Today, let’s talk about Causative Verbs.
It’s a huge topic, so we’ll just cover the concept.
In English, you use “get, have, or make” to cause someone to do something. But in Korean, we don’t add extra words. We change the verb itself!
While English distinguishes the nuance with three different verbs, Korean uses one causative verb and lets the context do the heavy lifting.
There are 7 magic suffixes: –이-, -히-, -리-, -기-, -우-, -구-, -추-.
Unless you’re taking an exam, don’t stress about memorizing all of them at once. Start with the ones you actually want to use!
Look at “보다”. Its causative form is “보이다”.
- “손 좀 보여 주세요.” (Show me your hand.)
Literally, it means “Make it so I can see your hand.” You don’t need “get” or “have” here; the context explains it all!
You can even turn adjectives like “높다” into “높이다”.
- “소리 좀 높여 주세요.” (Turn up the volume.)
That’s why we call honorifics “높임말”—it’s speech that elevates the other person.
Check out the list of common causative verbs!
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