-(으)면

RuleVerb/adjective stem + -(eu)myeon: marks a condition or hypothesis, "if / when." After a consonant use -eumyeon; after a vowel use -myeon.

Curiosity

How do you form the conditional "if," as in "if I have time, let us meet," in Korean?

Intuition

-(eu)myeon opens the gate of hypothesis: "if this condition holds, then." With a final consonant a connecting -eu- slips in; without one, just -myeon. Same batchim logic as the particle (eu)ro and the ending -(eu)nikka.

Visualization

meokda (dictionary) → meok (stem, has batchim) → meogeumyeon. With a final consonant it takes -eumyeon.

먹다meokdadictionary form

Essence

With a consonant use -eumyeon (meogeumyeon); with a vowel -myeon (gamyeon). It is the most basic conditional ending, covering general conditions, repeated conditions, and hypotheses. A past hypothesis is -asseumyeon/eosseumyeon (gasseumyeon). With a noun it is (i)myeon.

Examples

시간이 있으면 만나요.

If I have time, let us meet.

봄이 오면 꽃이 펴요.

When spring comes, flowers bloom.

열심히 하면 잘할 수 있어요.

If you work hard, you can do well.

Mini-quiz

Attach the conditional -(eu)myeon to "meokda" (to eat). (consonant-final)