beginner · freeInteractive lesson
-(으)ㄹ 때
Try it freeComplete examples with -(으)ㄹ 때Apply the formation rule before moving into the related grammar path.Open →Explanation
Time clause: 갈 때.
Past 았을 때.
Start with “한국에 갈 때 연락해요.” (Contact me when you go to Korea.). Say the whole sentence first, then identify exactly what -(으)ㄹ 때 contributes before changing any other words.
Compare “학생일 때 바빴어요.” with “먹을 때 말하지 마세요.”. Keep the function of -(으)ㄹ 때 the same while noticing what changes around it; then rebuild one of the examples with vocabulary you already know.
Examples
한국에 갈 때 연락해요.
Contact me when you go to Korea.
학생일 때 바빴어요.
I was busy when I was a student.
먹을 때 말하지 마세요.
Don't talk when eating.
Common mistakes
- Do not choose -(으)ㄹ 때 only because an English translation contains “when / time when”. Check the Korean function, attachment, and speech level in the full sentence.
- Do not memorize -(으)ㄹ 때 as an isolated ending. Mark the stem or phrase it attaches to in one example, then rebuild that example with new vocabulary.
How to practice
- Production check: say “한국에 갈 때 연락해요.” naturally, then change one content word without changing the job -(으)ㄹ 때 is doing.
- When a related pattern is listed below, compare both forms in the same situation instead of memorizing two English glosses separately.
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