Grammar
-(으)면
Meaning
Beginner-(eu)myeon
A conditional connector meaning 'if' or 'when.' Attaches to a verb, adjective, or noun+이다 to state the condition under which the following clause holds true. It can express a hypothetical, a general rule, or a habitual condition.
Form
Attaches to a verb or adjective stem: no final consonant + -면, final consonant + -으면. Stems ending in ㄹ take -면 directly (살다 → 살면). Noun + 이다 becomes -(이)면 (이면 with batchim, 면 without). A past-tense stem + -았/었으면 expresses a wish or counterfactual, as in -았/었으면 좋겠다 ('I wish ~').
Examples
한복을 입으면 입장료가 무료입니다.
If you wear hanbok, admission is free.
훈민정음에 적힌 날짜를 지금 달력으로 바꾸면 10월 9일입니다.
If you convert the date written in the Hunminjeongeum to today's calendar, it's October 9.
KTX를 타면 두 시간쯤 걸립니다.
If you take the KTX, it takes about two hours.
외국인도 요건을 충족하면 가입할 수 있습니다.
Foreigners can also join if they meet the requirements.
Common mistakes & nuance
-았/었으면 좋겠다 is a very common way to express a wish ('I wish ~ / I hope ~'), built on the past-tense form of -(으)면.
Similar grammar
- -(으)려면
-(으)면 states a general condition ('if X'). -(으)려면 specifically means 'if you want to achieve X' — it always implies a goal the subject is trying to reach.
- -(으)면서
These look similar but differ completely: -(으)면 means 'if,' a condition. -(으)면서 means 'while,' describing two actions happening at the same time.