haru Korean › Grammar › Level 4A › 사동 -이/히/리/기

사동 -이/히/리/기 — causative verbs in -이-, -히-, -리-, -기- — doing it to or for someone

Causative verbs in -이-, -히-, -리-, -기- — doing it to or for someone. Korean grammar for upper intermediate learners — Level 4A, lesson 7: 먹이고 입히고 재우고 (Feeding, dressing, putting to bed — causatives for everyday care).

What it means

A causative verb says that the subject makes or helps someone else do something. Compare 아이가 밥을 먹어요 'the child eats' with 제가 아이에게 밥을 먹여요 'I feed the child': the person who makes it happen becomes the subject, and the verb takes a suffix — -이-, -히-, -리- or -기- today, and -우-, -구-, -추- in grammar point 2. Lesson 3B-2 gave you ten common ones; today you get the whole family. Watch the particles. When the base verb has an object, the object keeps 을/를 and the other person takes 에게 (께 for someone older): 아이에게 옷을 입혀요 'I dress the child', 선생님이 학생들에게 교재를 읽혀요 'the teacher has the students read the textbook'. When it has none, the other person takes 을/를: 아이를 의자에 앉혀요 'I sit the child on a chair', 아이를 웃겨요 'I make the child laugh'. The last sound of the verb gives a rough guide: ㄹ usually takes -리- (울리다, 알리다, 살리다 — and 마르다 becomes 말리다), ㄴ, ㅁ, ㅅ and ㅌ usually take -기- (안기다, 남기다, 씻기다, 맡기다), ㅂ, ㄷ, ㅈ and double 받침 usually take -히- (입히다, 묻히다, 맞히다, 앉히다, 읽히다), and a vowel or ㄱ often takes -이- (보이다, 먹이다, 녹이다). There are exceptions — 기울이다 ends in ㄹ, 익히다 in ㄱ — so learn each causative together with its base verb. They are ordinary verbs and take every ending: 먹여요, 입혔어요, 알려 주세요, 씻겨야 해요. Many look exactly like the passives of Lesson 3A-6 (보이다 means both 'be seen' and 'show'); the sentence tells you which, and Lesson 4A-8 puts the two side by side.

Forms

Key points

• Causative = the subject makes or helps someone else do it: 아이가 밥을 먹어요 → 제가 아이에게 밥을 먹여요. The verb takes -이-, -히-, -리- or -기- (Lesson 3B-2 showed ten — today the whole set). The other person takes 에게 when the verb has an object (밥을 · 옷을) and 을/를 when it hasn't (아이를 앉혀요).
• A rough guide by the last sound: ㄹ → -리- (울리다 · 알리다 · 마르다 → 말리다) · ㄴ ㅁ ㅅ ㅌ → -기- (안기다 · 남기다 · 씻기다 · 맡기다) · ㅂ ㄷ ㅈ and double 받침 → -히- (입히다 · 묻히다 · 앉히다 · 읽히다) · a vowel or ㄱ → -이- (보이다 · 먹이다). There are exceptions (기울이다 · 익히다): learn each one with its base verb.

Examples

• 다른 사람이 어떤 일을 하게 할 때 써요: 아이가 밥을 먹어요 → 제가 아이에게 밥을 먹여요.
• -이-: 먹이다 · 보이다 · 녹이다 · 기울이다 -히-: 입히다 · 앉히다 · 눕히다 · 읽히다 · 묻히다
• -리-: 울리다 · 알리다 · 살리다 · 말리다(마르다) -기-: 웃기다 · 씻기다 · 안기다 · 남기다 · 맡기다
• 먹다 · 입다처럼 「을/를」이 있는 동사는 그 사람에게: 아이에게 옷을 입혀요. 앉다 · 울다는 그 사람을: 아이를 의자에 앉혀요.
• 받침을 보면 조금 알 수 있어요(ㄹ → 리 · ㄴ ㅁ ㅅ ㅌ → 기 · ㅂ ㄷ ㅈ → 히). 하지만 먹다 → 먹이다처럼 짝으로 외우세요.

Where university textbooks teach it

This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 3B, lesson 11; Yonsei University Korean 3-1, lesson 9; Ewha Womans University Korean 3-1, lesson 4; Hongik University Korean 3B, lesson 9; Hanyang University Korean 3-2, lesson 10.

Also in this lesson

• 사동 -우/구/추 · -게 하다와 비교 — causatives in -우-, -구-, -추- — and doing it yourself vs getting someone to do it (-게 하다)
• V-고서 · -고서는 · -고서야 — and then … · on doing … · only after … — linking two actions tightly

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