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-으면. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-으면, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-으면 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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-으면, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Korean
Alternative forms
- 면 (-myeon) — after vowels and ㄹ (l)
Etymology
From Middle Korean 으〮면〮/ᄋᆞ〮면〮 (Yale: -úmyén/ómyén), a Middle Korean innovation from Old Korean 㢱 (*-mye, adverb-deriving suffix) + 隱 (*-n, topic marker). Modern speakers do not perceive it as such.
Pronunciation
| Romanizations |
|---|
| Revised Romanization? | eumyeon |
|---|
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | eumyeon |
|---|
| McCune–Reischauer? | ŭmyŏn |
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| Yale Romanization? | umyen |
|---|
Suffix
으면 • (-eumyeon)
- if, when
꼬리가 길면 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.”)
그분이 가시면, 저도 가겠습니다.- Geubun-i gasimyeon, jeo-do gagetseumnida.
- If he goes, I will also go.
봄이 오면, 꽃이 핀다.- Bom-i omyeon, kkoch-i pinda.
- When spring comes, flowers blossom.
Usage notes
- Unlike most suffixes with epenthetic 으 (eu), this suffix does not cause elision of ㄹ (l), as its starting consonant is ㅁ (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
- ^ 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