# -라 verb ending?



## CarolineDL

안녕하세요!

I heard someone ask another person to stop. He said to the other guy: 그만해! It's from the verb 그만하다 which means to stop, to quit. 
I understood that.
But then the same guy said: 그만해라! I understand that he is still telling the same guy to stop, but *what is that -라 verb ending? *

감사합니다!


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## surreystreet

그만하십시오
그만합시다
그만하게
그만해라  
These four are formal expression. From the top to the bottom, the level of the honorific gradually goes down.
for instance, you can say 그만하십시오 or 그만합시다 to a total stranger or people you are not familiar with.
그만하게, 그만해라 to a people under your age or someone so close to you that you don't have to use the honorific.
그만하게 is somewhat formal though.
anyway these are all formal words.



그만해 and 그만해요 is informal. you can say it to your friends or maybe your dad and mom in casual conversation.
however 그만해요 is a honorific version of 그만해.

I am a native Korean and I haven't realize 그만해라 is formal expression until I look it up on dictionaries.
because I think I can surely say 그만해라 in causal conversation or small talks.
this means there's fine line Anyway, rules are rules. it is just grammar.


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## CarolineDL

Thanks a lot surreystreet!

So there is no difference between 그만해라 and, let's say, 그만합시다?
My question was wether the particle -라 added any other specific meaning or intonation... such as annoyance, reitiration, exclamation? Why did the guy repeat it and added that particle? Does this make sense?


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## surreystreet

They are the same in terms of meaning. they are used in different situation or for different people.

When somebody's annoying me, I would say 그만해 first. and if he or she doesn't stop doing it and I would secondly say 그만해라 as an expression of anger.
however they have the same meaning. 
그만해라 doesn't necessarily contains irritation or anger.(maybe it does because of the meaning of 그만하다. you usually say 'stop!' when you don't want someone to do something.)

so I would say It depends on speakers' intonation or context whether -라 carries any specific meaning.


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## bkkc

Just wanted to add that this ending is actually [아/어/해]라  (basically the inimate ending with 라 added) and it's really not very formal, despite what a couple of books might say.  It is used by children, with children...(으)십시오 is very honorific and formal, and 으세요 (or probably more commonly: [어/아/해]주세요 is honorific and polite, and the most usual form for asking an adult to do something.  

In my experience 라 is used when you don't want any ambiguity...it is a command.  DO IT!  The intimate 어/아/해 form could be interpreted as a suggestion, command, simple declaration, etc. depending on the tone of voice used and so on.  So you add 라 when you REALLY MEAN IT DARN IT!  See what I mean?

The other forms common imperative endings include (으)시요 (mostly used on written signs and such these days) and 게 which is getting pretty rare and used among older men (mostly men) and that's about it.  Of course the simple 어/아/헤요 is possible too, if spoken as a command.

Lastly although it isn't that common, [아/어/해]라 is also used as an exclamatory ending, which is really unrelated to your question but worth knowing about.


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## bkkc

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that 어라 is ONLY used with and by kids, by any means.  It is used in work situations by superiors to underlings, too, and amongst adult friends, and so on.  But I'd say probably MOST to kids by parents and teachers and other adults, and other kids.  You certainly don't want to use it with adults you don't know well...that'd be very rude for sure, unless maybe you are 20 or 30 years older maybe.  In Korea, elders can speak any way they want, but still, they don't usually do that.


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## Rance

surreystreet said:


> 그만하십시오
> 그만합시다
> 그만하게
> 그만해라
> These four are formal expression. From the top to the bottom, the level of the honorific gradually goes down.



There's one wrong example.
그만합시다 is not an imperative mood, but it's a hortative.
It is an expression to encourage to do something to a group of people usually including speaker himself.
It's comparable to an expression like "let's (verb)" as hortative in English.
But rest seems correct.

*From high to low level of honorific.
그만하십시오 - 합쇼체 - 아주 높임
(그만하오 - 하오체 - 예사 높임)
그만하게 - 하게체 - 예사 낮춤
그람해라 - 해라체 - 아주 낮춤



surreystreet said:


> They are the same in terms of meaning. they are used in different situation or for different people.
> 
> When somebody's annoying me, I would say 그만해 first. and if he or she doesn't stop doing it and I would secondly say 그만해라 as an expression of anger.
> however they have the same meaning.
> 그만해라 doesn't necessarily contains irritation or anger.(maybe it does because of the meaning of 그만하다. you usually say 'stop!' when you don't want someone to do something.)
> 
> so I would say It depends on speakers' intonation or context whether -라 carries any specific meaning.



The exact opposite scenario is quite plausible as well.
If one is trying to contain anger, he can use 그만해라 with low-pitched voice as a warning before he start yelling with 그만해.
However as surreystree suggests, I'd take precaution to interpret 그만해라 as to contain anger every time you hear it.

This style of expression(해라체) has become quite uncommon in modern days, but it's still used.
One common usage of 해라체 is in exams/books when it's intended to unspecific readers.
For example, "Know thyself" would be translated in 해라체 (네 자신을 알라).
Or you'd see in exam, "빈 칸에 맞는 답을 써라(or 쓰시오).".

Another common usage would be when parents telling kids what to do.
철수야 밥 먹어라
 얼른 씻고 숙제해라


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