If you are studying Korean causative, this lesson is the one to keep. You will learn how -게 하다 / causative 이히리기 works in real conversation, when to use it, and the mistakes English speakers make first. This is a Korean advanced grammar guide with examples, romanization, and a five-minute speaking drill.
By the end you should be able to hear -게 하다 / causative 이히리기 in dramas and K-talk, then reuse it in your own sentences. Read once. Say the examples out loud. Then drill the same lines on Practice.
What -게 하다 / causative 이히리기 means
Korean causative means you cause an action. -게 하다 is the productive way: 기다리게 했어요 (I made them wait). Morphological causatives (먹이다, 읽히다, 살리다) are a closed set. Advanced Korean uses both, but 게 하다 is the one you can build safely.
How to form it
- Verb + -게 하다 → 하게 하다, 가게 하다, 말하게 하다
- Let vs make is context: 좀 쉬게 해 주세요 (let) vs 숙제하게 했어요 (made)
- Closed set: 먹다→먹이다, 죽다→죽이다, 낮다→남기다? (learn as vocab)
- Particles: 을/를 or 에게 depending on the verb
-게 하다 / causative 이히리기 examples
Use these Korean causative example sentences as a speaking list. Korean first, then pronunciation, then English.
| Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 아이들을 일찍 자게 해요. | aideureul iljjik jage haeyo. | I make/have the kids go to bed early. |
| 웃기려고 일부러 바보처럼 행동했어요. | utgiryeogo ilbureo babocheoreom haengdonghaesseoyo. | I acted silly to make them laugh. |
| 아기를 우유를 먹여요. | agireul uyureul meogeoyo. | I feed the baby milk. (먹이다) |
| 그 소식은 나를 슬프게 했어요. | geu sosigeun nareul seulpeuge haesseoyo. | That news made me sad. |
| 학생들한테 발표하게 할 거예요. | haksaengdeulhante balpyohage hal geoyeyo. | I’ll have the students present. |
| 문을 열게 해 주세요. | muneul yeolge hae juseyo. | Please let me open the door / allow the door to be opened. |
When to use it
- Parenting, teaching, management.
- Feelings: 기분 좋게 하다.
- Permission: 하게 해 주세요.
Common mistakes
These are the traps English speakers hit when they translate word-for-word. Fix the pattern, not just the vocabulary.
Watch-out
❌ 먹이다 vs 먹게 하다
✅ 먹이다 is feed. 먹게 하다 is make/let them eat
Different pictures. Learn 먹이다 as vocabulary.
Watch-out
❌ 게 하다 when you did the action yourself
✅ Use the plain verb
Causative needs another actor, even if implied.
Watch-out
❌ Passive/causative mix-ups (읽히다)
✅ 읽히다 can be passive or causative
This set is messy. Prefer 게 하다 until you memorize each verb.
Mini dialogue
Read it twice. Second time, cover the English.
| Speaker | Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 아이가 채소를 안 먹어요. | aiga chaesoreul an meogeoyo. | The kid won’t eat vegetables. |
| B | 처음엔 작게 잘라서 먹여 보세요. 억지로 먹게 하면 더 싫어해요. | cheoeumen jakge jallaseo meogeo boseyo. eokjiro meokge hamyeon deo sileohaeyo. | Try feeding smaller pieces first. If you force them to eat, they’ll hate it more. |
| A | 그게요. 조금 기다리게 해야겠어요. | geugeyo. jogeum gidarige haeyagesseoyo. | True. I should make them wait a bit. |
Don’t mix these up
도록 하다 can be “see to it that.” 게 하다 is the default make/let. Passive 이/히/리/기 is the opposite spotlight.
Five-minute Korean speaking practice
Korean speaking practice beats extra grammar notes. Do this once today, then again tomorrow without looking.
- Read each example slowly, Korean only.
- Say it at natural speed. Record yourself if you can.
- Cover the Korean and rebuild the sentence from English.
- Swap in your own details: your job, your city, your weekend.
Starter lines for today:
- 친구를 웃게 하고 싶어요.
- 너무 오래 기다리게 해서 미안해요.
- 강아지에게 물을 먹여요.
Lesson summary
- Pattern: -게 하다 / causative 이히리기
- Search topic: Korean causative
- -게 하다 is make/let. Special causatives are vocabulary. Don’t invent 이/히 forms.
- Say it out loud on Practice, then come back to Guides if a particle still feels sticky.
Homework
- Write three 게 하다 management/parenting sentences.
- Learn five morphological causatives as vocab cards.
- Write one 하게 해 주세요 permission request.
Korean causative: quick answers
시키다?
시키다 is “order someone to / have someone do,” common at work: 시키셨어요.
슬프게 하다 vs 슬퍼지다?
슬프게 하다 = something makes a person sad. 슬퍼지다 = become sad.
Keep going
Want a path, not a single grammar point? Open Learn or browse the rest of this series in Korean advanced.