Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 7: 16/18

お〜する

I humbly do, I am obliged to do, Humble speech

Structure

お + Verb［ます］+ する
ご(1) + する［Verb］ + する

(1) お, limited to ［する］Verbs like: 電話(でんわ)する、勉強(べんきょう)する、散歩(さんぽ)する

Details

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About お〜する

お〜する comes from a form of polite speech in Japanese called humble speech. This type of speech is used to refer to the speaker and their actions. This is opposed to honorific language, which refers exclusively to the listener and their actions. お〜する is almost exactly the same as お～になる, as in it simply means する.
お〜する is regularly used with words of Japanese origin, while ご～する will be used with words of Chinese origin. The する in this compound will attach directly to the ます stem of almost any verb.
  • 僕(ぼく)がお守(まも)りします！
    I am going to protect you!
  • 今(いま)すぐにご確認(かくにん)します。
    I will check right now.
Caution
While the する in this structure will attach directly to the ます stem of verbs, this does not mean that verbs that are already する verbs will become しする. In the case of する verbs, simply change the prefix to ご.
  • ご登録(とうろく)する方(かた)はこちらをクリックしてください。
    For those who want to register, please click here.
  • ご注文(ちゅうもん)する時(とき)はこちらのベルを押(お)してください。
    When you are going to order, please press this bell.
In rare cases, お may be used instead of ご, when attached to words of Chinese origin. There is no specific rule for this, and they must be memorized on a case by case basis.
  • 先輩(せんぱい)にお電話(でんわ)するのがすきです。
    I like to call my senpai.
  • 友達(ともだち)とお勉強(べんきょう)するのは楽(たの)しいです。
    It is fun to study with my friends.
Thankfully, the words of Chinese origin that use お instead of ご are extremely common verbs. This means that you will be exposed to almost all of them very quickly. All others may be assumed to use ご.
Fun Fact
In the same way that お～になる is a more common variation of なさる (both honorific language), お〜する is a more common variation of いたす (both humble speech).
  • 5分後(ふんご)にお電話(でんわ)します。
    After 5 minutes, I will call you. (I will call you in five minutes)
  • 5分後(ふんご)にお電話(でんわ)いたします。
    After 5 minutes, I will call you. (I will call you in five minutes)

Examples

  • ドアをお閉(し)めします。

    I (will) humbly close the door.

  • 友達(ともだち)のお母(かあ)さんにパソコンをお借(か)りしました。

    I humbly borrowed a computer from my friend's mother.

    While this is grammatically correct, 拝借(はいしゃく)する is more commonly used.

  • お任(まか)せします。

    I will humbly leave it up to you.

  • 先生(せんせい)をお呼(よ)びしてもよろしいでしょうか？

    May I humbly call upon the teacher?

  • 先生(せんせい)の分(ぶん)もお取(と)りします。

    I will humbly take the teacher's share.

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お〜する – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (9 in total)

  • owlhoods

    owlhoods

    About 2 years ago

    Whenever I get the sentence これを彼かれにお渡わたししてください I mistake it for the お～ください grammar point and write お渡しください, getting marked wrong. I can’t quite figure out what the difference is here.

  • Daru

    Daru

    About 1 year ago

    お渡ししてください is using the お～する (this lesson’s structure) up until the して。By adding ください it becomes the てください Grammar Point I’m sure you know.

    お渡しください is closer to お～願います since it’s not using する.

    In short, it’s not that they don’t wind up meaning the same thing (in fact they do!), it’s mostly the Review asking you to specifically answer お～する.

    Hope this helps!

  • LarsVegas

    LarsVegas

    About 1 year ago

    The grammar point states お~する is more commonly used than いたす. Which to my understanding makes them equivalent. What makes いたす “over the top”?
    For example, it said
    あなたの分もお作いたします。
    is “over the top”.
    あなたの分もお作りします。
    is the correct answer.

    If it says いたします is “over the top”, I know to switch to お~する. But I want to understand the reasoning behind it.
    Should I by default answer with お~する and switch, when it tells me otherwise or is there a structure that I should notice, when to use いたす?

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