質問: I have only found the ~ませ conjugation used in the following honorific verbs: 1. いらっしゃいませ 2. くださいませ 3. なさいませ Can the conjugation be applied to other honorific verbs, like おっしゃいませ or めしあがりませ? Or even common verbs, like がんばりませ or つづきませ?
回答: `ませ` is the imperative form of the polite `ます`. For all of your examples, you cannot directly add `ませ`, but you can add `くださいませ`: > > * おっしゃってくださいませ > * 召し上がってくださいませ > * 頑張ってくださいませ > * 続いてくださいませ > > > or `なさいませ`: > > * おっしゃいなさいませ > * 召し上がりなさいませ > * 頑張りなさいませ > * 続きなさいませ > > > Probably, only a few verbs including the ones Lukman mentions have the conjugation `ませ`. And ento found that `召しませ`, is also possible. My speculation for this is that only the verbs that: 1. have an auxiliary usage besides its main verb usage, and 2. are suppletive honorification have the `ませ` conjugation. > > * いらっしゃる, いる 'be' [As main verb] > * 召し上がって**いらっしゃる**, 食べて**いる** 'have been' [As auxiliary] > * くださる, くれる 'give to me' [As main verb] > * 召し上がって**くださる**, 食べて**くれる** 'eat for me' [As auxiliary] > * なさる, する 'do' [As main verb] > * 召し上がり**なさる**, お食べに**なる** [As auxiliary] > > >