일어나세요
The English phrase 'please wake up' is translated into Korean as 일어나세요.
The verb used for this concept is 일어나다, which is used for both the physical act of getting out of bed and the general concept of waking up or rising.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb 일어나세요 is derived from 일어나다, which literally means 'to get up' or 'to rise' from a seated or lying position.
Which one should you use?
While 일어나요 is polite, 일어나세요 uses the honorific suffix '-세요', making it more respectful and suitable for addressing elders or strangers.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 일어나 is the casual, non-honorific version used with close friends, children or people younger than you. The form 일어나요 is the standard polite version used in everyday conversation with people you are not intimate with. A polite way to ask someone to wake up is 일어나 주세요.
Did you know?
- The verb 일어나다 is also used to describe a disaster, an accident or a revolution 'breaking out'. In these contexts, it retains the core meaning of something 'rising' or 'starting' suddenly.
- If a person is waking up from a coma or a deep sleep, Koreans use 깨어나다, which combines the root of 깨다 (wake) and 나다 (emerge).
- In Korean culture, it is common to wake someone up by gently shaking their shoulder or calling their name, but loudly shouting 일어나세요 is often considered too aggressive.
Examples in context
- 이제 그만 일어나세요.ije geuman ireonaseyo.Please wake up now.
- 빨리 일어나세요, 늦었어요.ppalli ireonaseyo, neujeosseoyo.Please wake up quickly, you are late.
- 햇빛이 밝으니 일어나세요.haetbichi balgeuni ireonaseyo.Please wake up, the sunlight is bright.
Example conversation
Jieun is trying to wake up Hyunwoo on a weekend morning.
- 지은 Ji-eun현우 씨, 이제 일어나세요.Hyunwoo ssi, ije ireonaseyo.Hyunwoo, please wake up now.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo조금만 더 잘래요.jogeumman deo jallaeyo.I want to sleep a little more.
- 지은 Ji-eun안 돼요, 빨리 일어나세요.an dwaeyo, ppalli ireonaseyo.No, please wake up quickly.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo알겠어요, 일어날게요.algetseoyo, ireonalgeyo.Okay, I will get up.
