에게, -한테, -께 (to)
에게, -한테, -께 (to)
'에게', '-한테', and '-께' are particles in Korean language that indicate the recipient of an action. In English, these particles are often translated as 'to'. '에게' is a formal particle, while '-한테' is more colloquial and, -께 is the honorific form of both -에게 and -한테.
For example, if you want to say "I gave the book to my friend", in Korean, you would say "책을 내 친구에게 주었다". Here, '에게' indicates that the book was given to the friend. In English, the sentence would be translated as "I gave the book to my friend".
Some examples of verbs that can be used are: 주다 (to give), 오다 (to come), 묻다 (to ask), 가르치다 (to teach), 쓰다 (to write), 던지다 (to throw), 선물하다 (to give a present), 말하다 (to speak), 보내다 (to send) 보여주다 (to show), and 붙이다 (to attach).
For example:
- 책을 친구에게 줬어요. (I gave the book to my friend.)
- 희주한테 사과했어요. (I apologized to Heejoo)
- 선생님이 학생들에게 영어를 가르쳐 주셨어요. (The teacher taught the students English in class.)
- 고모에게 편지 써서 보냈어요. (I wrote a letter and sent it to my aunt)
- 구조대원들에게 도움을 요청했어요. (I asked the rescuers for help)
- 아이들에게 동화책을 읽어 주었어요. (I read a storybook to the children.)
- 손에 상처가 나서 엄마한테 붕대를 붙여 달라고 했어요. (I asked my mother to put a bandage on my injured hand.)
The particles are used only when they’re attached to a person or other living creatures. Otherwise, -에 is used for places, things, and plants. To note, -께 is never used for animals.
- 회사에 보여주기 위해 프레젠테이션 자료를 만들었습니다. (I made a presentation material to show to the company.)
- 고객센터에 전화했어요. (I called the customer center)
- 꽃에 물을 주세요. (Please water the flowers.)
- 책에 필기를 하지 마세요. (Please don't write in the book.)
- 밭에 씨앗을 심으세요. (Please sow the seeds in the field.)