Signification
A polite question asking about someone's current activity.
Contexte culturel
In Korea, hierarchy is determined by age and social rank. Using '계시다' is not just a choice; it's a social requirement. Failing to use it with an elder can be seen as a sign of poor upbringing. Korean offices are highly hierarchical. Even if you are close to your manager, you would typically use '무엇을 하고 계세요?' in front of others to maintain professional decorum. Modern Korean families are becoming more casual, but the 'Si' honorific remains strong. Children are taught to use honorifics with their parents and grandparents from a very young age. On KakaoTalk, '무엇을 하고 계세요?' is often shortened to '뭐 하고 계세요?' or '뭐 하세요?'. The full '무엇을' is seen as very formal and slightly stiff in text.
The 'Mwo' Shortcut
In 90% of spoken conversations, Koreans say '뭐' instead of '무엇을'. It sounds much more natural.
Self-Honorifics
Never use '계세요' when talking about yourself. It's the fastest way to sound like you're full of yourself!
Signification
A polite question asking about someone's current activity.
The 'Mwo' Shortcut
In 90% of spoken conversations, Koreans say '뭐' instead of '무엇을'. It sounds much more natural.
Self-Honorifics
Never use '계세요' when talking about yourself. It's the fastest way to sound like you're full of yourself!
The 'Nunchi' Check
Use this phrase as a 'soft' way to see if someone is busy before asking for a favor. It's more polite than 'Are you busy?'.
Body Language
When asking this to an elder, a slight tilt of the head or a small bow makes the phrase feel even more authentic.
Teste-toi
Choose the most appropriate phrase to ask your boss what they are doing.
부장님, 지금 _______?
The honorific '계세요' is required for a superior like a '부장님' (Manager).
Fill in the blank with the correct honorific auxiliary verb.
할아버지께서 방에서 책을 읽고 _______.
When the subject is an elder (Grandfather), '계시다' must be used instead of '있다'.
Complete the dialogue between a student and a teacher.
학생: 선생님, 지금 무엇을 하고 계세요? 선생님: ________________.
The teacher should use the standard polite form '있어요' for themselves, not the honorific '계세요'.
Match the phrase to the correct social situation.
Match '무엇을 하고 계세요?' to the situation.
In a service environment, using honorifics for the customer is standard.
Match the formality level to the phrase.
Formality Matching
These represent the spectrum of Korean speech levels.
🎉 Score : /5
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
5 exercices부장님, 지금 _______?
The honorific '계세요' is required for a superior like a '부장님' (Manager).
할아버지께서 방에서 책을 읽고 _______.
When the subject is an elder (Grandfather), '계시다' must be used instead of '있다'.
학생: 선생님, 지금 무엇을 하고 계세요? 선생님: ________________.
The teacher should use the standard polite form '있어요' for themselves, not the honorific '계세요'.
Match '무엇을 하고 계세요?' to the situation.
In a service environment, using honorifics for the customer is standard.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These represent the spectrum of Korean speech levels.
🎉 Score : /5
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsYes, it is very common and respectful to use this with parents, especially if you want to show them extra respect.
'뭐 하세요?' is more general and can mean 'What do you do?'. '무엇을 하고 계세요?' specifically asks about the action happening right now.
It is polite, but if the person is much older or higher in rank, '계세요' is much better.
Yes, but it might feel a bit formal. '뭐 하고 계세요?' (without the '무엇을') is more common in texts.
Answer with '[Action] + 하고 있어요'. For example: '공부하고 있어요' (I am studying).
Yes, it's the safest way to ask a stranger what they are doing without being rude.
'계시다' is a special honorific word that replaces '있다' to show high respect to the subject.
Yes: '무엇을 하고 계셨어요?' (What were you doing?).
No, it would sound very strange. Use '뭐 해?' with children.
That's perfectly fine! In fact, dropping '을' is very common in spoken Korean.
Expressions liées
뭐 하세요?
similarWhat are you doing? (Polite)
뭐 해?
informalWhat's up? / What are you doing?
식사하셨어요?
similarHave you eaten?
바쁘세요?
similarAre you busy?
무엇을 하십니까?
specialized formWhat are you doing? (Very formal)
