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1 - 今晩はお宅にいらっしゃるでしょう。

2- 今晩はお宅においでになりますか。

I know the above are described as 尊敬語 (目上の人の行為を言う) Respectful Language for いる. Used to refer to the actions of supervisors.

The question I have is, who says this and in what situation?
For 1, I thought ましょう is used for 自分 ( The person who is speaking only ) So who would say this to whom? A supervisor saying this to a subordinate froma different clan/ company / family? " I will be at home tonight" But I thought that if you are going to speak about yourself you have to use HUMBLE language 謙譲語 not 尊敬語?

For 2 I am guess a subordinate talking to someone superior to them from a different clan/organization/family asking them if they will be home tonight, am I correct?

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  • These are both honorifics. The speaker is addressing someone who is to be regarded as a superior (whether in-house or from another company).
    – A.Ellett
    Commented Oct 18, 2021 at 21:39
  • でしょう is just softening things and perhaps indicating a bit of conjecture, like "You'll be home tonight, right?"
    – A.Ellett
    Commented Oct 18, 2021 at 21:40
  • @A.Ellett So what you are trying to tell me is that the use of honourifics are for actions performed by a superior, as well as addressing a superior?
    – fynxgloire
    Commented Oct 18, 2021 at 22:46
  • If you're addressing your superior AND you're talking about what your superior is doing, then you'll use keigo. If you're speaking with someone who is within your in-group with respect to your superior AND you're talking about what your superior is doing, then you'll use keigo. I don't know about native speakers, but for people not used to thinking this way, this can be quite confusing. It's also the reason I'm not posting any of this as an answer. I've got a ton of doubts about the rules for keigo etc.
    – A.Ellett
    Commented Oct 18, 2021 at 23:07
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    On a more personal note: I find the English words "honorific" and "humble" very confusingly used with respect to Japanese. I find it easier to think about these three things: (1) whose behavior are you describing (yours or someone socially above you in some sense), (2) in the circumstances of the conversation, who is a member of your in-group, who is a member of the out-group, and (3) who are you actually talking to.
    – A.Ellett
    Commented Oct 18, 2021 at 23:16

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