Korean Grammer #2. 저의 vs 저희

Korean Grammer #2. 저의 vs 저희

며칠 전, 제 미국인 친구와 저는 '저의'와 '저희'에 관해 이야기를 나눴어요.
A few days ago, my American friend and I talked about Korean grammar about 저의 vs. 저희.


Differences between 저의 vs 저희:

* 의 vs 희
저의: 'My' in English - '나의'와 같은 뜻이지만 상대방을 높일 때 사용해요
저희: This is the same meaning of 'Our' - '우리'와 같은 뜻이지만 상대방을 높일 때 사용해요

You may use 저희 instead of 우리 (possessive form of 'we') to express that you respect for someone listening to your speaking.

It's the same way of using 나의 vs 저의. :)


* For example,

My dog's name is 막내.
나의 개의 이름은 막내입니다.

If I and my brother both raise 막내, we can say that as follows:
Our dog's name is 막내.
우리 개의 이름은 막내입니다.

If you want to say this sentence to older people or someone you respect, you may say that as follows:
Our dog's name is 막내.
저희(I and my brother's) 개의 이름은 막내입니다.


Both 제 and 저의 have the same meaning. It means 'My'.
It is simply a contraction. :)

제 sounds more natural in informal speaking and writing. :)


Additional question, "Does 저희 have a contraction also?"

I answered, "You might use 제 instead of 저희, but I recommend you use 저희 when your speaking and writing."

저희들은 => no contraction
저희 개 => 제 개 (possible, but not natural or… feeling less polite)
저희 엄마 => 제 엄마 (possible, but feeling less polite)


질문이 있다면 이메일을 보내주세요. :)
If you have any questions about Korean, e-mail me! (lyoung.lkim@gmail.com)