-ㄹ을 때, 마다, (으)면서, (으)면 | When, whenever, if

Hello, everyone!

Today, we’re going to learn something easy! HAHA, after studying some tougher topics, it’s nice to have something lighter and refreshing! Today’s lesson won’t be that hard 🙂
We’ll learn how to express “when,” “if,” “whenever,” “as soon as,” and more!

Now, let’s dive into -ㄹ을 때 마다, (으)면 Grammar ~~~

I will explain each point step by step to facilitate understanding.

So just follow along with me!

Part 1,
Let’s grasp the concept of grammar

ㄹ/ 을 때 : When

When a verb/adjective ends in a vowel: ㄹ + 때
When a verb/adjective ends in a batchim (final consonant): 을때


Examples 😊

먹다 (to eat) → 먹을 때 (When I eat)
– Since 먹다 ends with a batchim (final consonant ㄱ), we add 을 followed by 때.

보다 (to see) → 볼 때 (When I see)
– Since 보다 ends with a vowel (ㅗ), we add ㄹ to 보 and then add 때.


Verbs ending in “ㄹ” are an exception!! Add 때 directly!

살다 (to live) → 살 때 (When I live) *살을 때 (X)
만들다 (to make) → 만들 때 (When I make) *만들을 때 (X)


*PAST TENSE*

먹다 (to eat) → 먹었을 때 (When I ate)
보다 (to see) → 봤을 때 (When I saw)
슬프다 (to be sad) → 슬펐을 때 (When I was sad)
피곤하다 (to be tired) → 피곤했을 때 (When I was tired)

Conjugate to the past tense, drop ‘어요,’ and always add ‘을 때‘!


Noun + 때 : Adds the meaning of “when (something happens)” or “during (a certain time).”


Examples 🌞

학생 때 (“when I was a student” / during my time as a student) -> ✨ Very commonly used!!! ✨
여행 때 (During the trip)
방학때 (During vacation/break)
시험 때 (during the exam)
결혼식 때 (during the wedding)
군대 때 (during military service)


More Examples in sentences


배고플 때 물을 마셔요.
(When I’m hungry, I drink water.)
– Since 배고프다 ends with a vowel (ㅡ), we add ㄹ to 프 and then add 때 to form 배고플 때

시간이 있을 때 책을 읽어요.
(When I have time, I read books.)
– Since 있다 ends with a batchim (ㅆ), we add 을 and then add 때 to form 있을 때


피곤할 때 커피를 마셔요.
(When I’m tired, I drink coffee.)


집에 갈 때 우산을 사야 돼요.
(I need to buy an umbrella when I go home.)
– The main verb is *need to buy,* so it should go at the end!
In Korean, we start with ‘when,’ even though the order is reversed in English!


외로울 때 친구한테 전화해요.
(When I feel lonely, I call my friend.)


운전할 때 핸드폰 사용하지 마세요. – Imperative! Take a look below ↓✨
(Don’t use your phone while driving.)


Extra – Imperative✨✨


“Don’t” (Imperative) : -지마! (add -지 마 directly to the verb stem.)

Don’t study: 공부하지마
Don’t eat: 먹지마
Don’t do eat: 하지마

This form is casual. To make it polite, simply add -요:

Don’t eat: 먹지 마요
Don’t study: 공부하지 마요


“Let’s Not” (Suggestion): -지 말자, which combines -지 마 (don’t) with -자 (let’s).

Let’s not go : 가지 말자
Let’s not study: 공부하지 말자
Let’s not sleep: 자지 말자

For a more polite tone, use -지 맙시다 instead:

Let’s not go: 가지 맙시다
Let’s not study: 공부하지 맙시다
Let’s not sleep: 자지 맙시다

🧡Summary Chart🧡

(으)면 : If / When

When a verb/adjective ends in a vowel: 면
When a verb/adjective ends in a batchim (final consonant): 으면


😊 Examples 😊

먹다 (to eat) → 먹으면 (If/when I eat)
– Since 먹다 ends with a batchim (final consonant ㄱ), we add 으면!

보다 (to see) → 보면 (If/when I see)
– Since 보다 ends with a vowel (ㅗ), we add 면~


Grammar is actually pretty simple!


Verbs ending in “ㄹ” are an exception!! Add 면 directly!

살다 (to live) → 살면 (When/If I live) *살으면 (X)
만들다 (to make) → 만들면 (When/If I make) *만들으면 (X)



Examples in sentences


비가 오면, 우리는 집에 있을 거예요.
(If/when it rains, we will stay at home.)
– Since 오다 ends with a vowel (ㅗ), we add 면 directly!

이 노래를 들으면 기분이 좋아요.
(If/when I listen to this song, I feel good.)
– 듣다 is an irregular verb, 듣다(들어요 in the present tense), it becomes 들으면! (Same with “when,” it becomes 들을때)


이 일을 끝내면 집에 갈 거예요.
(If/when I finish this work, I will go home.)


문을 열면 시원한 바람이 들어와요.
(If/when you open the door, a cool breeze comes in.)

으면/면 and ㄹ/을 때 can both be translated as “when” in English, but they are used in different contexts.

* 으면/면 is used for conditions or hypotheticals (i.e., if/when something happens).
* ㄹ/을 때 is used for specific moments or times when something happens.


(1-1) 한국에 가면 맛있는 거 먹을 거예요.
When/If I go to Korea, I will eat delicious food.

(1-2) 한국에 갈 때 맛있는 거 먹을 거예요.
When I go to Korea (at the time of going), I will eat delicious food.


(2-1) 운동하면 기분이 좋아요.
When/If I work out, I feel good.

(2-2) 운동할때 기분이 좋아요.
When I work out (at the time of working out), I feel good.



으면/면 focuses on the condition under which something happens. <“If/when something happens” (condition-based).>

ㄹ/을 때 is used to express a specific time or moment when something happens. It focuses on the time an action takes place, rather than a condition. <“At the time when something happens” (time-based)>


To express ‘IF,’ we use 으면 or 면.
을(때) is used only to express ‘when’ in the context of a specific time or moment.
If it’s condition-based, use 으면 or 면 to express ‘when.’


(3-1) 팝콘 먹을 때 행복해요
I am happy when I eat popcorn.

(3-2) 팝콘 먹으면 행복해요
I am happy If I eat popcorn.

Extra – (으)면 안되다 : “must not” or “should not”✨✨

Verb/Adjective stem + (으)면 안 되다

여기에서 담배를 피우면 안 돼요.
(You must not smoke here.)

늦게 오면 안 돼요.
(You shouldn’t come late.)

시험에서 컨닝하면 안 돼요.
(You must not cheat on the test.)

거짓말하면 안 돼요.
(You shouldn’t lie.)



*PAST TENSE* ->
We use it for suggestions (if you didn’t do something/under a certain condition) or hypothetical situations.

먹다 (to eat) → 먹었으면 (If you’ve eaten)
*먹었으면 치워! If you’ve eaten, clean up.

보다 (to see, watch, look) → 봤으면 (if you had/have watched)
* 영화 안 봤으면 나랑 보자 : If you haven’t watched the movie, let’s watch it with me.

비 오다 (to rain) → 비 왔으면 (If it had rained)
* 어제 비가 왔었으면 좋았을 텐데. : It would have been good if it had rained yesterday.


We’ll study this in the future!

If you add ‘서‘ after ‘(으)면,’ it changes to mean ‘while‘! ㅎㅎ Let’s memorize it together!

(으)면서 : While

When a verb/adjective ends in a vowel: 면서
When a verb/adjective ends in a batchim (final consonant): 으면서


😊 Examples 😊

읽다 (to read) → 읽으면서 (While reading)
– Since 읽다 ends with a batchim (final consonant ㄺ), we add 으면서!

자다 (to sleep) → 자면서 (While sleeping)
– Since 자다 ends with a vowel (ㅏ), we add 면서

놀다 (to hang out) → 놀면서 (While hanging out)
– Since 놀다 ends with ㄹ!! (Its the EXCEPTION!), we add 면서 directly~~


Grammar is simple!


Examples in sentences


아침을 먹으면서 뉴스를 봤어요.
(I watched the news while eating breakfast.)


왜 울면서 웃어요?
* 울다 ends in ㄹ, add 면서 directly!
(Why are you smiling while crying? = Why are you smiling and crying at the same time?)


운전하면서 전화하면 안돼요.
(You must not use your phone while driving.)


영화를 보면서 한국 공부를 해요.
(I study Korean while watching movies.)



✨”자라면서” and “크면서” are commonly used to express the idea of “growing up” . ✨
“자라다” means “to grow up,” while “크다” means “to be big. I use 자라면서 frequently!



*In body postures, like lying, sitting, or standing, we don’t use 으면서; we use 아/어/해서 instead.*



누워서 티비 봐요.
I watch TV while lying down. (눕다: to lie down)

서서 가요.
I go while standing. (서다: to stand)

앉아서 일해요.
I work while sitting. (앉다: to sit)

-마다 : Every

마다 comes after a noun to express ‘every’!🌞

* 아침마다 (every morning), 월요일마다 (every Monday), 주말마다 (every weekend)


If you add 마다 after ㄹ/을 때, it means ‘whenever’ or ‘every time.’ :- ㄹ/을 때마다!

* 공부할 때(When I study) → 공부할 때마다 (Whenever I study / Every time I study)

* 음악을 들을 때 (When I listen to music) → 음악을 들을 때마다 (Whenever I listen to music)

* 비가 올 때마다 우산을 써요. (Every time it rains, I use an umbrella.)


(●’◡’●)


Do you know how to express “It depends on the person”?!!

In Korean, you would say, “every person is different,” which makes sense, right?
To say this, you can say: 사람마다 달라요.

This phrase literally means “every person is different,” but it works perfectly to convey “it depends on the person.”

It depends on the food → Every food is different: 음식마다 달라요.
It depends on the country → Every country is different: 나라마다 달라요.

You can also use -에 따라 (“according to”) instead of -마다!

It depends on the person → According to the person, it’s different: 사람에 따라 달라요.
It depends on the food → According to the food, it’s different: 음식에 따라 달라요.
It depends on the country → According to the country, it’s different: 나라에 따라 달라요.


Both expressions are natural and commonly used, so feel free to choose the one that fits best!

🌼Part 2🌼
Practice making sentences

1. When I go to school, I always take the subway
(take: 타다 / always: 항상/ subway: 지하철)

2. I like drinking coffee while doing Korean homework
(homework: 숙제)

3. If it rains, I prefer staying at home.
(to rain: 비가 오다 / prefer : 더 좋아해요 / stay: 있다)

4. When I’m alone, I watch TV while lying down
(alone: 혼자 / lie down: 눕다 )

5. Every time I listen to my favorite song, I can focus better.
(listen to : 듣다 / my favorite song : 내가 좋아하는 노래/ focus: 집중하다 / better: 더 잘 )

6. I felt happy but sad at the same time. (While being happy, I was sad)
(to be happy: 행복하다 / to be sad: 슬프다)

7. I think it’s good to meet a variety of people when you’re in college(=during the college)
(a variety of: 다양한 / college: 대학교, college student: 대학생)

8. He was always by my side when I was going through a tough time. (casually!)
(always: 항상 / by my side: 내 옆에/ to go through a tough time: 힘들다)

9. Every time I go on a trip, I try to visit new places. (casually!)
(go on a trip: 여행가다 / visit : 가다 / new places: 새로운 곳)

10. You shouldn’t make noises when eating food.
(make noises: 소리(를) 내다)

11. If you’re exhausted, take a break. Consistency is more important.
(exhausted: 지치다 / take a break: 쉬어가다 / consistency: 꾸준함 / important: 중요하다)

12. When I was young, playing games was the best.
(young: 어리다 / the best: 최고)

13. It annoys me every time you do that. (casually!)
( to annoy: 짜증나다 / every time you do that :그럴 때마다)

14. He only calls me when he needs something. (casually!)
(to call: 전화하다 / to need something: 뭐가 필요하다)

15.I try to study Korean whenever I have free time.
(to have free time : 시간이 나다)

Thy these on your own first, before checking the answers!

These are the answers:

1. When I go to school, I always take the subway.
(take: 타다 / always: 항상 / subway: 지하철)

학교 갈 때, 항상 지하철(을) 타요.

* 가다(to go) ends in a vowel, we will add ‘ㄹ’ and 때, 갈 때!
* 학교 가면: If I go to school ~
학교 갈 때마다: Whenever I go to school ~

2. I like drinking coffee while doing Korean homework.
(homework: 숙제)

한국어 숙제(를) 하면서 커피(를) 마시는 걸 좋아해요.

* ‘like‘ is the main verb, we start with ‘while doing~.’
Since 하다 (to do) ends in a vowel, we simply add 면서(while), forming 하면서.
* Guys, in English, you start with the *main verb* and then add extra information. In Korean, it’s the opposite—we start with the additional/extra info and end with the main verb. Get used to the different order and sentence structure!
* like ‘drinking’, for the addition verb “drinking,” we will use 는 거 grammar, If you don’t remember it, please check it here~. -> You can say 는 거 as well! 는 걸 is an abbreviation for 는 것+을!

3. If it rains, I prefer staying at home.
(to rain: 비가 오다 / prefer : 더 좋아해요 / stay: 있다)

비가 오면, 집에 있는 거 더 좋아해요.

* 오다 ends in a vowel, simply add “면”!
* To say ‘prefer,’ we use ‘like more.’ ‘더 좋아요’ works as well!
* prefer “staying“, an additional verb! Let’s use 는 거 grammar. 는 걸 is also possible!

4. When I’m alone, I only watch TV while lying down.
(alone: 혼자 / lie down: 눕다)

혼자 있을 때, 누워서 티비만 봐요.

* 있다 (am) ends in a 받침, so we add 을 때 (when).
* For body positions, like ‘while lying down,’ we use the 아/어/해서 grammar, as in 누워서!

5. Every time I listen to my favorite song, I can focus better.
(listen to : 듣다 / my favorite song : 내가 좋아하는 노래/ focus: 집중하다 / better: 더 잘 )

내가 좋아하는 노래 들을 때마다, 더 잘 집중할 수 있어요.

* 듣다 is an irregular verb, so in the present tense, it becomes 들어요. We add 을 때마다 to 들어요, forming 들을 때마다 (every time).
* To express ‘better,’ we use ‘more well,’ which is 더 잘.
* ‘Can‘ is expressed as ㄹ/을 수 있어요. If you don’t remember this grammar, revisit it here~.




6. I felt happy but sad at the same time. (While being happy, I was sad)
(to be happy: 행복하다 / to be sad: 슬프다)

행복하면서 슬펐어요.

* ‘While being happy,’ we use (으)면서. Since 행복하다 ends in a vowel, it becomes 행복하면서.
* We do have a word for “at the same time,” which is 동시에, but here, using 으면서 sounds more natural.
* I’d also add 도 after 하면서, like 하면서도, to express “as well,” as in “I felt happy but sad as well.”

7. I think it’s good to meet a variety of people when you’re in college(=during the college)
(a variety of: 다양한 / college: 대학교, college student: 대학생)

대학생 때는, 다양한 사람을 만나는 게 좋은 것 같아요.

* To express “when you are in college,” the most commonly used phrases in Korean are 대학생 때는 or 대학교 때는. For “during school time,” we always say 학생 때는.

* First, we have “to meet,” which is an additional verb. Here, we will use 는 거 grammar. You can use 는 게, 는 건, or 는 거.

* Lastly, for the “I think” grammar, we will use 는 것 같아요. Since 좋다 is an adjective, we conjugate it as 좋은 것 같아요. To review the grammar, check it out here!

8. He was always by my side when I was going through a tough time. (casually!)
(always: 항상 / by my side: 내 옆에/ to go through a tough time: 힘들다)

걔는 내가 힘들 때 항상 내 옆에 있었어.

* “Going through a tough time”, we can simply use 힘들다! “힘들다” ends with “ㄹ,” which is irregular, so we add “때” directly.

* There are many ways to express “he” or “she” in Korean. We don’t usually use “그” or “그녀.” The most common options are “그 분” or “그쪽” (formal), “그 사람” (neutral), and “걔” (very casual).

9. Every time I go on a trip, I try to visit new places. (casually!)
(go on a trip: 여행가다 / visit : 가다 / new places: 새로운 곳)

여행 갈 때마다, 새로운 곳에 가려고 해!

* For “every time” or “whenever,” you can use the grammar ㄹ/을 때마다!
* For “try to,” “plan to,” or “intend to,” you can use the 려고 하다 grammar. If you don’t remember, check it out here!




10. You shouldn’t make noises when eating food.
(make noises: 소리(를) 내다)

음식 먹을 때 소리 내지 마요 / 소리 내면 안돼요.

* 먹다(to eat) -> 먹을 때 (When eating!)

* To express “Should not,” you can use – (으)면 안되다 or -지 마(do not)!

11. If you’re exhausted, take a break. Consistency is more important.
(exhausted: 지치다 / take a break: 쉬어가다 / consistency: 꾸준함 / important: 중요하다)

지치면, 쉬어가요. 꾸준함이 더 중요해요.

* 지치다 ends in a vowel, we simply add 면!
– 지치다 is often used when someone is drained due to effort, stress, or emotional strain.

* The verb 쉬어가다 (쉬다 + 가다) means “to take a break or rest while on the way to somewhere” or “to pause and rest before continuing.” It implies stopping temporarily during a journey, task, or activity to rest before resuming.



12. When I was young, playing games was the best.
(young: 어리다 / the best: 최고)

어렸을 때, 게임하는 게 최고였어요.


* “When I was young” or “when I was a kid” is commonly expressed as “어렸을 때”.




13. It annoys me every time you do that. (casually!)
(to annoy: 짜증나다 / every time you do that :그럴 때마다)

너가 그럴 때마다 짜증나!

* Memorize it as it is: “그럴 때마다!” Whenever you do that, it’s annoying! 짜증나!




14. He only calls me when he needs something. (casually!)
(to call: 전화하다 / to need something: 뭐가 필요하다)

걔는 뭐가 필요할 때만 (나한테) 전화해


* Do you guys have any friends who only contact you whenever they need something?😑
In Korean, you can say “뭐가 필요할 때만” or simply “필요할 때만.

– (나한테) 필요할 때만 연락하지 마.
→ Don’t contact me only when you need something
– 필요할 때만 찾지 마.
→ Don’t come to me only when you need something.

* 한테 means “to,” we haven’t learned it yet, but it’s optional here! “To me = 나한테”





15. I try to study Korean whenever I have free time.
(to have free time : 시간이 나다)

시간이 날 때마다 한국어 공부하려고 해요.


* To say “to have free time,” you can use “시간이 나다.”
– 너 이번 주에 시간이 나? → Do you have free time this week?

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