Which one should you use?
The form 비켜요 is a polite way to tell someone to move. However, for more formal or gentle requests, you can use 옆으로 비켜 주세요 (Please move aside) or 비켜주세요 (please move aside). For more casual or indirect requests, 좀 비켜 줄래? can be used to mean "Can you move aside a bit?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The politeness of your request varies significantly with the form you choose. 옆으로 비켜 주세요 is a polite and formal way to say "Please move aside." 비켜주세요 is a polite and standard way to make the request. 비켜요 is polite but can sound quite blunt or direct depending on your tone. The casual form 비켜 is used with close friends or people younger than you, but it can sound rude if used with strangers. The informal phrase 옆으로 비켜 is a casual way to say "Move aside."
How does it change in a sentence?
The informal or casual form of the phrase is 비켜.
How do you pronounce it?
bikyeoyo
Did you know?
- In extremely crowded public spaces like the Seoul subway, many Koreans avoid saying 비켜요 entirely and instead use a soft, repetitive 죄송합니다 ('sorry') while gently nudging forward to signal the need for space.
- The verb 비키다 used in 비켜요 is linguistically related to the concept of 'emptying' or 'clearing', focusing more on the creation of a void than the physical act of stepping to the side.
- In traditional Korean social hierarchies, a subordinate would almost never use any form of 비켜 to a superior, instead using a roundabout request to 'excuse themselves' to pass.
Examples in context
- 길 좀 비켜요.gil jom bikyeoyo.Please move out of the way.
- 잠시만 비켜요.jamsiman bikyeoyo.Please step aside for a moment.
Example conversation
A crowded subway station where people are rushing.
- 지훈 Ji-hun지나갈게요, 비켜요!jinagalkke-yo, bikyeoyo!I'm passing through, please move aside!
- 민지 Min-ji아, 죄송합니다. 비켜 드릴게요.a, joesong-hamnida. bikyeo deurilgeyo.Oh, I'm sorry. I will move out of your way.
- 지훈 Ji-hun감사합니다.gamsahamnida.Thank you.
- 민지 Min-ji아니에요, 조심히 가세요.anieyo, josim-hi gaseyo.No problem, please go safely.
