Respectful verbs (尊敬語)
go, come, be, eat, say, see, do (said of someone you respect)
いらっしゃる · 召し上がる · おっしゃる · ご覧になる · なさる
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尊敬語 (respectful language) raises the person you're talking about. The most common verbs have their own respectful replacements:
- いる, 行く, 来る → いらっしゃる
- 食べる, 飲む → 召し上がる
- 言う → おっしゃる
- 見る → ご覧になる
- する → なさる
- 知っている → ご存じだ
いらっしゃる, おっしゃる and なさる have irregular ます forms: いらっしゃいます, おっしゃいます, なさいます.
You'll hear them from shop staff, in business, and to teachers and older people. They're only ever about other people: saying 私はいらっしゃいます about yourself is a classic learner mistake.
Register: Keigo: for customers, superiors and people you don't know, never for yourself.
Examples
社長は今、会議室にいらっしゃいます。
The company president is in the meeting room right now.
先生、何を召し上がりますか。
What would you like to eat, sensei?
先生がおっしゃったことをよく覚えています。
I remember well what my teacher said.
この写真をご覧になりましたか。
Have you seen this photo?
週末は何をなさいますか。
What will you be doing at the weekend?