Deep understanding to '을 때': The word to say 'When I' in Korean

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In Korean, to say "when I," you can use the phrase "나는 때" (naneun ttae) followed by a description of the time or event you want to convey. For example, "when I was doing" can be translated as "나는 할때" (naneun hal ttae).

In Korean, the use of ~ㄹ 때 provides an effective way to express cause-and-effect relationships within a specific time context. For example, if you want to say "when it rains, I don't go out," you can use a sentence construction like "비가 올 때 나는 나가지 않아요" (biga ol ttae naneun nagaji anayo). 

So, understanding and mastering the use of ~ㄹ 때 allows you to communicate time relationships and conditions more precisely in Korean.

How to Use ~ ㄹ 때 in a Sentence (Simple Present)

To express "when I", we can add the suffix ~ㄹ/을 때 to the verb or adjective at the end of the clause. The suffix ~을 is used for words that end with a consonant, while ~ㄹ is used for words that end with a vowel. However, this form is commonly used to describe a past event:

1. 먹었을 때 접시 가 저절로 떨어지는 걸 봤어요 

    (When I ate, I saw the plate fall off by itself)

2. 언니 는 내가 잤을 때 내 공예품 을 망 쳤어

    (My sister ruined my craft when I slept)

How to Use ~ ㄹ / 을 때 마다 in a Sentence

Now we know how to say "when I..." in the present tense. This time we will add the word "마다" which means every time.

Subject~이/가 - verb~ㄹ/을때 (when) 

1. 내가 다이빙할때 (When I dive) 

2. 내가 다이빙할 때마다 (Every time I dive)

Note:

If you want to add a verb, put it before the verb and don't forget to add the particle 을/를. And if you want to add an adverb of time or place, put it before the object. Learn more about Korean particle in Lesson 6.

Example sentence with 때 마다 are used:

1. 인도네시아 가 그리울 때 마다 이태원 에서 인도네시아 음식 을 먹어요
    (whenever I miss Indonesia, I eat Indonesian food at Itaewon)

 Read Also: How to say "When If"

How to Use ~ㄹ / 때 in a Sentence (Simple Future)

When it is used to describe something that will happen in the future, this is done by adding ~ ㄹ / 을 때 to the last syllable of the verb / adjective (as above). Here we use the future conjugation ~는것 (~ㄹ/을것) followed by "때" - a noun meaning "when/time". Once we've created a parent clause with ~ㄹ/을때, we can insert a clause to explain "when" something happened:

Main clause : 

우리는 식당에서 먹을때 > 먹+ 을때 

(When we eat at a restaurant) 

Second clause:

비싼 음식을 주문 할게요

(I'll order some expensive food) 

>> 우리는 식당에서 먹을때 비싼 음식을 주문 할게요
     (I'll order some expensive food when we eat at a restaurant)

Note: 

If the subject of both clauses is the same, then we don't need to write the subject twice.

This can be done with most verbs and adjectives, but not with two specific verbs. When explaining future time, we cannot add ~ ㄹ / 을 때 to 가다 (to go) or 오다 (to come). If we want to say:

When I left…

When I came…

So we need to say “… 오면” or “… 가면”. However, we will discuss it in the next material

How to Use ~았 / 었을 때 in a Sentence (Simple Past)

We learned in the previous section how to use ~ ㄹ / 을 때. We have also learned that people usually say "When ..." when talking about when something will happen, or when something happened. When we want to talk about when something happened, we need to add ~ 았 / 었 at the end of the word followed by ~ 을 때.

Example: 

Verb : 먹다
Past tense : 먹었다
When I did : 먹었을 때
Full phrase : 내가 밥을  먹었을 때 다른 생각 안 했어

Meaning : (When I ate my meal, I didn't think anything else)

Read Also: How to say 'When' or ''if' in Korean using 면

By properly understanding the use of ~았/었을 때 in Korean, you can add a deeper expressive depth to your daily conversations. Let's keep practicing and implementing these structures to enhance your Korean, opening the door to a deeper understanding of the context of time in everyday communication.

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