Overview
때 is a versatile expression in Korean that primarily functions to specify when an action or state occurs. It can be attached to verb stems, adjective stems, or directly follow nouns to create a temporal clause, effectively answering the question "at what time?" or "during what period?".
Usage
This expression is used to describe the circumstances or period of time surrounding an event. When attached to a verb or adjective, it indicates that the action or state described by the main clause happens concurrently with or during the time of the preceding verb/adjective. For nouns, it simply means "at the time of [noun]" or "during [noun]". It's crucial for forming complex sentences that describe temporal relationships.
Conjugation Rules
때 attaches differently depending on the preceding word:
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Verbs and Adjectives ending in a consonant (excluding ㄹ):
- Attach -을 때
- Example: 먹다 (to eat) → 먹을 때 (when eating)
- Example: 좋다 (to be good) → 좋을 때 (when it's good)
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Verbs and Adjectives ending in a vowel or the consonant ㄹ:
- Attach -ㄹ 때
- Example: 가다 (to go) → 갈 때 (when going)
- Example: 만들다 (to make) → 만들 때 (when making)
- Example: 예쁘다 (to be pretty) → 예쁠 때 (when it's pretty)
-
Nouns:
- Attach 때 directly after the noun.
- Example: 점심 (lunch) → 점심때 (at lunchtime)
- Example: 방학 (vacation) → 방학 때 (during vacation)
Knowledge Plus
- Past Tense: To express "when [something] happened" (past tense), you can use the past tense form of the verb/adjective before 때, typically -았/었을 때. For example, 먹었을 때 (when I ate), 갔을 때 (when I went).
- Future Tense/Conjecture: While -(으)ㄹ 때 itself can imply future or general time, for a more explicit future or hypothetical situation, you might see it combined with other future markers, though -(으)ㄹ 때 often suffices for general future contexts.
- Distinction from -면서: While both indicate simultaneous actions, -(으)ㄹ 때 specifies a general time period or condition, whereas -면서 specifically indicates two actions performed by the same subject at the exact same time.
- 때 can also function as a standalone noun meaning "time," "moment," "occasion," or "opportunity."
- Example: 지금이 때다. (Now is the time/opportunity.)