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Doubts about various kinds of honorific words and their usage. Help?

Question

Since I'm a total beginner and don't want to offend anyone, I err on the side of caution and use the 시 honorific forms in reference to pretty much any stranger I meet/discuss. (Is this overboard?)

When I use those forms, does this automatically compel me to refer to that person using all the other honorific words where available, such as 분 rather than 사람? Is there such a thing as a something하시는 사람, or is that just flat-out wrong?

What about verbs with special honorific forms like 주무시다 and 계시다? I wanted to write a post on HelloTalk just now along the lines of "아직 안 주무시는 분 계신가요?" (which probably isn't correct in the first place...), but I hesitated because that pileup of special honorific forms somehow instinctively gives me the feeling that I'm displaying a crazy overwrought reverence for the hypothetical person I'm talking about. Is this concern unfounded? Are things like 주무시다 and 계시다 exactly as appropriate to sprinkle around liberally as whatever하시다?

I'm not sure if I'm expressing my question(s) well. Basically, I feel inclined to 하세요 people left and right if I don't know them, but when it comes time to use a word that has a special honorific form, I suddenly second-guess myself and wonder if I'm being comically over-the-top and sounding weird. What should I be doing here? Should I just start reserving all honorifics for especially honorable folks in the first place, or should I go ahead and call every guy on the street a 드시는 분 without worrying that I sound weirdly obsequious? Or is there a middle ground?

Thanks for reading this confusing post, and for any insight you can offer.

Posted Apr 26, 2017, 5:35 PM UTC · edited

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