Grammar
-을/ㄹ 때마다
Meaning
Intermediate-eul/l ttaemada
Attaches to a verb or adjective stem to mean 'every time' or 'whenever,' indicating that something happens repeatedly, each time a certain situation occurs.
Form
Attaches to a verb or adjective stem: no final consonant + -ㄹ 때마다, final consonant + -을 때마다. Stems ending in ㄹ take -ㄹ 때마다 directly (만들다 → 만들 때마다). For an action completed before the main clause's time, use the past form -았/었을 때마다 ('every time [something] had happened').
Examples
염기를 붙일 때마다 시약을 넣어야 했다.
Every time a base was attached, reagent had to be added.
비가 올 때마다 길이 막힙니다.
Every time it rains, the roads get congested.
이 노래를 들을 때마다 고향이 생각나요.
Every time I hear this song, I think of my hometown.
그를 만날 때마다 기분이 좋아집니다.
Every time I meet him, I feel happier.
Common mistakes & nuance
때마다 marks every single occurrence, so what follows must be something that repeats along with it — it is more mechanical than 자주 (often). And 마다 alone attaches only to nouns (날마다, 주말마다); a verb always needs the full -(으)ㄹ 때마다.
Similar grammar
- 마다
마다 attaches directly to a noun to mean 'every ~' (해마다 'every year', 사람마다 'each person'). -(으)ㄹ 때마다 attaches to a clause and specifically means 'every time [an event] happens.'
- -(으)면
-(으)면 states a single condition ('if X happens, Y'). -(으)ㄹ 때마다 emphasizes repetition — Y happens every single time X occurs, not just once.