Unit 1 - Section 4: Honorific Practice
Honorific practice — choose the right layer
Decide whose action it is, then pick 尊敬語, 謙譲語, or just 丁寧語. Mixing the wrong layer is worse than staying in です／ます.
Checklist
- Is this their action? Raise it (いらっしゃる, なさる, おVになる).
- Is this my / our action toward them? Lower it (参る, いたす, 伺う).
- If you only need to be polite to the listener, です／ます is enough.
| Situation | Better Japanese |
|---|---|
| The teacher came | 先生がいらっしゃいました |
| I will visit your office | 伺います / 参ります |
| What will you do? (to a client) | いかがなさいますか |
| I will do it | いたします |
Never humble the other person. Never honorific yourself. 先生が参りました and 私がいらっしゃいます are both wrong.