N3 · Politeness
The regular humble form
お〜する and ご〜する
お, the ます-stem and する: something you do for somebody you respect.
The humble pattern mirrors the honorific one: お, the ます-stem, and する. 持つ becomes お持ちする, 送る becomes お送りする. Chinese-origin verbs take ご: ご案内する, ご連絡する. Replacing する with いたす adds one more degree of formality: ご案内いたします is what you hear in hotels and shops.
The pattern only makes sense when your action is directed at the person you respect: carrying their bag, sending them something, waiting for them, explaining something to them. Going home, reading a book for yourself or eating your lunch is done for nobody, so お帰りする or お読みする on their own are not humble — they are simply wrong.
As with the honorific pattern, verbs with special humble forms use those: 拝見する, not お見する; 申し上げる, not お言いする; 伺う, not お行きする.
The commonest mistake is to use the humble pattern for somebody else's action, because it looks so polite. お客様がお待ちしています humbles the customer. The customer お待ちです or お待ちになっています; it is you who お待ちしております.
The form
stem (regular) ending
| carry (for you) | お持ちする |
| send | お送りする |
| lend | お貸しする |
| help | お手伝いする |
| wait (for you) | お待ちする |
| show the way (with ご) | ご案内する |
| get in touch (with ご) | ご連絡する |
| explain (with ご) | ご説明する |
| more formal still | お持ちいたします |
| as an offer | お持ちしましょうか |
| we have been expecting you | お待ちしておりました |
The rules one by one
お plus the ます-stem plus する, for something you do for the person you respect.
お荷物、お持ちしましょうか。Shall I carry your bags?
A verb made of a Chinese-origin noun and する takes ご.
では、お部屋にご案内します。Then let me show you to your room.
Replacing する with いたす makes it more formal still.
後ほど、こちらからご連絡いたします。We will contact you later.
The action must be directed at somebody; what you do only for yourself cannot be humbled this way.
明日、資料をお送りします。I will send you the documents tomorrow.
Verbs with their own humble form use it instead.
来週、御社に伺います。I will visit your company next week.
A closer look
The humble potential
The humble pattern can be made potential like any other: お〜できる. お会いできてうれしいです, "I am glad to be able to meet you", is the standard thing to say when you finally meet somebody, and ご案内できます means "I can show you".
Watch the negative in particular. お答えできません, "I am unable to answer that", is how a shop, a bank or a press office declines to tell you something — politely, and without saying why.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the verb is 見る, 言う, 行く, 食べる or another verb with a special humble form
use the special verb: 拝見する, 申し上げる, 伺う, いただく.
お写真、拝見しました。I have seen your photos.
Where a special verb exists, it fills the place the pattern would take; お見する does not exist.
How to spot it
- お〜する
- ご〜する
- お〜いたす
- ご〜いたす
- お〜できる
Example sentences
お待ちしておりました。どうぞこちらへ。We have been expecting you. This way, please.
分からないところがあれば、いつでもご説明します。If anything is unclear, I am happy to explain it at any time.
来週の月曜日までにお返事します。I will give you an answer by next Monday.
よろしければ、傘をお貸ししましょうか。Would you like to borrow an umbrella?
会議室までご案内いたします。I will show you to the meeting room.
資料は後でメールでお送りします。I will send you the documents by email later.
7 more example sentences
お会いできてうれしいです。I am very glad to meet you.
先日お借りした本をお返しします。I am returning the book I borrowed from you the other day.
結果が分かりしだい、ご連絡します。I will let you know as soon as I have the result.
お名前をお呼びしますので、こちらでお待ちください。We will call your name, so please wait here.
先生にお願いしたいことがあります。There is something I would like to ask of you, Professor.
明日、ご自宅までお届けします。We will deliver it to your home tomorrow.
その件についてはお答えできません。I am afraid I cannot answer that.
Worth knowing (2)
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The phrase you say most is this pattern
The phrase you will say more than any other keigo, よろしくお願いします, is the humble pattern on 願う, "to request". With いたします in place of します it becomes the standard close of a business email.
今後ともよろしくお願いいたします。I look forward to working with you in future.
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Nouns that go straight into the pattern
Nouns that already describe an action towards somebody can go straight into the pattern: お電話する, ご連絡する, お返事する. 電話 is a Chinese-origin word and still takes お — one of the common words that do.
夜にもう一度お電話します。I will call you again this evening.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
お〜する lowers whoever does the action. With the customer as the subject, it lowers the customer, which is the reverse of what you meant. For the customer, use the honorific お待ちです or お待ちになっています.
お plus the ます-stem plus する is something you do for them — never something they do.
Your turn
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