-(으)면 in Korean: How to Say "If" and "When"

Quick answer: -(으)면 (-(eu)myeon) attaches to a verb or adjective stem and means both "if" and "when" — Korean does not separate the two. Add -면 after a vowel or ㄹ (가다 → 가면), and -으면 after any other consonant (먹다 → 먹으면). 시간 있으면 전화하세요 = "Call me if you have time."

That one sentence is most of what you need. The one idea to walk away with today: -(으)면 marks a situation that hasn't happened yet. Whether English calls it "if" or "when" depends on how certain the speaker feels, but Korean doesn't care about that distinction. What Korean cares about is this — has it happened or not? If it hasn't, you want -(으)면.

The form

Attach it directly to the dictionary stem (the verb minus 다). Tense goes in the second clause, not the first.

The usual irregular verbs behave the way they always do before 으:

• 듣다 → 들으면 (if you listen)
• 걷다 → 걸으면 (if you walk)
• 춥다 → 추우면 (if it's cold)
• 돕다 → 도우면 (if you help)
• 짓다 → 지으면 (if you build)

Word order is fixed: the condition comes first, the result comes second.

• 시간 있으면 같이 갈래요? — If you have time, do you want to go together?
• 늦으면 미리 연락 주세요. — If you're going to be late, let me know in advance.

"If" and "when" are the same ending

This is the part that feels strange at first. Look at these two:

• 내일 비가 오면 안 갈 거예요. — If it rains tomorrow, I won't go.
• 집에 도착하면 연락할게요. — When I get home, I'll message you.

Same ending. In the first, rain is uncertain — English says "if." In the second, arriving home is basically guaranteed — English says "when." Korean uses -(으)면 for both, because both are still in the future. Learners often look for a separate word for "when" here and reach for -(으)ㄹ 때. That's where it goes wrong.

-(으)면 also covers the general "whenever / if ever" statement:

• 이 버튼을 누르면 문이 열려요. — If (when) you press this button, the door opens.
• 많이 먹으면 배가 아파요. — If I eat a lot, my stomach hurts.
• 저는 심심하면 음악을 들어요. — When I'm bored, I listen to music.

When a native picks -(으)ㄹ 때 instead

때 is a noun meaning "time." -(으)ㄹ 때 frames a period of time — it answers "at what time?" -(으)면 frames a condition — it answers "under what circumstances?" The clean rule for beginners:

If it already happened, use -았/었을 때. If it hasn't happened yet, use -(으)면.

• 어제 집에 갔을 때 아무도 없었어요. — When I got home yesterday, nobody was there. (real past event)
• 내일 집에 가면 전화할게요. — When I get home tomorrow, I'll call. (not yet)

So "when I was a child" is 어렸을 때, never 어리면. A past, finished event cannot take -(으)면; saying 어제 집에 가면… sounds to a Korean ear like you're describing a condition for something that already took place, which is simply broken.

For repeated habits, both are possible and both are natural:

• 비가 올 때 그 노래를 들어요. — I listen to that song when it rains.
• 비가 오면 그 노래를 들어요. — I listen to that song when(ever) it rains.

The difference is tiny: 때 points at the time frame ("during rain"), 면 points at the trigger ("rain happens → this follows"). If there's a cause-and-effect feel, Koreans lean toward -(으)면.

만약(에) — the optional "if" signal

만약 or 만약에 at the front of the sentence flags a hypothetical early. It doesn't replace -(으)면; it works with it.

• 만약에 길을 잃으면 저한테 전화하세요. — If you get lost, call me.

Using 만약에 without -(으)면 is one of the most common beginner errors. The ending is doing the real work — 만약에 is just a hint.

-(으)면 좋겠어요: how to say "I hope"

This is the pattern you'll use constantly, and it's where the past form shows up.

• 내일 날씨가 좋으면 좋겠어요. — I hope the weather is nice tomorrow.
• 비가 안 왔으면 좋겠어요. — I hope it doesn't rain.
• 시험이 빨리 끝났으면 좋겠어요. — I wish the exam were over already.

Both -(으)면 좋겠어요 and -았/었으면 좋겠어요 are correct and both are everyday Korean. The past form sounds slightly more wishful — a bit more "I really hope," and it's what you'll hear most often in speech. Note that the past ending here has nothing to do with past time.

Two more fixed pairs worth memorizing now:

• 여기서 담배를 피우면 안 돼요. — You must not smoke here. (-(으)면 안 되다 = must not)
• 이거 누르면 돼요. — You just have to press this. (-(으)면 되다 = that's all you need to do)

And for real past hypotheticals: 시간이 있었으면 갔을 거예요 — "If I'd had time, I would have gone."

Three mistakes to avoid

1. Stuffing a tense or guessing marker into the -(으)면 clause. The condition clause stays plain, even when you're talking about tomorrow. Learners who know -겠- sometimes try to squeeze it in, and that one is genuinely broken.

• ❌ 내일 비가 오겠으면 안 가요.
• ⭕ 내일 비가 오면 안 가요.

One thing worth knowing: the colloquial -(으)ㄹ 거면 does exist and Koreans say it — 비가 올 거면 우산 가져가세요 ("If it's going to rain, take an umbrella"), 갈 거면 빨리 가요 ("If you're going, go quickly"). It adds a sense of "if that's the plan." But for a plain condition, plain -(으)면 is the default, and it's the one to build the habit on.

2. Using -(으)면 for a finished event. English "when I arrived," "when I was young," "when I met her" all need -았/었을 때.

• ❌ 한국에 가면 친구를 만났어요.
• ⭕ 한국에 갔을 때 친구를 만났어요.

3. Flipping the clause order. Korean puts the condition first, always. 전화하세요, 시간 있으면 happens in casual speech as an afterthought, but when you're writing or speaking carefully, lead with the condition.

Once the form is automatic, -(으)면 opens up a lot of everyday speech. Pair it with a suggestion and you have a real invitation: 날씨가 좋으면 산책할까요? — "If the weather's nice, shall we take a walk?" Pair it with a request and you have a polite ask: 시간 있으면 좀 도와주세요 — "If you have time, please help me out."

FAQ

What does -(으)면 mean in Korean?

-(으)면 attaches to a verb or adjective stem and means "if" or "when." It marks a condition that hasn't happened yet — the result comes in the second half of the sentence. 시간이 있으면 갈게요 means "If I have time, I'll go."

What's the difference between -(으)면 and -(으)ㄹ 때?

-(으)면 marks a condition that hasn't happened; -(으)ㄹ 때 marks a time period. For anything already finished, you need -았/었을 때: 어렸을 때 ("when I was young"), not 어리면. For repeated habits both work, with -(으)면 feeling more like cause and effect.

How do you say "I hope" in Korean?

Use -았/었으면 좋겠어요 — literally "it would be good if." 빨리 나았으면 좋겠어요 means "I hope you get better soon." The present form -(으)면 좋겠어요 is also correct and means the same thing; the past form just sounds a touch more heartfelt.

Practice

Add -(으)면 to 1–3, then choose the right form for 4–5.

1. 듣다 (to listen) → ?
2. 춥다 (to be cold) → ?
3. 만들다 (to make) → ?
4. 어제 가게에 ( 가면 / 갔을 때 ) 문이 닫혀 있었어요.
5. Say in Korean: "I hope it's not cold tomorrow."

Answers

1. 들으면 — ㄷ irregular: 듣 → 들 before 으.

2. 추우면 — ㅂ irregular: 춥 → 추우.

3. 만들면 — ㄹ stems take plain -면, no 으.

4. 갔을 때 — the shop visit already happened, so -았을 때, not -(으)면. ("When I went to the shop yesterday, it was closed.")

5. 내일 안 추웠으면 좋겠어요. — 내일 춥지 않았으면 좋겠어요 is equally correct and slightly more formal in feel.