-(으)면 (eumyeon) - If/When

The connective ending -(으)면 (eumyeon) expresses conditional or temporal relationships, meaning "if" or "when" in English. It sets up a condition that must be met for the second clause to occur.

Basic Function

-(으)면 connects two clauses to show:

1. Conditions - "if this happens, then that"
2. Temporal relationships - "when this happens, that happens"
3. Hypotheticals - "if this were true, then..."

Translation: if, when, whenever, in case

Formation

After Vowels or ㄹ: -면

• 가다 → 가면 (if/when go)
• 오다 → 오면 (if/when come)
• 크다 → 크면 (if big)
• 멀다 → 멀면 (if far)
• 예쁘다 → 예쁘면 (if pretty)

After Consonants: -으면

• 먹다 → 먹으면 (if/when eat)
• 읽다 → 읽으면 (if/when read)
• 작다 → 작으면 (if small)
• 좋다 → 좋으면 (if good)
• 없다 → 없으면 (if not exist)

Function 1: Real Conditions

Pattern: [Condition]면 [Result]

If A, then B (real possibilities):

• 비가 오면 못 가요. (If it rains, I can't go.)

• 시간이 있으면 도와줄게요. (If I have time, I'll help.)

• 날씨가 좋으면 산책해요. (If the weather is nice, I take a walk.)

• 돈이 있으면 살 거예요. (If I have money, I'll buy it.)

Function 2: Temporal (When)

Pattern: [Time/Situation]면 [Action]

When A happens, B happens:

• 집에 가면 전화할게요. (When I get home, I'll call.)

• 봄이 오면 꽃이 피어요. (When spring comes, flowers bloom.)

• 아침이 되면 일어나요. (When morning comes, I wake up.)

• 주말이 되면 쉬어요. (When it becomes weekend, I rest.)

Function 3: Hypotheticals

Pattern: [Hypothetical Condition]면 [Hypothetical Result]

If something (possibly unlikely) were true:

• 돈이 많으면 여행하고 싶어요. (If I had lots of money, I'd want to travel.)

• 시간이 있으면 배우고 싶어요. (If I had time, I'd want to learn.)

• 다시 젊으면 공부할 거예요. (If I were young again, I would study.)

With Action Verbs

Future Actions

• 내일 비가 오면 집에 있을 거예요. (If it rains tomorrow, I'll stay home.)

• 일찍 끝나면 영화 볼까요? (If we finish early, shall we watch a movie?)

• 친구가 오면 같이 갈게요. (If my friend comes, I'll go together.)

Habitual Actions

• 피곤하면 커피를 마셔요. (When(ever) I'm tired, I drink coffee.)

• 배가 고프면 뭐든지 먹어요. (When(ever) I'm hungry, I eat anything.)

With Descriptive Verbs (Adjectives)

State Conditions

• 비싸면 안 살 거예요. (If it's expensive, I won't buy it.)

• 어려우면 도와줄게요. (If it's difficult, I'll help.)

• 작으면 안 돼요. (If it's small, it won't work.)

• 좋으면 사세요. (If it's good, buy it.)

Questions with -(으)면

Pattern: [Condition]면 [Question]?

Asking about conditional results:

• 비가 오면 어떡해요? (What do we do if it rains?)

• 시간이 없으면 어떻게 해요? (What do you do if there's no time?)

• 이것이 안 되면 뭐 해요? (What do we do if this doesn't work?)

-면 되다 (if...then okay)

Special pattern meaning "if you do this, it's okay":

• 여기에 쓰면 돼요. (If you write here, it's okay / Just write here.)

• 이거 먹으면 돼요? (Is it okay if I eat this? / Can I eat this?)

• 이렇게 하면 돼요. (If you do it like this, it's okay.)

Tense with -(으)면

Present/Future Meaning

-(으)면 itself has no tense, but implies present or future:

• 가면 볼 거예요. (If/when I go, I'll see.)

• 공부하면 합격할 거예요. (If you study, you'll pass.)

Past Tense: -았/었으면

Can add past tense marker for past hypotheticals:

• 알았으면 안 갔을 거예요. (If I had known, I wouldn't have gone.)

• 돈이 있었으면 샀을 거예요. (If I had had money, I would have bought it.)

• 시간이 있었으면 도왔을 거예요. (If I had had time, I would have helped.)

This creates counterfactual conditions (things that didn't happen).

Irregular Verbs

ㅂ Irregular

ㅂ stays before -으면:

• 춥다 → 춥으면 (if cold)
• 덥다 → 덥으면 (if hot)
• 아름답다 → 아름답으면 (if beautiful)

Some allow: 추우면, 더우면

ㅎ Irregular

ㅎ can stay or drop:

• 빨갛다 → 빨갛으면 or 빨가면 (if red)
• 하얗다 → 하얗으면 or 하야면 (if white)
• 그렇다 → 그렇으면 or 그러면 (if so)

으 Irregular

으 stays before -면:

• 크다 → 크면 (if big)
• 예쁘다 → 예쁘면 (if pretty)
• 바쁘다 → 바쁘면 (if busy)

ㄹ Irregular

ㄹ drops before ㅁ:

• 알다 → 아면 (if know)
• 살다 → 사면 (if live)
• 만들다 → 만드면 (if make)
• 멀다 → 머면 (if far)

ㄷ Irregular

ㄷ → ㄹ, then ㄹ drops:

• 듣다 → 들- → 드면 (if listen)
• 걷다 → 걸- → 거면 (if walk)

ㅅ Irregular

ㅅ drops before vowel:

• 낫다 → 나으면 (if better)
• 짓다 → 지으면 (if build)

Common Conditional Patterns

Making Suggestions

Pattern: [Condition]면 어때요?

• 내일 만나면 어때요? (How about if we meet tomorrow?)

• 이거 먹으면 어때요? (How about eating this?)

Giving Permission

Pattern: [Action]면 돼요

• 여기 앉으면 돼요. (You can sit here / It's okay to sit here.)

• 내일 오면 돼요. (You can come tomorrow.)

Expressing Wishes

Pattern: [Wish]면 좋겠어요

• 비가 안 오면 좋겠어요. (I hope it doesn't rain / It would be nice if it didn't rain.)

• 시험이 쉬우면 좋겠어요. (I hope the exam is easy.)

• 날씨가 좋으면 좋겠어요. (I hope the weather is nice.)

Negative Conditions

Pattern: 안/못 [Verb]면

• 안 가면 어떡해요? (What if you don't go?)

• 안 오면 전화하세요. (If they don't come, call me.)

• 못 하면 말하세요. (If you can't do it, tell me.)

Pattern: [Verb]지 않으면

More emphatic negative:

• 공부하지 않으면 못 해요. (If you don't study, you can't do it.)

• 가지 않으면 후회할 거예요. (If you don't go, you'll regret it.)

With Copula 이다

Pattern: [Noun]이면/면

After consonant: -이면

• 학생이면 할인이에요. (If you're a student, there's a discount.)

After vowel: -면

• 의사면 알 거예요. (If they're a doctor, they'll know.)

Or can use: 의사이면

Multiple Conditions

Chaining -(으)면

Can have multiple conditions:

• 시간이 있으면 돈도 있으면 갈게요. (If I have time and if I have money, I'll go.)

• 날씨가 좋으면 친구가 오면 나갈 거예요. (If the weather is nice and if my friend comes, I'll go out.)

Common Expressions

그러면 (then/in that case)

From 그렇다 + -으면:

• 시간이 없어요. 그러면 다음에 만나요. (I don't have time. Then let's meet next time.)

Can be shortened to 그럼:

• 바빠요? 그럼 나중에 해요. (You're busy? Then do it later.)

-면 되다 (all you need to do)

• 여기 쓰면 돼요. (Just write here / All you need to do is write here.)

• 버튼을 누르면 돼요. (Just press the button.)

-면 안 되다 (must not)

• 여기서 담배 피우면 안 돼요. (You must not smoke here.)

• 늦으면 안 돼요. (You must not be late.)

Expressing Possibility

Pattern: -(으)ㄹ 수 있으면

• 올 수 있으면 오세요. (If you can come, please come.)

• 할 수 있으면 하세요. (If you can do it, do it.)

Polite Requests

Pattern: [Action]면 좋겠어요

Softens requests:

• 도와주시면 좋겠어요. (It would be nice if you could help / I'd appreciate your help.)

• 빨리 오시면 좋겠어요. (It would be nice if you came quickly.)

Time Expressions

Specific Times

• 10시가 되면 문을 닫아요. (When it becomes 10 o'clock, we close.)

• 내일이 되면 알 거예요. (When tomorrow comes, you'll know.)

Seasons and Periods

• 봄이 오면 따뜻해져요. (When spring comes, it gets warm.)

• 겨울이 되면 춥워요. (When winter comes, it's cold.)

Contrast: -(으)면 vs Other Connectives

-(으)면 (conditional/temporal)

• 비가 오면 못 가요. (If it rains, I can't go.) - condition

-아/어서 (causal)

• 비가 와서 못 갔어요. (Because it rained, I couldn't go.) - reason

-(으)니까 (causal/justification)

• 비가 오니까 우산 가져가세요. (Since it's raining, take an umbrella.) - reason + command

-면서 (simultaneous)

• 비가 오면서 바람이 불어요. (It rains while wind blows.) - simultaneous

Warnings and Advice

Pattern: [Warning Condition]면 [Consequence]

• 조심하지 않으면 다칠 거예요. (If you're not careful, you'll get hurt.)

• 빨리 안 가면 늦을 거예요. (If you don't go quickly, you'll be late.)

• 공부 안 하면 떨어질 거예요. (If you don't study, you'll fail.)

Hypothetical Past

Pattern: -았/었으면 [Past Consequence]

Counterfactual conditions:

• 돈이 있었으면 샀을 텐데... (If I had had money, I would have bought it...)

• 알았으면 안 했을 거예요. (If I had known, I wouldn't have done it.)

• 시간이 있었으면 갔을 거예요. (If I had had time, I would have gone.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Confusing with -아/어서

-(으)면 is for conditions, not completed reasons:

Wrong: 비가 오면 못 갔어요. (doesn't match - condition + past) Right: 비가 와서 못 갔어요. (reason) Right: 비가 오면 못 가요. (condition)

Common Patterns

Conditions

• 시간 있으면 가요. (If have time, go.)
• 비 오면 못 가요. (If rains, can't go.)

Temporal

• 집에 가면 전화해요. (When get home, call.)
• 봄이 오면 따뜻해요. (When spring comes, it's warm.)

Wishes

• 비 안 오면 좋겠어요. (Hope it doesn't rain.)
• 쉬우면 좋겠어요. (Hope it's easy.)

Permission

• 여기 앉으면 돼요. (Can sit here.)
• 내일 오면 돼요. (Can come tomorrow.)