LESSON 40
“When” and “If”
There are a number of ways to translate the English word when. The most general is perhaps -eul ttae = (at) the time when. The verb in front of ttae = time is always in the future modifier form regardless of the tense of the English verb:
Beri ullyeoseul ttae naneun jameul jago iseoseoyo.
벨이 울렸을 때 나는 잠을 자고 있었어요.
When the bell rang, I was asleep.
Geu ttae seonsaengnim-eun eodi gyesyesseoyo?
그 때 선생님은 어디 계셨어요?
Where were you then (at that time)?
Bi-ga ol ttae usan-eul gajeogaya haeyo.
비가 올 때 우산을 가져가야 해요.
When it rains, you have to have an umbrella.
Gimssie jip-e gamyeon, Hangungmal-man hasipsio.
김씨의 집에가면 한국말만 하십시오.
When we go to Mr. Kim’s house, please speak only Korean.
To say if you use a special verb form which has the shape -myeon after a consonant base, -eu myeon after a vowel base. This is also used to mean whenever :
Bi-ga omyeon, jip-e isseul geoeyo.
비가 오면 집에 있을 거예요.
If it rains, I’ll stay home.
Bi-ga ol ttae, na-neun jip-e isseoyo.
비가 올 때 나는 집에 있어요.
Whenever it rains, I stay home.
There’s a special way to say when one thing happens then something else interrupts it—sentences like when I was listening to the radio, I heard a noise upstairs or while we were out walking it rained.
You use a form which ends in -da and is usually followed by the particle ga. This shows the single interruption of an action—which may or may not be resumed. Na neun radio-reul deuddaga, jam-i deureosseoyo. 나는 라디오를 듣다가 잠이 들었어요. I fell asleep while I was listenng to the radio. Uriga sanchaek hadaga, bi-reul mannasseoyo. 우리가 산책 하다가 비를 만났어요. While we were taking a walk, the rain came.
There is a past form of this -da which has the ending -eotta (or -atta with a number of irregularities, like all infinitives and past forms). The meaning of the past -eotta form is when one thing has happened, then something else contradictory or unanticipated happens right after— without INTERRUPTING the action so much as CHANGING it. For example:
Sangjeom-e gatta wasseoyo.
상점에 갔다 왔어요.
I went to the store and then (turned around and) came right back.
Gimssiga ucheguk-e watta gasseoyo.
김씨가 우체국에 왔다 갔어요
Mr. Kim came to the post office and left again.
Two contradictory actions can be shown as going on in ALTERNATION by using two of these -eotta forms followed by haeyo:
Saramdeul-i gyesok gwatda gatta haeyo.
사람들이 계속 왔다갔다 해요.
People keep coming and going.
To talk about two actions which are not in alternation, but are going on at the same time, you use the -eumyeon (essentially means “while”) form followed by the particle seo:
Radio-reul deureumyeonseo gongbu haeyo.
라디오를 들으면서 공부해요.
I study while listening to the radio.
Chaek-eul bomyeonseo agi-reul bwayo.
책을 보면서 아기를봐요.
I read (books) while babysitting.
When you add the particle do 도, -eumyeonseo 으면서 becomes -eumyeonseodo 으면서도 and means even while.
Hangungmal-eul inyeon jjae gongbu hago isseumyeonseo-do, jal malhal jul mollayo.
한국말을 이년 째 공부하고 있으면서도 잘 말할 줄 몰라요.
While (though) I have been studying Korean for two years, I can’t speak it very well.
You will recall that -eoseo means does and then or does and so, and -go means does and then or does and also.
The important thing about the -da(ga) forms is that they always show a TRANSFER of action. The gerund -go simply links two verb expressions; -da(ga) links two verb expressions stressing the CONTRADICTORY nature of the two; -eoseo stresses the close CONSEQUENCE of the second verb.
Here are -eumyeon and -da(ga) forms for some typical verbs:
|
I. CONSONANT BASES |
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| MEANING | BASE | -EUMYEON, -MYEON | -DA(GA) | -ATTA(GA) |
| catches | jab- | jabeumyeon | japda(ga) | jabatta(ga) |
| 잡 | 잡으면 | 잡다(가) | 잡았다(가) | |
| closes | dad- | dadeumyeon | datta(ga) | dadatta(ga) |
| 닫 | 닫으면 | 닫다 (가) | 닫았다 (가) | |
| exists | iss- | isseumyeon | itta(ga) | isseotta(ga) |
| 있 | 있으면 | 있다 (가) | 있었다 (가) | |
| is non- | eops- | eopseumyeon | eopda(ga) | eopseotta(ga) |
| existent | 없 | 없으면 | 없다(가) | 없었다(가) |
| laughs | us- | useumyeon | utta(ga) | useotta(ga) |
| 웃 | 웃으면 | 웃다(가) | 웃었다(가) | |
| finds | chaj- | chajeumyeon | chatta(ga) | chajatta(ga) |
| 찾 | 찾으면 | 찾다(가) | 찾았다(가) | |
| reads | ilg- | ilgeumyeon | ikda(ga) | ilgeotta(ga) |
| 읽 | 읽으면 | 읽다(가) | 읽었다(가) | |
| puts | noh- | noeumyeon | nota(ga) | noatta(ga) |
| 놓 | 놓으면 | 놓다(가) | 놓았다(가) | |
| eats | meog | meogeumyeon | meokda(ga) | meokeotta(ga) |
| 먹 | 먹으면 | 먹다(가) | 먹었다(가) | |
| wears on | sin- | sineumyeon | sintta(ga) | sineotta(ga) |
| feet | 신 | 신으면 | 신다(가) | 신었다(가) |
| sits | anj- | anjeumyeon | antta(ga) | anjatta(ga) |
| 앉 | 앉으면 | 앉다(가) | 앉았다(가) | |
| breaks | busu- | busumyeon | buseotta(ga) | busyeotta(ga) |
| 부수 | 부수면 | 부셨다(가) | 부셨었다(가) | |
|
II. VOWEL BASES |
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| rests | swi- | swimyeon | swida(ga) | swieotta(ga) |
| 쉬 | 쉬면 | 쉬다(가) | 쉬었다(가) | |
| pays | nae- | naemyeon | naeda(ga) | naetta(ga) |
| 내 | 내면 | 내다(가) | 냈다(가) | |
| writes | sseu- | sseumyeon | sseuda(ga) | sseotta(ga) |
| 쓰 | 쓰면 | 쓰다(가) | 썼다(가) | |
| goes | ga- | gamyeon | gada(ga) | gatta(ga) |
| 가 | 가면 | 가다(가) | 갔다(가) | |
| does | ha- | hamyeon | hada(ga) | haetta(ga) |
| 하 | 하면 | 하다 | 했다(가) | |
| calls | bureu- | bureumyeon | bureuda(ga) | bulleotta(ga) |
| 부르 | 부르면 | 부르다(가) | 불렀다(가) | |
|
III. -W BASES |
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| MEANING | BASE | -EUMYEON, -MYEON | -DA(GA) | -ATTA(GA) |
| helps | dow- | doumyeon | dopda(ga) | dowatta(ga) |
| 도우 | 도우면 | 돕다 (가) | 도왔다 (가) | |
| lies down | nuw- | nuumyeon | nupda(ga) | nuwotta(ga) |
| 누우 | 누우면 | 눕다 (가) | 누웠다 (가) | |
| is near | gakkaw- | kakkau | gakkapda | kakkawotta(ga) |
| myeon | (ga) | |||
| 가까우 | 가까우면 | 가깝다 (가) | 가까웠다 (가) | |
|
IV. -R BASES |
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| walks | geor- | georeumyeon | geotta(ga) | georeotta(ga) |
| 걸 | 걸으면 | 걷다 (가) | 걸었다(가) | |
| listens | deur- | deureumyeon | deutta(ga) | deureotta(ga) |
| 들 | 들으면 | 듣다 (가) | 들었다(가) | |
|
V. L- EXTENDING VOWEL BASES |
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| hangs | geo-l- | geoleumyeon | geolda(ga) | georeotta(ga) |
| 걸 | 걸으면 | 걸다 (가) | 걸었다(가) | |
| enters | deu-l- | deureogamyeon | deureoga(ga) | deureogatta(ga) |
| 들 | 들어가면 | 들어가다 | 들어갔다(가) | |