Korean Grammar Beginner -Time Expressions- (5): N 때, A/V-(으)ㄹ 때

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I. Examples

때 and -(으)ㄹ때 indicate the specific time or duration of an action or state. 때 is used after a noun form. When following a verb, -ㄹ 때 is used if verb stem ends in a vowel or ㄹ, while -을 때 is used when the stem ends in a consonant.

여름 방학 때 도쿄 여행을 갈 거에요.
(I will go on a trip to Tokyo
during the summer vacation.)

명상할 때 내면의 소리에 집중하세요.
(When meditating, focus on the inner sound.)

캐미어 세탁할 때 조심하세요.
(Be careful when washing cashmere.)

II. Grammar Point

1. Transformation Examples

A. Noun + 때

9살 때 (When I was nine)
점심 때 (During lunchtime)
대학생 때 (When I was a college student)
월드컵 때 (During the World Cup)

B. Verb Stem Ending in Vowel or ㄹ –> ㄹ 때

가다 + ㄹ 때 –> 갈 때 (When going)
보다 + ㄹ 때 –> 볼 때 (When seeing)
바쁘다 + ㄹ 때 –> 볼 때 (When it is busy)
피곤하다 + ㄹ 때 –> 피곤할 때 (When I was tired)

C. Verb Stem Ending in Consonant –> -을 때

있다 + -을 때 –> 있을 때 (When S is there)
없다 + -을 때 –> 없을 때 (When S is not there)
좋다 + -을 때 –> 좋을 때 (When S is good)
먹다 + -을 때 –> 먹을 때 (When eating)

D. Irregular Forms

만들다 + -ㄹ 때 –> 만들 때 (When making)
살다 + -ㄹ 때 –> 살 때 (When living)
cf) 사다 + -ㄹ 때 –> 살 때 (When buying)
듣다 + -을 때 –> 들을 때 (When listening)
붓다 + -을 때 –> 부을 때 (When pouring)
덥다 + -을 때 –> 더울 때 (When it is hot)

2. Time Indicating Nouns

Just like any other lanuages, there are nouns that indicate time in Korean, such as 오전(morning), 오후(afternoon), 저녁(evening), 아침(morning), 점심(lunch), 저녁(dinner), days of the week, various holidays, and more. Both ‘-에’ and ‘-때’ can be used after these nouns, but in terms of naturalness, ‘-에’ tends to sound more fluent. Therefore, if a question appears in a test like TOPIK, choosing ‘-에’ would be appropriate. However, in actual usage, ‘-때’ is also commonly used.

오전 때 (Δ) / 오전에 (O)
저녁 때 (Δ) / 저녁에 (O)
수요일 때 (Δ) / 수요일에 (O)
주말 때 (Δ) / 주말에 (O)
방학 때 (Δ) / 방학에 (O)

3. N 때 vs N에

Even though there may not be a significant difference in usage between -때 and -에, when attached after consecutive dates like 추석 (Korean Thanksgiving) or Christmas, the nuance between the two changes. That is, the form N에 indicates the specific day(s) of the holiday, whereas N 때 refers to the approximate time period encompassing just before, during, and after the holiday. For example, 추석에 refers to the 추석 day, while 추석 때 may imply the span of the few days surrounding the holidays including the day before and the day after 추석.

III. Practice

___ 뭐해요? (주말)
미국에서는 ___ 포크와 나이프를 사용해요. (식사)
시간이 ___ 김밥을 먹어요. (없다)
___ 에어컨을 켜세요. (덥다)