-(으)면
(eu)myeon
Grammar · 1 sense
Repetitive
Examples
남편은 내가 잠들어 있으면 깨우지 않으려고 살금살금 걸어 다닌다.
My husband walks around quietly so as not to wake me up when I'm asleep.
When you'd hear it
This is very common in everyday conversation and ordinary writing. It appears in descriptions of routines, such as what someone does whenever another person is asleep, busy, or away.
What learners get wrong
In this repetitive use, -(으)면 describes a recurring result, unlike -(으)ㄹ 때, which focuses on the time when an event happens and can refer to one occasion. Look for a habitual pattern or repeated situation to distinguish them.
Ask Ipsae about -(으)면
You looked up -(으)면 — Ipsae makes sure you still know it in three weeks.
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