조용히 해 주세요
joyonghi hae juseyo
The English phrase 'please be quiet' is translated into Korean as 조용히 해 주세요 (joyonghi hae juseyo).
조용히 해 주세요 is used as a polite request for someone to stop making noise.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 조용히 (quietly), 해 (do) and 주세요 (please give/do for me).
Which one should you use?
조용히 해 주세요 is a request for someone to be quiet, whereas 조용히 하세요 acts as a more direct polite command.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase 조용히 해 주세요 is a formal way to say 'please be quiet'. You can use an informal version, 조용히 해, with friends or people younger than you. In highly formal settings like libraries or museums, announcements may use 정숙해 주시기 바랍니다 to mean 'please maintain silence'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Changing 주세요 to 하세요 in the phrase 조용히 하세요 transforms the request from a request for a favor into a polite command.
How do you pronounce it?
joyonghi hae juseyo
Did you know?
- In extremely formal public notices, Koreans use 정숙, which refers to 'chastity' or 'purity' in other contexts, to mean 'silence'.
- The word 해 in this phrase is a contraction of 하여, a form that can be traced back to records from 1103.
- If you use the informal version 조용히 해 with a stranger or a superior, it can sound quite rude or even aggressive, despite being a common phrase in dramas.
Examples in context
- 지금 조용히 해주세요.Please be quiet now.
- 회의 중에는 조용히 해주세요.Please be quiet during the meeting.
- 살짝 조용히 해봐.Try to be a little quiet.
- 청중 여러분, 조용히 해 주시기 바랍니다.Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet.
- 조용히 해 주세요.joyong-hi hae juseyo.Please be quiet.
- 도서관에서는 조용히 해 주세요.doseogwan-eseoneun joyong-hi hae juseyo.Please be quiet in the library.
- 아기가 자고 있어요. 조용히 해 주세요.agi ga jago isseoyo. joyong-hi hae juseyo.The baby is sleeping. Please be quiet.
Example conversation
In a quiet cafe where a student is studying.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo지은 씨, 조금만 조용히 해 주세요.Jieun ssi, jogeumman joyong-hi hae juseyo.Jieun, please be a little quiet.
- 지은 Ji-eun미안해요, 현우 씨. 주의할게요.Mian-haeyo, Hyeon-u ssi. ju-ui-hal-ge-yo.I'm sorry, Hyunwoo. I'll be careful.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo공부 중이라서 좀 조용히 해 주세요.Gongbu jung-iraseo jom joyong-hi hae juseyo.I am studying, so please be quiet.
- 지은 Ji-eun네, 알겠어요.Ne, al-gesseoyo.Yes, I understand.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 조용히, 해, CC BY-SA 4.0.
