電話される電話されます食べられる食べられます

H

healer

Sempai

13 May 2019

687

10

• 1 Dec 2021

• #1

Honorifics in Japanese: A Complete Introduction to Keigo, Sonkeigo, and Kenjogo - japanistry.com
Why is 尊敬語 the plain form only? I don't quite follow. I had supposed plain form is more casual way of saying.
Below is the extract from the web site.
部長、お客さんに電話されるの？(✘)
部長、お客さんに電話されますか。
Now, technically, the standard sonkeigo form of the verb "to eat", for example, is…
食べられる。
… and not…
食べられます。

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

Moderator

Fifteen-year veteran

22 Feb 2008

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4,926

• 2 Dec 2021

• #2

You seem to be misunderstanding something. All verbs have both standard form and polite form. 食べられます is the polite form of 食べられる. It's totally the same as the polite form 食べます vs. plain form 食べる.

It's explained in the site, no?
But the entire point of using keigo is to confer respect and be polite to your listener and so using the standard form of the verb defeats the entire purpose. Consequently, everything gets put in the "polite form" (teineigo).

Also, ✘ clearly shows that 部長、お客さんに電話されるの？ is wrong.

 

H

healer

Sempai

13 May 2019

687

10

• 2 Dec 2021

• Thread starter
• #3

healer said:

technically, the standard sonkeigo form of the verb "to eat", for example, is…
食べられる。
… and not…
食べられます。

Click to expand...

Thanks Toritorbe-san!
What threw me is the second part saying the 尊敬語 form of the verb "to eat" is 食べられる, not 食べられます. I'm expecting the other way round.

 

Toritoribe

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Fifteen-year veteran

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• 2 Dec 2021

• #4

Probably you are confusing sonkeigo with teineigo/teineikei. Notice that the writer says "the standard sonkeigo form." While 食べられる is the standard (also called plain, casual or non-polite) sonkeigo form (= 尊敬語の普通形) of 食べる, 食べられます is the polite sonkeigo form (= 尊敬語の丁寧形).