Korean -(으)면: How to Say "If" and "When" in Korean
Learn -(으)면, the Korean ending for "if" and "when": how to attach it to any verb, use it with nouns, and say "I hope" with 았/었으면 좋겠어요.
Beginner7 min readTap any Korean word to see it explained
The short answer
To say “if” or “when” in Korean, add -(으)면 to the verb. After a vowel add 면 (가면, if I go). After a consonant add 으면 (먹으면, if I eat). To say “I hope,” use -았/었으면 좋겠어요.
In English, “if” comes at the start: “If it rains, I’ll stay home.” In Korean, the “if” is glued to the end of the first verb. You hear the condition, then the result. Tap the chips below to see where the 면 sits.
1. How to attach -(으)면
Take the dictionary form, drop 다, and look at the last sound of what’s left.
| Stem ends in | Add | Verb | “if” form |
|---|---|---|---|
| a vowel | 면 | 가다 (go) | 가면 |
| a vowel | 면 | 보다 (see) | 보면 |
| a consonant | 으면 | 먹다 (eat) | 먹으면 |
| a consonant | 으면 | 있다 (have, be) | 있으면 |
| ㄹ | 면 | 살다 (live) | 살면 |
| 하다 verbs | 면 | 공부하다 (study) | 공부하면 |
A few common irregular verbs change a little: 듣다 → 들으면 (if I listen), 덥다 → 더우면 (if it’s hot). You will pick these up as you go.
In Korean, rain 'comes': 비가 오다.
2. “If” or “when”?
The same ending covers both. For something that may or may not happen, it means “if.” For something that will surely happen, it means “when” or “once.”
3. With nouns: 이면 and 면
To say “if it is (a noun),” add 이면 after a consonant and 면 after a vowel. It is the “if” version of 이에요/예요.
So it’s 토요일이면 (if it’s Saturday), but 친구면 (if it’s a friend).
4. “I hope” with -았/었으면 좋겠어요
This is one of the most useful patterns in Korean. Put the verb in the past, add 으면, then 좋겠어요. Literally, “it would be nice if it happened.” It means “I hope” or “I wish.”
5. 만약 for a bigger “if”
You can put 만약 or 만약에 at the start of the sentence. It stresses that this is a “what if.” It never replaces 면: you still need the ending.
6. “Must not” and “may”
Add 안 돼요 (“it’s not okay”) after -(으)면 and you get “you must not.” Its friendly opposite is -아/어도 돼요, “even if you do, it’s okay,” which means “you may.”
Raise your voice at the end and it becomes a question: 사진 찍어도 돼요? (Can I take a photo?) The answer is often just 네, 돼요 (yes, it's okay) or 안 돼요 (no, you can't).
Hear it in songs
Wishes and “what ifs” are everywhere in K-pop. Open a song in Hanbok Lyrics and look for 면 at the end of a verb. Tap the line and the breakdown will show you the condition and the result. To review the past tense used in 했으면, see the Korean past tense, and for another way to join two ideas, read -아서/어서 (because).
Check yourself
Quick check · 1 of 4먹다 (to eat) + "if" = ?
Questions learners ask
How do you say "if" in Korean?
Add -(으)면 to the verb: 가면 (if I go), 먹으면 (if I eat). Korean puts "if" at the end of the verb, not at the start of the sentence. 만약 can be added at the front for emphasis, but the 면 ending is what makes it "if".
When do you use 면 and when 으면?
Look at the verb stem. If it ends in a vowel, add 면 (가다 → 가면). If it ends in a consonant, add 으면 (먹다 → 먹으면). Stems ending in ㄹ just add 면 (살다 → 살면).
What does 았/었으면 좋겠다 mean?
It means "I wish" or "I hope". Literally "it would be good if (it) happened". For example, 비가 왔으면 좋겠어요 means "I hope it rains." The past tense here does not mean the past. It just makes the wish sound softer and more heartfelt.
Does -(으)면 mean "if" or "when"?
Both. It means "if" for things that may happen, and "when" or "whenever" for things that will surely happen, like 봄이 되면 (when spring comes). The context tells you which.