가세요
gaseyo
The English phrase 'please go' is translated into Korean as 가세요 (gaseyo).
가세요 is used to make a polite request for someone to leave a place. While it literally means 'please go', in many contexts it is used as a polite way to say 'please leave' or 'please depart'.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the verb 가다, meaning 'to go' and the polite imperative ending -세요.
Which one should you use?
The casual version 가 is used only with close friends or people younger than you. For more formal situations, 가주세요 or the highly respectful 떠나 주십시오 and 가십시오 are used. Specifically, 가십시오 is a highly formal and respectful version used in professional settings, the military or when addressing someone of much higher status.
How does it change in a sentence?
가세요 is a polite imperative used to give a command or request to someone of equal or lower social status, or to a stranger in a polite context.
How do you pronounce it?
gaseyo
Did you know?
- Korean has a distinct 'honorific' system where the verb for 'go' changes entirely to 행차하시다 when referring to the movement of royalty or extremely high deities.
- The root verb 가다 (to go) is often used metaphorically in Korean to describe someone passing away. While 가세요 means 'please go', the same root is central to the euphemism for dying.
- When someone leaves your home, you might say 잘 가세요, which literally means 'go well'. This turns a request to leave into a warm wish for a safe journey.
Examples in context
- 가세요.Please go.
- 이제 그만 가세요.ije geuman gaseyo.Please go now.
- 집에 빨리 가세요.jibe ppalli gaseyo.Please go home quickly.
- 먼저 가세요.meonjeo gaseyo.Please go ahead.
Example conversation
Minji is telling Hyunwoo to leave so she can rest.
- 민지 Min-ji현우 씨, 이제 그만 가세요.Hyunwoo ssi, ije geuman gaseyo.Hyunwoo, please go now.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo정말 가도 돼요?jeongmal gado dwaeyo?Is it really okay if I go?
- 민지 Min-ji네, 저는 좀 쉬고 싶어요.ne, jeoneun jom swigo sipeoyo.Yes, I want to rest a bit.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo알겠어요. 내일 봐요.algesseoyo. naeil bwayo.I understand. See you tomorrow.
