Korean If Grammar: Patterns, Rules and Examples

Listen to the simplest "if" sentence.

The next section defines the topic.

What Is Korean If Grammar?

Korean if grammar is the set of endings that join a condition to a result. A condition is a situation that may or may not happen, such as "it rains" or "you have money". English uses one word, "if", for almost all of them. Korean uses ten different endings, and each one adds a shade of meaning.

Each ending attaches to a verb or adjective stem. The stem is the dictionary form without its final 다. For 오다 the stem is 오, and 오 + 면 gives 오면, "if it comes". The first example above, 비가 오면 집에 있을 거예요, means "If it rains, I will stay home."

The patterns differ in four ways: how likely the condition is, whether it is necessary or just possible, how formal it is, and what kind of result may follow. This page gives one short description for each pattern. Open a lesson when you need the full rule. The wider area is described in Korean Grammar, and the parent group of connectors is Grammar Connectors.

Which Pattern Should You Learn First?

Start with -(으)면, then -아/어야, then choose by need. The ten patterns split into three levels. The levels are an editorial estimate that maps each pattern to TOPIK I or TOPIK II.

A simple route has three steps.

1. Step 1: learn -(으)면, the everyday "if" and "when".
2. Step 2: learn -아/어야, the necessary "only if".
3. Step 3: add the pattern you need most. Learners who talk about goals read -(으)려면 next, and learners who read news read -(으)ㄹ 경우(에).

Learn -(으)면 before -(으)ㄹ수록. The second pattern builds on the first, as in 보면 볼수록 ("the more I look").

The Patterns, Grouped by Meaning

Each entry gives a short description, one example with Revised Romanization (RR, the official Latin spelling, shown only as a learning aid) and audio.

Beginner Patterns (A2)

-(으)면 (if, when). This is the everyday condition. It joins any condition to any result. Add 면 after a vowel and 으면 after a final consonant. Example: 비가 오면 집에 있을 거예요. (biga omyeon jibe isseul geoyeyo.) "If it rains, I will stay home."

-아/어야 (only if, must do X to get Y). This pattern sets a necessary condition. The result happens only after the condition is met. It follows the vowel rule of -아/어서. Example: 열심히 해야 성공해요. (yeolsimhi haeya seonggonghaeyo.) "You succeed only if you work hard."

Intermediate and Advanced Patterns (B1 and B2)

-(ㄴ/는)다면 (if). This pattern treats the condition as an assumption or an imagined situation. It is often used for wishes and unlikely cases. Example: 시간이 있다면 같이 갈래요? (sigani itdamyeon gachi gallaeyo?) "If you have time, shall we go together?" Spoken [시가니 읻따면 가치 갈래요].

-(이)라면 (if it is). This pattern attaches to a noun or pronoun. It means "if it is X" or "as for X", and it also builds "if I were X". Example: 한국 음식이라면 다 좋아해요. (hanguk eumsigiramyeon da joahaeyo.) "If it is Korean food, I like all of it." Spoken [한국 음시기라면 다 조아해요].

-(으)려면 (if you want to / in order to). This pattern combines a goal with a condition: "if you want to do X, you need Y". It attaches to verbs only. Example: 한국어를 잘하려면 매일 연습해야 해요. (hangugeoreul jalharyeomyeon maeil yeonseupaeya haeyo.) "If you want to speak Korean well, you must practise every day." Spoken [연스패야 해요].

-(으)ㄹ 경우(에) (in case of, if it happens that). This is the formal condition of rules, notices and instructions. The result is usually a procedure or a warning. Example: 비가 올 경우에는 행사를 취소합니다. (biga ol gyeongueneun haengsareul chwisohamnida.) "If it rains, the event will be cancelled."

-기만 하면 (whenever, as soon as). This pattern means that one event always or immediately leads to another. Example: 집에 오기만 하면 잠을 자요. (jibe ogiman hamyeon jameul jayo.) "As soon as he gets home, he sleeps."

-(으)ㄹ수록 (the more ..., the more ...). This pattern shows two things that grow together. Example: 한국어는 배울수록 재미있어요. (hangugeoneun baeulsurok jaemiisseoyo.) "The more you learn Korean, the more interesting it is." Spoken [배울쑤록].

-다가는 (if you keep doing X). This pattern warns that a continuing action will lead to a bad result. Example: 그렇게 먹다가는 살이 쪄요. (geureoke meokdaganeun sari jjyeoyo.) "If you keep eating like that, you will gain weight." Spoken [그러케 먹따가는 사리 쪄요].

-는 한 (as long as). This pattern sets a limit: the result holds while the condition lasts. Example: 포기하지 않는 한 기회는 있어요. (pogihaji anneun han gihoeneun isseoyo.) "As long as you do not give up, there is a chance." Spoken [포기하지 안는 한 기회는 이써요].

How Do You Choose between Look-Alike Patterns?

Use the meaning you want to say as the starting point.

The pair that confuses learners most is -(으)면 and -(으)ㄹ수록. -(으)면 states a condition that may or may not happen, and the result can be any sentence type. -(으)ㄹ수록 does not state a condition at all. It says that two things rise together. 배우면 재미있어요 means "If you learn it, it is interesting", and 배울수록 재미있어요 means "The more you learn, the more interesting it is". A second pair to watch is -(으)면 and -아/어야: 돈이 있으면 살 수 있어요 means "If you have money, you can buy it", and 돈이 있어야 살 수 있어요 means "Only if you have money can you buy it".

Side-by-side pages are collected in Grammar Comparisons. Two useful ones are -(으)ㄹ 때 vs -(으)면 and -아/어야 하다 vs -(으)ㄹ 필요가 있다.

Where Can You Practise?

Every published lesson ends with four written tasks, an answer key, a quiz and a sentence builder. A good routine is to read one lesson, listen to every audio clip, and then write two sentences of your own. For a plan by level, use Beginner Grammar and Intermediate Grammar.

What Does This Section Not Cover?

This section covers conditions only. Particles, tenses, negation, speech levels, modifiers, nominalizers and auxiliary verbs have their own sections, such as Particles, Tenses, Negation and Speech Levels. Reasons ("because") belong to Cause and Reason, and "and" and "but" belong to And / But Connectors.

About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. Revised Romanization follows the national rules and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Korean If Grammar Patterns?

Korean has ten common patterns for conditions: -(으)면, -아/어야, -(ㄴ/는)다면, -(이)라면, -(으)려면, -(으)ㄹ 경우(에), -기만 하면, -(으)ㄹ수록, -다가는 and -는 한. They express a plain "if", "only if", a hypothetical "if", "if you want to", "in case of", "whenever", "the more", "if you keep" and "as long as".

Which Pattern Should I Learn First?

Learn -(으)면 first. It is the everyday "if" and also means "when", and it fits any sentence. Then learn -아/어야, which means "only if" and leads to the "must" pattern. After those two A2 patterns, choose by need: -(으)려면 for "if you want to", or -(으)ㄹ수록 for "the more".

How Do I Know Which Pattern Fits My Sentence?

Ask what you want to say. A plain "if" is -(으)면. A necessary condition is -아/어야. An imagined situation is -(ㄴ/는)다면. A rule or notice is -(으)ㄹ 경우(에). A goal is -(으)려면. A proportion is -(으)ㄹ수록. A warning about a habit is -다가는. The chooser table on this page maps each meaning to one pattern.

Are These Patterns on the TOPIK Exam?

Many of them appear in TOPIK material, but the level of each pattern here is an editorial estimate. We place A2 patterns with TOPIK I and B1 to B2 patterns with TOPIK II. Official exam information is at topik.go.kr. TOPIK does not publish a grammar list by level, so check a graded grammar book as well.

Where Are the Comparison Pages?

Side-by-side pages for the most confusable pairs are collected in the grammar comparisons section. For example, -(으)ㄹ 때 vs -(으)면 compares "when" with "if", and -아/어야 하다 vs -(으)ㄹ 필요가 있다 compares two ways to say "must". Each lesson in this section also links to the pair that fits it.