N4 · Unit 12
Lesson 47Describe another person's actions respectfully
Use respectful language for a guest, senior, or another person whose actions should be elevated.
What you learn
Use respectful language for a guest, senior, or another person whose actions should be elevated.
Learning points
- Respectful verbs
- Respectful constructions
- Relationships and context
Why this lesson comes now
This lesson connects what you can already say to a new way of expressing it. Hear the key sentences, understand the structure, then use it in a real situation.
Your next step
Listen to the key sentences, understand the pattern, finish the examples and vocabulary, then continue to the next lesson.
Open the interactive lessonCore pattern
動詞受身形（尊他） ・ お + 動詞ます語幹 + に なります ・ お / ご + 動詞ます語幹 / 漢語 + ください ・ ご覧に なります / 召し上がります / いらっしゃいます / おっしゃいます / なさいます / くださいますBeginner explanation
Respectful language raises the action of the listener or another person being discussed. It is mainly used for seniors, guests, and socially distant people; when speaking outside your group, normally do not elevate your own family or company members. A passive form can give light respect, while お〜になります or special respectful verbs are more explicit. Use お／ご〜ください to invite the listener to take an action for their benefit or in a public setting.
Understand these sentences first
- 先生は 明日 京都へ 行かれます。sensei wa ashita Kyōto e ikaremasu
The teacher will go to Kyoto.
- お客様は もう お帰りに なりました。okyakusama wa mō okaeri ni narimashita
The guest has already left.
- こちらに お名前を お書き ください。kochira ni onamae o okaki kudasai
Please write your name here.
- 社長は 何を 召し上がりますか。shachō wa nani o meshiagarimasu ka
What will the company president have?
Core vocabulary
- ご覧に なりますごらんに なりますsee; respectful
- 召し上がりますめしあがりますeat; drink; respectful
- いらっしゃいますいらっしゃいますgo; come; be; respectful
- おっしゃいますおっしゃいますsay; respectful
- なさいますなさいますdo; respectful
- くださいますくださいますgive; do for us; respectful
- お客様おきゃくさまguest
- 先ほどさきほどa short while ago
Grammar, one point at a time
Keigo is not only three groups: the modern official five-part model
尊敬語／謙譲語I／謙譲語II（丁重語）／丁寧語／美化語The textbook begins with three groups. The Agency for Cultural Affairs uses respectful, humble I, humble II or courteous, polite, and beautifying language for a more precise account. Lesson 47 focuses on respectful forms for the listener's or a third person's actions.
Examples
- 先生が いらっしゃいます。The teacher is here.
- わたしが 伺います。I will visit.
- お料理です。It is a dish, with beautifying お.
Honorific passive form: V（ら）れます
元の文構造を変えない + V（ら）れますA passive-form verb can mark lighter respect. Unlike a true passive, the original elements and particles are not rearranged. Because it can be ambiguous with passive or potential meaning, prefer a special honorific or add context when precision matters.
Examples
- 周先生は 明日 日本へ 行かれます。Professor Zhou will go to Japan tomorrow.
- 部長は 何時に 戻られますか。What time will the manager return?
- 先生は 論文を 書かれました。The professor wrote a paper.
General respectful form: お + verb stem + になります
お + Vます語幹 + に なりますThis normally applies to group-1 and group-2 verbs. One-mora stems such as 見, 寝, or い and group-3 verbs normally do not use it. Prefer a common special honorific where one exists.
Examples
- お客様は お帰りに なりました。The guest has left.
- 日程は お決めに なりましたか。Have you decided the schedule?
- 社長は お読みに なりました。The president has read it.
Respectful requests with お／ご～ください
お + Vます語幹 + ください ｜ ご + 漢語名詞 + くださいお commonly precedes a native-Japanese verb stem, while ご commonly precedes the Sino-Japanese noun part of a group-3 verb. It remains a request or instruction; use ～ていただけますか to reduce imperative force in a personal request.
Examples
- どうぞ お座りください。Please sit down.
- エスカレーターを ご利用ください。Please use the escalator.
- こちらから お入りください。Please enter here.
Learn common special respectful verbs as whole words
見る→ご覧になる 等見る, 食べる／飲む, 行く／来る／いる, する, 言う, くれる, and 知っている have common special forms. Choose by whose action is described, who benefits, and the current in-group/out-group perspective.
Examples
- 先生は 何を 召し上がりますか。What will the teacher have?
- 資料を ご覧に なりましたか。Have you seen the document?
- 部長が そう おっしゃいました。The manager said so.
Respectful forms after the て-form
Vて + いらっしゃる／くださる～ていらっしゃる can correspond to ～ている, ～ていく, or ～てくる. ～てくださる is the respectful form of ～てくれる and usually presents the other person's action as a benefit. It is not categorically impossible among friends; naturalness depends on gratitude, distance, and tone.
Examples
- 社長は 待っていらっしゃいます。The president is waiting.
- 先生は 明日 戻っていらっしゃいます。The teacher will return tomorrow.
- 友達が 迎えに 来てくださって、助かりました。My friend kindly came to meet me.
In-group and out-group relations change with the setting
人物関係 + 場面 + 聞き手When speaking externally about your own company's superior, you normally do not elevate your own side. Internally, that superior may still be described respectfully. Family, school, customer, and partner relations also shift with the current listener.
Examples
- 社外：田中は 外出しております。External: Tanaka is out.
- 社内：田中部長は 会議室に いらっしゃいます。Internal: Manager Tanaka is in the meeting room.
Expressions and situations
Keigo does not prove legal authority or a duty to obey
Titles and respectful forms only show a chosen relationship. Contract, approval, employment-direction, and representation authority depend on registration, governing documents, job records, or delegation.
- 役職名と 契約権限を 別々に 確認します。I will verify the title and contracting authority separately.
あっ、そう is casual and should not be assigned mechanically by rank
It can mark sudden understanding or brief acknowledgement. Suitability depends on relationship, setting, and tone; use そうですか or 承知しました formally.
- あっ、そう。じゃあ、後でね。Oh, I see. See you later.
- 承知しました。Understood.
～じゃないか is forceful but not limited to male superiors
It can mark discovery, emphasis, challenge, or familiar talk. Falling intonation often asserts, while rising intonation can confirm or challenge; an absolute ban is inaccurate. At work, use どうでしょうか when appropriate.
- この案、いいじゃないか。This proposal is good.
- こちらは どうでしょうか。How about this?
Learn four special ます forms as wholes
いらっしゃいます, なさいます, おっしゃいます, and くださいます, together with いらっしゃい, なさい, おっしゃい, and ください, should not be conjugated mechanically.
- こちらへ いらっしゃい。Come this way.
- どうぞ お入りください。Please enter.
The common respectful form of 知っています is ご存じです
ご存じですか asks whether the other person knows; humble 存じています describes the speaker's side knowing.
- この制度を ご存じですか。Do you know this system?
- はい、存じています。Yes, I am aware of it.
A polite request can still exert pressure
ご参加ください is natural in public guidance but can sound directive for an optional personal matter. Use 参加は任意です or ご参加いただけますか. Keigo does not automatically remove power imbalance.
- 参加は 任意です。Participation is optional.
Use ～てくださる by benefit and gratitude, not simply friendship
It can be natural for a friend's special help; it may sound overly distant only when an ordinary expected act is unnecessarily elevated.
- 友達が 荷物を 運んでくださって、助かりました。My friend kindly carried my luggage.
Company titles and departments do not form one universal chart
社長, 取締役, 部長, 課長, 主任, チーフ, and リーダー may coexist or be absent. 支社, 支店, and 営業所 differ in legal and business relation. Labels do not establish hierarchy, employment status, or authority.
- 組織図と 権限表を 確認します。I will check the organization chart and authority matrix.
Ask preference, policy, and safety before giving a gift
Flowers, plants, alcohol, cash, or pooled appliances can be unsuitable. Consider allergies, drinking choice, space, gift policy, amount, and shipping. Avoiding fire-related housewarming gifts is a custom, not a universal prohibition; Japan Post restrictions on combustible dangerous goods concern transport safety.
- ご希望と 会社の 規定を 確認します。I will check preferences and company policy.
- 配送条件を 確認します。I will check shipping conditions.
What you should be able to do
- Map the textbook's three groups to the official five categories and locate Lesson 47 respectful forms.
- Rewrite ten clauses with honorific passive, お～になる, and special forms, marking ambiguity.
- Write public guidance with お／ご～ください, then soften personal requests or state optionality.
- Identify the underlying ている, ていく, or てくる and the benefit behind ～てくださる.
- Choose keigo for company, customer, family, and school settings and explain perspective.
- Design an optional, compliant, shippable gift by checking preference, policy, amount, health, dangerous goods, and address.
Culture and real use
Keigo is grounded in mutual respect; gifts are bounded by preference and rules
The Agency for Cultural Affairs grounds keigo in mutual respect and speaker self-expression and uses five categories. More keigo is not automatically better, and title does not determine every setting. When speaking to a customer about one's superior, the company is the in-group and that person is normally not elevated; internally, the superior may be. Forceful じゃないか or polite ご参加ください does not erase power pressure; Japan's labour ministry still examines an advantageous relationship, necessity and proportionality, and harm to the work environment. The gift sidebar can start a cultural discussion, but wreaths, alcohol, cash, fire-related taboos, and pooled appliances are not fixed rules. Ask preferences and check policy, amount, health, and shipping. Japan Post restrictions on combustible dangerous goods concern transport safety, not symbolic taboo.
- 関係と 場面を 見て、敬語を 選びます。I choose keigo by relationship and setting.
- 敬語でも、参加が 任意か 明確にします。Even with keigo, I make optionality clear.
- 贈る 前に、希望と 規定を 確認します。Before giving, I check preference and policy.