Lesson 42 · To and From People: 에게/한테 & 에게서/한테서
Hyeju’s Beginner Korean · Lesson 42 · Grammar
To and From People: 에게/한테 & 에게서/한테서
Learn To and From People: 에게/한테 & 에게서/한테서 with form rules, natural examples, common mistakes, romanization, and six practice questions with answers.
Introduction / Review
에게 and 한테 mark a person an action is directed toward; 에게서 and 한테서 explicitly mark a person as its source. Always read the verb to understand the direction.
N = noun; V = action verb; A = descriptive verb. Romanization is a reading aid.
Today’s Grammar / Explanation
- Attach to a person or animal noun regardless of its last letter: 친구에게, 친구한테, 동생에게서, 동생한테서.
- 한테/한테서 are common in conversation; 에게/에게서 also suit writing. For an honored recipient, review 께.
- With 받다, 에게/한테 can also mark the source: 친구한테 선물을 받았어요. 에게서/한테서 make “from” explicit.
Examples
친구에게 편지를 보내요.
chinguege pyeonjireul bonaeyo
I send a letter to a friend.
동생한테 선물을 줘요.
dongsaenghante seonmureul jwoyo
I give a gift to my younger sibling.
친구에게서 선물을 받았어요.
chinguegeseo seonmureul badasseoyo
I received a gift from a friend.
언니한테서 전화를 받았어요.
eonnihanteseo jeonhwareul badasseoyo
I received a call from my older sister.
친구한테 책을 빌렸어요.
chinguhante chaegeul billyeosseoyo
I borrowed a book from a friend.
선생님께 보냈어요.
seonsaengnimkke bonaesseoyo
I sent it to the teacher.
Compare with similar grammar
LESSON 12
Place + 에
회사에 전화했어요.Places and organizations take 에. People and animals take 에게/한테.
Review Lesson 12 →LESSON 8
하고
친구하고 이야기해요.하고 = with (you do it together). 한테 = to (one-way: from you to them).
Review Lesson 8 →| Pattern | Meaning | Style | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 에게 | to (a person) | Writing, formal | 친구에게 편지를 써요 |
| 한테 | to (a person) | Speech | 친구한테 전화해요 |
| 에게서 · 한테서 | from (a person) | Writing · speech | 친구한테서 선물을 받았어요 |
| 께 | to (a respected person) | Honorific | 선생님께 질문해요 |
Common mistakes
Use 에/에서 for ordinary places as appropriate: 학교에 가요, 회사에서 연락이 왔어요. In today’s examples, 주다 means give, 보내다 means send, 받다 means receive, and 빌리다 means borrow. Do not treat every English “to” as 에게.
Organizations and places take 에, not 한테.
People take 한테 or 에게.
For a teacher, use 께 and 드리다.
Animals also take 한테/에게.
Mini practice · six questions
All sentences below are new. Try each one before opening the answer.
- Fill in the blank저는 매일 밤 엄마___ 전화해요.
Check answer
저는 매일 밤 엄마한테 전화해요.
A person in speech → 한테.
- Fill in the blank생일에 친구___ 꽃을 받았어요.
Check answer
생일에 친구한테서 꽃을 받았어요.
“From” a person → 한테서. With 받다, plain 한테 is also common.
- Choose the correct form이 서류를 은행(에 / 에게) 보내야 해요.
Check answer
에
A bank is an organization → 에.
- Choose the correct form(편지) 사랑하는 할머니(께 / 한테)
Check answer
께
Writing to your grandmother → respectful 께.
- Find and fix the mistake강아지에 간식을 줬어요.
Check answer
강아지한테 간식을 줬어요.
Animals take 한테/에게.
- Say it in KoreanI taught my younger brother Korean.
Check answer
동생한테 한국어를 가르쳤어요.
The person you teach takes 한테 (or 에게).
Today’s Key Point
에게/한테 often mark to, but can mean from with 받다; 에게서/한테서 explicitly mark a personal source.
M.A. in Korean Language Education · Certified Korean language teacher
About the educator →