お・
Staff use these for what you do: お待ちになりますか, "will you wait?", and お持ちですか, "do you have one?". Both are respectful ways to say what someone else does.
お～になる
お + Verb ます-stem + になる ご + する-noun + になる
待ちます → お待ちになる, 利用する → ご利用になる. 行く, 来る, いる, 言う, する, 見る and 食べる have respectful verbs of their own instead.
お～です
お + Verb ます-stem + です ご + する-noun + です
持ちます → お持ちです. Not every verb takes it.
Who is doing it?
Respectful forms raise what the other person does. Humble forms lower what you, or your side, do. You never raise yourself, and to an outsider you never raise your own family or company.
Both forms here are respectful: about a customer, a teacher, a boss or a stranger, whether you are talking to them or about them.
The customer will wait in the lobby.
The customer waits. Respectful.
I will wait for you in the lobby.
You wait, for them. Humble: お～する.
お～になる: what someone does
になる here isn't "become". お読みになる is 読む, said with respect, and it changes like any verb: お読みになります, お読みになりました, お読みになっています.
The teacher has already gone home.
This is the book the teacher chose.
Verbs with a respectful verb of their own
| Everyday | Respectful |
|---|---|
| 行く・来る・いる | いらっしゃる |
| 言う | おっしゃる |
| する | な |
| 食べる・飲む | 召し上がる |
| 見る | ご覧に |
Not said: 先生は
(Have you seen that film, Professor?)
ご覧になりましたか.
お～です: what someone is doing
The short one, and the one you hear most in shops. It is mostly a respectful ています: お持ちですか is 持っていますか. These are the ones to know as phrases.
お待ちですis waiting
Mr. Suzuki is waiting in the lobby.
お決まりですかhave you decided
Have you decided on your order?
お帰りですかare you leaving; have they left
Has the chairman already left?
It has no tense of its own. The same words can ask "is he leaving already?".
Asked one of these, you answer without it: はい、持っています.
Where it goes wrong
Three slips: saying it about yourself, using the humble お～する for someone else, and adding the respectful れる on top.
Not said: 私は
(I'm leaving now.)
もう帰ります, or 失礼します.
Not said: 先生は
(The teacher has already left.)
お帰りになりました.
Sounds odd: 先生は
The teacher has already gone home.
Heard, but widely called a mistake: one respectful form is enough.
Close neighbours
The verbs that have a respectful verb of their own.
What will you have?
The passive ending is also a lighter respectful form. It goes on most verbs and is common at work.
The department head has already gone home.
When what they did was for you, people say it as a favor received.
My teacher kindly wrote me a letter of recommendation.
Check yourself
1Which sentence is right?
Choose an answer to see why.
2What does this mean?
お客様が
Choose an answer to see why.
3Which one do people say?
先生は
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
お待ちの, お持ちの
With の, the short form describes a person: お待ちのお客様, the customers who are waiting. Announcements are full of it.
Anyone who has a ticket, this way please.
More sentences
The teacher went back to the office a little while ago.
to a colleague
The manager will be back at three in the afternoon.
More and more customers are using this service.
to a colleague
The company president will attend next month's ceremony.
to a colleague
The president will be back shortly.
Where are you going over the next long weekend?
Which plan would you like?
The teacher is off today.