Korean grammar · Level 2 · 2급
V/A-(으)ㄹ 때
When…
-(으)ㄹ 때 means “when…”. After a vowel add -ㄹ 때, after a consonant -을 때. For something that had already happened at that moment, use -았/었을 때. With a noun, just add 때: 생일 때.
| When | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ends in a vowel | -ㄹ 때 | 가다 → 갈 때 · 자다 → 잘 때 |
| ends in a consonant | -을 때 | 먹다 → 먹을 때 · 있다 → 있을 때 |
| ends in ㄹ | -ㄹ 때 (no 을) | 살다 → 살 때 · 만들다 → 만들 때 |
| past | -았/었을 때 | 왔을 때 · 어렸을 때 |
| nouns | N 때 | 생일 때 · 방학 때 |
Examples
집들이에 갈 때 보통 휴지를 가져가요.
When you go to a housewarming, you usually bring toilet roll.
한국에 처음 왔을 때 친구가 없었어요.
When I first came to Korea, I had no friends.
시간이 있을 때 전화하세요.
Call me when you have time.
Practise it in context · Level 2, Unit 9
A housewarming party
A dialogue with audio, practice that checks itself, Hoya’s mistakes, a reading and a writing task.
Open the unit →