Meaning & usage
お〜です respectfully describes the state, ability, or situation of a superior or customer, as in お元気です or お好きです. It does not attach freely to any verb stem, and for most actions a form like お帰りになる is required instead. The set allowing お〜です is limited to fixed nouns such as お住まい, お持ち, お出かけ, and na-adjective-like words such as お上手, and the ending must stay as です since だ sounds blunt and rude. Words like 留守 and 電話中 do not take お here, so use 留守です and 電話中です.
Example sentences 8
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先生は今お出かけだ。
The teacher is out right now.
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社長はお元気だ。
The president is doing well.
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部長は英語がお得意だ。
The manager is good at English.
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教授はこの本をお持ちだ。
The professor has this book.
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院長は明日お帰りだ。
The director will be back tomorrow.
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お客様はあちらにお住まいだ。
The guest lives over there.
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会長はゴルフがお好きだ。
The chairman is fond of golf.
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先輩はフランス語がお上手だ。
My senior is good at French.
In past JLPT papers
This came up in 10 past exam questions.
And 6 more tests.
