에게 — Target

Define a person or a living creature as the recipient or target of an action. This is the formal version of 한테 or 께.

Korean Grammar in Use

에게 is added to nouns representing people or other living creatures and indicates that the noun is the recipient or target of an action. 에게 is more formal than 한테. 에게/한테 are only used when the preceding noun is a person or other living creature. Otherwise, (for plants, things, places, etc.) 에 is used.

Details

1. When giving or doing something for someone equal or lower in social status than the speaker, 에게 주다 is used. However, when the target of the action is someone of higher social status to whom the speaker must show respect, the honorific 께 is used in place of 에게/한테, and 드리다 is used in place of 주다.

나는 할아버지에게 선물을 주었습니다.

사장님에게 전화를 했습니다.

아버지에게 말했습니다.

2. When receiving or learning something from another person, 에게서 받다/배우다 or 한테서 받다/배우 다 is used. 서 can also be omitted, in which case the expression becomes 에게 받다/배우다 or 한테 받 다/배우다. When the thing being received or learned comes from a person of higher social status, the honorific 께 is used in place of 에게서 and 한테서.

내 생일에 친구에게서 선물을 받았습니다.

I got a present from my friend on my birthday.

이정아 선생님한테서 한국말을 배웠습니다.

I learned Korean from my teacher, Lee Jeonga.

어렸을 때 할아버지께 한자를 배웠습니다.

I learned Chinese characters from my grandfather when I was little.