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The root word in 미남이시라구요 is 미남 (Noun) to mean a handsome man and the full translation for the sentence "changes the noun to adjective" to mean you're handsome or is it just a short form of the sentence, you are a handsome man?:

미남 -> beau / handsome guy

미남이시라구요 -> you're handsome

How should the sentence be split:

미남이시라구요 -> 미남 | 이 | 시 | 라구요

미남이시라구요 -> 미남 | 이시라구요

If it's the first case, what does , and 라구요 mean individually?

If it's the second, then what does 이시라구요 mean?

Or is it not any of the two and the sentence should be split and understood different?

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2 Answers 2

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미남이시라구요 is splited into 미남 + 이다 + (으)시 + (이)라구요

이시라구요 is derived from the verb 이다(is). 시 is the honorific form, giving respect to that 미남.

라구 comes from the quotation grammar (Someone said ...) for 이다, namely (이)라고. You see 구 instead of 고 since 구 is the colloquial version of 고.

So a more accurate translation will be:

It is said that he is a handsome man.

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  • Quick question, is the "he is" / "you are" missing from the sentence? Or is the he is / you are encapsulated in the -이다 suffix?
    – alvas
    Apr 24, 2017 at 9:20
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    "He" is missing from the sentence. Koreans usually omit the subject if it can be guessed easily
    – user237
    Apr 24, 2017 at 9:27
  • Thanks 미남젤과냉각되! (or did I translate it wrongly?)
    – alvas
    Apr 24, 2017 at 9:31
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미남이시라구요 consists of one noun, two particles, and two verb endings. Let's decompose it like this:

  • Take the noun 미남 and attach a particle (a copula) 이다, to make 미남이다, which makes it an adjective("descriptive verb").

  • Take the adjective 미남이다 and stick a subject honorific verb ending -시-, which becomes 미남이시다.

  • Take the adjective 미남이시다 and stick a vulgar quotation verb ending -라구, which becomes 미남이시라구.

  • Take the adjective 미남이시라구 and stick a listener honorific particle 요, to make it 미남이시라구요.

So the 이 means it's a predicate, and 시 indicates the omitted subject of this sentence is a person of a higher hierarchy than the speaker, 라구 indicates a quotation, and 요 indicates the listener of this sentence is a person of a higher hierarchy than the speaker.

A translation would be:

I heard he is a handsome man.

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