-을라치면
-eullachimyeon
whenever I try to
Attaches to verb stems to say that, based on past experience, whenever the preceding action is about to happen, a certain (usually unwanted) result reliably follows — 'whenever I'm about to X, Y happens'.
Form
- Other shapes
- -ㄹ라치면
Meanings
- 1
A connective ending used when making the preceding statement into the premise of the following statement through a previous experience.
이전의 경험을 통해 앞에 오는 말을 뒤에 오는 말의 조건으로 삼음을 나타내는 연결 어미.
※ ‘ㄹ’을 제외한 받침 있는 동사 뒤에 붙여 쓴다.
Examples
일을 시작할라치면 꼭 전화가 온다.
Whenever I'm about to start working, a phone call always comes in.
나들이를 갈라치면 날씨가 흐려진다.
Whenever we're about to go on an outing, the weather turns cloudy.
목돈이 모일라치면 이상하게 큰돈이 들어갈 일이 생긴다.
Whenever I'm about to save up a lump sum, some big expense strangely comes up.
너희 왜 이리 늦었어? 말도 마. 얘는 나갈라치면 한 시간은 준비해야 한다니까.
Why are you all so late? Don't even ask. Whenever she's about to go out, she needs a whole hour to get ready.
전화를 받을라치면 꼭 끊겨 버린다.
Whenever I'm about to answer the phone, it always cuts off.
내가 씻을라치면 보일러가 고장이 난다.
Whenever I'm about to take a shower, the boiler breaks down.
Examples: 한국어기초사전, CC BY-SA 2.0 KR.
Don’t confuse with
Forms with a close meaning — a favourite source of wrong answers on TOPIK.
Quick check
1. What does ‘-을라치면’ mean?
2. Which form means “whenever I try to”?