(으)면 (eumyeon) Grammar and Meaning: If, when

TOPIK 2

(으)면 (eumyeon) means "if, when".

Expresses a condition. 'If...' or 'When...'

Checked against the official learner dictionary from the National Institute of Korean Language

Verb stem+(으)면(eu)myeon if … / when …

After a vowel or ㄹ: 면 myeon. After other consonants: 으면 eumyeon.

Build it

가다gada가면gamyeonif you go

먹다meokda먹으면meogeumyeonif you eat

살다salda살면salmyeonif you live

춥다chupda추우면chuumyeonif it's cold

The forms you need

가면gamyeonif I go

If not

안 가면an gamyeonif I don't go

Past

갔으면gasseumyeonif I had gone / if I've gone

I wish

갔으면 좋겠어요gasseumyeon jokesseoyoI wish I could go

When to use it

Condition

If this happens, then that.

비싸면 안 살래요.bissamyeon an sallaeyo.If it's expensive, I won't buy it.

Whenever

Something that always follows.

봄이 되면 꽃이 피어요.bomi doemyeon kkochi pieoyo.When spring comes, the flowers bloom.

Wishes

With 좋겠다 joketda: "I wish".

주말이었으면 좋겠어요.jumarieosseumyeon jokesseoyo.I wish it were the weekend.

Watch out

먹면

먹으면meogeumyeonif you eat

After a consonant, add 으 eu.

살으면

살면salmyeonif you live

Stems ending in ㄹ take just 면 myeon.

어제 집에 가면 엄마가 있었어요.

어제 집에 갔을 때 엄마가 있었어요.eoje jibe gasseul ttae eommaga isseosseoyo.When I got home yesterday, my mom was there.

For one past event, use 갔을 때 gasseul ttae.

In context

8 examples

1
도착하면 전화하세요.
Dochakamyeon jeonhwahaseyo.
Call me when/if you arrive.
2
모르면 물어보세요.
Moreumyeon mureoboseyo.
If you don't know, ask.
3
시간 있으면 커피 한잔할래요?
Sigan isseumyeon keopi hanjanhallaeyo?
If you have time, want to grab a coffee?
4
피곤하면 좀 쉬어.
Pigonhamyeon jom swieo.
If you're tired, get some rest.
5
이 버튼을 누르면 문이 열려요.
I beoteuneul nureumyeon muni yeollyeoyo.
Press this button and the door opens.
6
돈이 많으면 뭐 하고 싶어요?
Doni maneumyeon mwo hago sipeoyo?
If you had a lot of money, what would you want to do?
7
어렸을 때는 비가 오면 항상 집에 있었어요.
Eoryeosseul ttaeneun biga omyeon hangsang jibe isseosseoyo.
When I was little, I always stayed in when it rained.
8
내일 날씨가 좋았으면 좋겠어요.
Naeil nalssiga joasseumyeon jokesseoyo.
I hope the weather is nice tomorrow.

Practice

8 questions

Which form?1 / 8

읽다 + (으)면

(으)면 vs (으)ㄹ 때

Both can be "when", but they aren't the same. 면 myeon sets a condition, or says what happens every time. 때 ttae points at an actual moment.

한국에 가면 김치를 먹어요. hanguge gamyeon gimchireul meogeoyo "Whenever I go to Korea, I eat kimchi."
한국에 갔을 때 김치를 먹었어요. hanguge gasseul ttae gimchireul meogeosseoyo "When I went to Korea, I ate kimchi." That one trip.

If only: 았/었으면

Put the past tense in front of 면 myeon and it can mean "if X had happened", about something that didn't happen:

돈이 있었으면 샀을 거예요. doni isseosseumyeon sasseul geoyeyo "If I'd had the money, I would have bought it."
조금 일찍 왔으면 좋았을 텐데. jogeum iljjik wasseumyeon joasseul tende "It would've been nice if you'd come a bit earlier."

It can also simply mean "if X has already happened":

다 먹었으면 가자. da meogeosseumyeon gaja "If you're done eating, let's go."
도착했으면 연락해. dochakaesseumyeon yeollakae "Text me once you've arrived."

All you have to do: (으)면 되다

면 되다 myeon doeda means "you just need to". It's how Koreans give simple instructions:

여기에 이름을 쓰면 돼요. yeogie ireumeul sseumyeon dwaeyo "You just write your name here."
이 버스를 타면 돼요. i beoseureul tamyeon dwaeyo "Just take this bus."

Hanja in this lesson

Words from the examples that are written with Chinese characters. Tap a character to see its page.

時間시간sigan · time
恒常항상hangsang · always

Use it with

Korean sentence connectors 그래서 (geuraeseo), 하지만 (hajiman) and the rest: the words that join two sentences, next to the ending that does the same job inside one.

Look it up in the dictionary

The entry for 으면 in two trusted Korean dictionaries.

으면 in the Naver Korean Dictionary (in Korean) 으면 in the Basic Korean Dictionary (NIKL) (with English)

(으)면: If, when