If and When: -(으)면

Say 'if' and 'when' with -(으)면, attach it to any word, use it for habits and wishes, and tell it apart from -(으)ㄹ 때.

What you will learn in this lesson

Attach -(으)면 to verbs, adjectives and nouns, including irregular stems
Talk about conditions, general truths and habits
Make wishes with -(으)면 좋겠어요
Choose between -(으)면 and -(으)ㄹ 때

Mr. Gaon

Hello! Today’s grammar is short, but you will use it every day: -(으)면, which means 'if' or 'when'. The rules are simple and very regular. Let’s start.

One ending, two English words

English separates 'if' (maybe it happens) and 'when' (it will surely happen). Korean -(으)면 covers both. The first clause is the condition, and the second clause is what happens under that condition.

- 시간이 있으면 같이 가요. 'If you have time, let’s go together.' (maybe) - 봄이 되면 꽃이 피어요. 'When spring comes, flowers bloom.' (always)

Unlike -아서/어서, the second clause of -(으)면 can be anything: a statement, a question, a command, a suggestion or a promise.

A/V/N + -(으)면

if / when (a condition)

Stem ends in a vowel: add -면 (가다 → 가면, 비싸다 → 비싸면).
Stem ends in a consonant: add -으면 (먹다 → 먹으면, 좋다 → 좋으면).
Stem ends in ㄹ: add -면 directly, without 으 (살다 → 살면, 멀다 → 멀면).
Nouns: N + 이면 after a consonant, N + (이)면 after a vowel (학생이면, 친구면 or 친구이면).
Past tense: -았/었으면 (갔으면, 먹었으면). This often means 'if it had been…' or appears in wishes.
Irregulars: 듣다 → 들으면, 덥다 → 더우면, 짓다 → 지으면, 그렇다 → 그러면.

피곤하면 좀 쉬세요. pigonhamyeon jom swiseyo.
If you’re tired, please rest a little.
이 버튼을 누르면 문이 열려요. i beoteuneul nureumyeon muni yeollyeoyo.
When you press this button, the door opens.
학생이면 할인을 받을 수 있어요. [학쌩이면 하리늘 바들 쑤 이써요] haksaengimyeon harineul badeul su isseoyo.
If you’re a student, you can get a discount.

Conjugation table

Dictionary form	Type	-(으)면	Past -았/었으면
오다	vowel stem	오면	왔으면
읽다	consonant stem	읽으면	읽었으면
만들다	ㄹ stem	만들면	만들었으면
걷다	ㄷ irregular	걸으면	걸었으면
어렵다	ㅂ irregular	어려우면	어려웠으면
낫다	ㅅ irregular	나으면	나았으면
다르다	르 irregular	다르면	달랐으면
어떻다	ㅎ irregular	어떠면	어땠으면
있다	있다/없다	있으면	있었으면
의사이다	noun + 이다	의사면	의사였으면

르 irregular stems do not change before -(으)면, because the ending does not start with 아/어.

Mr. Gaon

Watch the ㄹ stems. Many learners say 살으면 or 만들으면, but the correct forms are 살면 and 만들면. The ㄹ acts like a vowel here, so no 으 is needed.

Conditions, habits and general truths

내일 비가 오면 소풍을 다음 주로 미룰 거예요. naeil biga omyeon sopungeul daeum juro mirul geoyeyo.
If it rains tomorrow, we’ll put off the picnic until next week.
모르는 단어가 있으면 사전을 찾아보세요. moreuneun daneoga isseumyeon sajeoneul chajaboseyo.
If there’s a word you don’t know, look it up in the dictionary.
저는 스트레스를 받으면 단 음식을 먹어요. jeoneun seuteureseureul badeumyeon dan eumsigeul meogeoyo.
When I get stressed, I eat sweet food. A personal habit
물이 100도가 되면 끓어요. muri 100doga doemyeon kkeureoyo.
When water reaches 100 degrees, it boils. A general truth
이 길로 쭉 가면 오른쪽에 약국이 있어요. i gillo jjuk gamyeon oreunjjoge yakgugi isseoyo.
If you go straight down this road, there’s a pharmacy on the right.
음악을 들으면 기분이 좋아져요. eumageul deureumyeon gibuni joajyeoyo.
When I listen to music, I feel better. 듣다 → 들으면
일이 일찍 끝나면 전화할게요. iri iljjik kkeunnamyeon jeonhwahalgeyo.
If work finishes early, I’ll call you.
혹시 길을 잃으면 이 번호로 연락하세요. [혹씨 기를 이르면 이 번호로 열라카세요] hoksi gireul ireumyeon i beonhoro yeollakaseyo.
If by any chance you get lost, contact this number.

Helpful partners: 만약 and 혹시

You can put 만약(에) ('if, supposing') at the start of the sentence to make the condition stronger and more hypothetical: 만약 복권에 당첨되면 뭘 하고 싶어요? 'If you won the lottery, what would you want to do?'

혹시 means 'by any chance' and makes a condition softer and more polite: 혹시 시간이 있으면 좀 도와줄 수 있어요?

These words are optional. -(으)면 already carries the meaning of 'if'.

A/V + -았/었으면 좋겠어요

I hope… / I wish… / It would be nice if…

Very common way to express a wish. Literally, 'if it were…, it would be good.'
The present form -(으)면 좋겠어요 is also correct, but the past form -았/었으면 좋겠어요 is more common in speech and sounds a bit stronger.
To talk about your own wish politely, this pattern is softer than -고 싶어요.

주말에 날씨가 맑았으면 좋겠어요. [주마레 날씨가 말가쓰면 조케써요] jumare nalssiga malgasseumyeon jokesseoyo.
I hope the weather is clear this weekend.
빨리 방학이 됐으면 좋겠어요. ppalli banghagi dwaesseumyeon jokesseoyo.
I wish vacation would come soon.
다음에는 좀 더 일찍 와 주면 좋겠어요. [다으메는 좀 더 일찍 와 주면 조케써요] daeumeneun jom deo iljjik wa jumyeon jokesseoyo.
Next time, I’d like you to come a little earlier.

-(으)면 vs -(으)ㄹ 때

한국에 가면 한복을 입어 보고 싶어요. hanguge gamyeon hanbogeul ibeo bogo sipeoyo.
If/When I go to Korea, I want to try on a hanbok. -(으)면 is a condition: going to Korea is required first.
한국에 갈 때 비행기에서 영화를 봤어요. hanguge gal ttae bihaenggieseo yeonghwareul bwasseoyo.
When I was going to Korea, I watched a movie on the plane. -(으)ㄹ 때 marks a time or moment, not a condition.
어렸을 때 바다 근처에 살았어요. eoryeosseul ttae bada geuncheoe sarasseoyo.
When I was young, I lived near the sea. A one-time past period. -(으)면 cannot be used here.
어리면 바다 근처에 살았어요. (✘) eorimyeon bada geuncheoe sarasseoyo. (✘)
Unnatural -(으)면 is not used for a specific past time. Use -(으)ㄹ 때.

-(으)면 vs -(으)니까

비가 오면 집에 있을게요. biga omyeon jibe isseulgeyo.
If it rains, I’ll stay home. It is not raining yet. Maybe it will.
비가 오니까 집에 있을게요. biga onikka jibe isseulgeyo.
It’s raining, so I’ll stay home. It is raining now. This is a reason, not a condition.

Dialogue: Weekend plans

A이번 주말에 뭐 해요?   ibeon jumare mwo haeyo?What are you doing this weekend?
B날씨가 좋으면 한강에서 자전거를 타려고 해요.   nalssiga joeumyeon hangangeseo jajeongeoreul taryeogo haeyo.If the weather is nice, I’m planning to ride a bike at the Han River.
A좋네요! 비가 오면요?   jonneyo! biga omyeonyo?Nice! And if it rains?
B비가 오면 집에서 영화를 볼 거예요. 시간 있으면 같이 갈래요?   biga omyeon jibeseo yeonghwareul bol geoyeyo. sigan isseumyeon gachi gallaeyo?If it rains, I’ll watch a movie at home. If you have time, do you want to come along?
A저도 가고 싶어요. 그런데 자전거를 잘 못 타는데 괜찮아요?   jeodo gago sipeoyo. geureonde jajeongeoreul jal mot taneunde gwaenchanayo?I’d like to go too. But I can’t ride a bike well. Is that okay?
B그럼요. 천천히 타면 괜찮아요. 주말에 비가 안 왔으면 좋겠네요.   geureomyo. cheoncheonhi tamyeon gwaenchanayo. jumare biga an wasseumyeon jokenneyo.Of course. If you ride slowly, it’s fine. I hope it doesn’t rain this weekend.

Check quiz

Q1. What is the -(으)면 form of 놀다?
Q2. Fill in the blank: 이 문제가 너무 ___ 선생님께 물어보세요. (어렵다)
Q3. Which sentence is natural?
Q4. How do you say 'I hope my family is healthy'?
Q5. Fill in the blank: 이 약을 ___ 금방 나을 거예요. (먹다)
Q6. It is raining right now. Which sentence fits best?

Mr. Gaon

Excellent! Here is a small challenge: write three sentences that start with 시간이 있으면, 돈이 많으면 and 한국에 가면. Dreaming in Korean is great practice.

Key points

-(으)면 means both 'if' and 'when (whenever)'.
Vowel stems and ㄹ stems take -면; consonant stems take -으면.
The second clause can be a command, suggestion or promise.
-았/었으면 좋겠어요 expresses a wish or hope.
For a specific moment or past period, use -(으)ㄹ 때, not -(으)면.

Recommended official free resources

Korean Basic Dictionary (11 languages) — National Institute of Korean Language
Everyone’s Korean (모두의 한국어) — Ministry of Education

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