-았/었더라면 in Korean: “if I had (done)”
-았/었더라면
-at/eotdeoramyeon
if I had (done)
Intermediate · Linking ideas
-았/었더라면 (-at/eotdeoramyeon) means "if I had (done)". It imagines a different past, usually with regret or relief: "If I had left earlier, I wouldn't have been late."
How to form it
| When | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stem with ㅏ or ㅗ | + 았더라면 | 가다 → 갔더라면, 오다 → 왔더라면 |
| Other stems | + 었더라면 | 먹다 → 먹었더라면 |
| 하다 verbs | 하 → 했더라면 | 공부하다 → 공부했더라면 |
| Noun | + 였더라면 / 이었더라면 | 나 → 나였더라면, 학생 → 학생이었더라면 |
How to use it
Use -았/었더라면 to talk about something that did not happen in the past and how things would have turned out. It often sounds like regret: "if only."
The second half usually ends with -았/었을 거예요 (would have) or -았/었을 텐데 (it would have been ..., but). 좋았을 텐데 (it would have been nice) is very common.
The past marker 았/었 is always part of this pattern. The politeness level comes from the last ending of the sentence.
Examples
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Arriving late
Caught in the rain
After an exam
Missing a friend at a party
Don’t mix it up with
-았/었다면: -았/었다면 has almost the same meaning. -았/었더라면 tends to sound more emotional, often with regret.
-(으)ㄹ걸: -(으)ㄹ걸 (I should have) is a short, sentence-final way to express regret. -았/었더라면 sets up a whole "if ... then ..." sentence.
Common mistakes
Dropping the past marker. Say 갔더라면, not 가더라면.
Want the basics first? Read Korean past tense (았어요 / 었어요).
Questions learners ask
What is the difference between 았더라면 and 았다면?
They both mean "if I had." -았/었더라면 usually sounds more regretful and is especially common when looking back on your own mistakes.
How do I say "I would have" after -았/었더라면?
Use -았/었을 거예요 (would have) or -았/었을 텐데 (it would have ..., but). For example, 알았더라면 갔을 거예요 means "If I had known, I would have gone."