-으면

Korean

Alternative forms

  • (-myeon) after vowels and (l)

Etymology

From Middle Korean 으〮면〮/ᄋᆞ〮면〮 (Yale: -úmyén/ómyén), a Middle Korean innovation from Old Korean (*-mye, adverb-deriving suffix) + (*-n, topic marker).[1] Modern speakers do not perceive it as such.

Pronunciation

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?eumyeon
Revised Romanization (translit.)?eumyeon
McCune–Reischauer?ŭmyŏn
Yale Romanization?umyen

Suffix

으면 • (-eumyeon)

  1. if, when
    꼬리 밟힌다.
    Kkori-ga gilmyeon balpinda.
    One's evil deeds will eventually be discovered.
    (literally, “If one's tail is long, it will be stepped on.”)
    그분 가시, 가겠습니다.
    Geubun-i gasimyeon, jeo-do gagetseumnida.
    If he goes, I will also go.
    , 핀다.
    Bom-i omyeon, kkoch-i pinda.
    When spring comes, flowers blossom.

Usage notes

  • Unlike most suffixes with epenthetic (eu), this suffix does not cause elision of (l), as its starting consonant is (m): 울면 (ulmyeon, if one cries), not *우면 (*umyeon).
  • when sense is only used with 으면 (-eumyeon) and never with other variants such as 는다면 (-neundamyeon), as they show less possibility of a certain action happening.

References

  1. 남풍현 (Nam Pung-hyeon) (2000) “조건법 연결어미 '면'의 발달 [jogeonbeop yeon'gyeoreomi -myeon ui baldal, The development of the conditional suffix -myen]”, in Gugyeol Yeon'gu, volume 6, pages 11–40
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