-(으)면
If, When
-면 is a connective ending attached to a verb or adjective stem. It creates a conditional clause, most commonly translated as 'if' or 'when'.
How It Works
-면 has two primary meanings that depend on the context: condition ('if') and general time ('when').
1. Expressing a Condition ('If')
This is the most common usage. It introduces a hypothetical situation or a prerequisite for the main clause to happen.
- 날씨가 좋으면 공원에 갈 거예요. (If the weather is good, I will go to the park.)
- 질문이 있으면 물어보세요. (If you have a question, please ask.)
2. Expressing a General Time or Repeated Action ('When')
This usage describes a general truth or something that happens repeatedly whenever the condition in the first clause is met. It's different from -ㄹ 때, which refers to a specific point in time.
- 봄이 오면 꽃이 펴요. (When spring comes, flowers bloom. - A general truth)
- 저는 피곤하면 커피를 마셔요. (When I'm tired, I drink coffee. - A repeated action/habit)
Conjugation Rules:
- Vowel stem + -면
가다 (to go) → 가면 (if/when you go)
보다 (to see) → 보면 (if/when you see) - Consonant stem + -으면
먹다 (to eat) → 먹으면 (if/when you eat)
읽다 (to read) → 읽으면 (if/when you read) - ㄹ-final stem + -면
살다 (to live) → 살면 (if/when you live)
만들다 (to make) → 만들면 (if/when you make)
Usage with 이다 and 아니다:
The pattern attaches to nouns using the copula 이다/아니다.
- Noun ending in a consonant + -이면: 학생 → 학생이면
- Noun ending in a vowel + -면: 의사 → 의사면 (의사이면 is also correct)
- 학생이면 할인을 받을 수 있어요. (If you are a student, you can get a discount.)
- 학생이 아니면 할인을 받을 수 없어요. (If you are not a student, you cannot get a discount.)
Expressing Wishes:
When combined with the past tense marker, it forms -았/었으면. This is often used in the pattern -았/었으면 좋겠다 to express a wish or hope.
- 돈이 많았으면 좋겠어요. (I wish I had a lot of money.)
Examples (5)
- 날씨가 좋으면 공원에 갈 거예요.
If the weather is good, I will go to the park.
Word by Word: Weather if good, to the park will go.
- 시간이 있으면 영화 볼까요?
If you have time, shall we watch a movie?
Word by Word: Time if there is, movie shall we watch?
- 봄이 오면 꽃이 펴요.
When spring comes, flowers bloom.
This is an example of -면 used for a general truth, not a specific, one-time event.
- 한국에 살면 김치를 자주 먹게 돼요.
If/When you live in Korea, you end up eating kimchi often.
Word by Word: In Korea if live, kimchi often come to eat.
- 학생이면 할인을 받을 수 있어요.
If you are a student, you can get a discount.
This shows -면 used with the copula 이다. For nouns ending in a consonant, add -이면 (학생 + 이면). For nouns ending in a vowel, add -면 (의사 + 면). Using -이면 after a vowel (의사이면) is also possible but less common.
Common Mistakes
Confusing -면 ('if'/'when generally') with -ㄹ 때 ('when specifically').
Not Quite어제 집에 도착하면 전화했어요.Better어제 집에 도착했을 때 전화했어요.-면 is used for general or hypothetical situations, not for a specific, single event that already happened in the past. For 'when I arrived home yesterday' (a specific past moment), you should use -았/었을 때.
Thinking a -면 future conditional is wrong — it isn't.
Not Quite어제 집에 도착하면 전화했어요.Better어제 집에 도착했을 때 전화했어요.'내일 친구를 만나면 영화를 볼 거예요' is a natural future conditional ('if/once I meet my friend tomorrow, I'll watch a movie'). 만나서 ('meet and then') is also correct but means something different — a planned sequence, not a condition. Neither is a mistake; they just differ in meaning.
Learn This First
To use conditional 'if/when', you need to understand verb conjugation.
Related Patterns
- -거든If, When (Casual)
-거든 is another way to say 'if', but it's more common in spoken Korean and often followed by a command or suggestion. It carries a nuance of providing a reason or background for the following clause.
- -는다면/ㄴ다면/다면If You Say That
-ㄴ/는다면 is also 'if', but it emphasizes a more hypothetical or less likely situation compared to -면. Use -면 for general or realistic conditions, and -ㄴ/는다면 for more imaginary 'what if' scenarios.
- 때When, During
Both can mean 'when', but they are not interchangeable. -면 is for general truths or repeated actions ('When(ever) it's cold, I wear a coat'). -ㄹ 때 is for a specific point in time ('When I met him yesterday...').
- -아/어서Because of, Therefore
-아/어서 indicates a sequential relationship ('I did A, and then B') or a reason ('Because of A, B happened'). It can sometimes be confused with -면 when an action enables another, but -면 is strictly conditional.
- -았/었으면 좋겠다I Wish, I Hope
This pattern, meaning 'I wish' or 'I hope', is a direct application of -면 in its past tense form (-았/었으면) to talk about a hypothetical condition you desire.
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.