요.

Summary

These verbs come up in real Korean constantly - especially 알다 and 듣다. Once these honorific forms feel natural, you've crossed an important threshold: you're not just using polite Korean, you're using it correctly even when the verbs get irregular.

📚 This Is Chapter 11 of the A1 Masterclass

Honorific irregular verbs including 듣다 and 알다 types are covered in Chapter 11: 할아버지께서는 고향에 계세요 of the Today Korean A1 Masterclass - where the full honorific system comes together with real examples so nothing feels isolated or random.

👉 See the full A1 curriculum