LEARN + KOREAN / 48 of 125 TOPIK I

When -ㄹ 때

“Call me when you arrive”: 도착할 때 전화해요. Attach -(으)ㄹ 때 to a verb or adjective to name the time something happens. The stem ending determines whether -ㄹ or -을 comes before 때.

jeoneun botong chultoegeunhal ttae eumageul deureoyo.

I usually listen to music when commuting.

jeonyeogeul meogeul ttae hanguk deuramareul bwayo.

I watch Korean dramas while eating dinner.

undonghal ttae mureul mani masyeoyo.

I drink a lot of water when exercising.

hangugeseo sarasseul ttae hangugeoreul mani baewosseoyo.

I learned a lot of Korean when I lived in Korea.

eoryeosseul ttaeneun eommoemnimgwa mani norasseoyo.

I played a lot with my parents when I was young.

Hint · 힌트

Attach 을 때 to a past-tense stem instead of the plain one and the meaning shifts from “whenever this happens” to “back when this was the case.” 한국에서 살 때 describes a recurring or hypothetical scenario; 한국에서 살았을 때 points at a finished period, the actual stretch of time you lived there.

toegeunhal ttae jeonhwa juseyo.

Please call me when you finish work.

jokareul mannal ttae jeil haengbokhaeyo.

I'm happiest when I meet my niece or nephew.

jeoneun botong hoesae gal ttae jeongjangeul ibeoyo.

I usually wear a suit when going to the office.

In Real Life

제일 and 가장 (from 큰 가방) both mean “the most,” near-synonyms with a slight register difference: 제일 leans conversational, 가장 leans a touch more formal or written. Both are correct in casual speech; you’ll hear 제일 more often between friends.

Vocabulary

Korean	English
출퇴근 chultoegeun	commuting (to and from work)
퇴근 toegeun	leaving work
조카 joka	niece, nephew
제일 jeil	the most (conversational)
보통 botong	usually
행복하다 haengbokhada	to be happy
슬프다 seulpeuda	to be sad
화나다 hwanada	to get angry
긴장하다 ginjanghada	to be nervous
신나다 sinnada	to be excited, thrilled
우울하다 uulhada	to feel down, depressed
편안하다 pyeonanhada	to feel comfortable, at ease
외롭다 oeropda	to feel lonely
서운하다 seounhada	to feel hurt, mildly disappointed
답답하다 dapdaphada	to feel frustrated, stuffy
뿌듯하다 ppudeutada	to feel proud, fulfilled
놀라다 nollada	to be surprised
부끄럽다 bukkeureopda	to be embarrassed, shy
안심하다 ansimhada	to feel relieved
지치다 jichida	to be exhausted

YOUR PROGRESS

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