~다가는, ~자면, (으)면 몰라도: risky conditions

By Daniel Buckley · 15 minute read · TOPIK 5

Vocabulary

배탈 - an upset stomach
이대로 - like this, as things are
망가지다 - to get ruined, to break
세차 - washing a car
꼭 - always, without fail
안부 - regards
따지다 - to go into the details, to argue a point
평일 - a weekday
경험 - experience
월급 - a monthly salary

A child is on their third bowl of ice cream, and a parent says 그렇게 먹다가는 배탈 나. Carry on eating like that and you'll be ill. That one extra 는 on 다가 has turned a plain ending into a warning.

(으)면 is the plain "if". The forms here are "if" with an attitude: a warning, a grumble, a price, a way out. 다가는 and (으)면 몰라도 are everyday speech, and I'd start with those.

~다가는: carry on like that and

Take the action in the first clause and let it run. The second clause says where that ends, and dictionaries note that it's usually somewhere bad. It's common in speech, often shortened to 다간.

Making ~다가는

Keep doing it: stem + 다가는.먹다 → 먹다가는놀다 → 놀다간
Do it even once: 았/었다가는.말하다 → 말했다가는

Pick a verb

먹다먹먹다가는

그렇게 먹다가는 배탈 나요.
Keep eating like that and you'll be ill.
이대로 가다가는 회사가 문을 닫을 거예요.
If things go on like this, the company will close.
매일 그렇게 놀다간 시험에 떨어져.
Keep messing about every day and you'll fail the exam.
사장님한테 그런 말을 했다가는 큰일 나요.
If you said that to the boss, you'd be in big trouble.
잘못 건드렸다가는 다 망가질 수 있어요.
One wrong touch and the whole thing could break.

Compare examples 1 and 4. 다가는 is about an action that keeps going. 았/었다가는 says a single act would be enough, so the speaker is usually warning you off doing it at all.

ㄹ/을라치면: every time I try

This one comes from experience. It says whenever you set out to do this, the same thing happens, and it's rarely welcome. So it's a good form for grumbling, and 꼭 often turns up in the second clause. It goes on verbs, and 우리말샘 calls it more colloquial than (으)면.

Pick a verb

쉬다쉬쉴라치면

좀 쉴라치면 전화가 와요.
Every time I try to rest, the phone rings.
밥 좀 먹을라치면 꼭 손님이 와요.
The minute I sit down to eat, a customer comes in.
세차를 할라치면 꼭 비가 와요.
Whenever I go to wash the car, it rains.
내가 그 얘기를 꺼낼라치면 그는 자리를 피했다.
Whenever I tried to bring it up, he'd leave the room.

~거들랑: an old-sounding 거든

This is 거든, the "when that happens, do this" one, with an old particle, 을랑, inside it. It means what 거든 means and, like 거든, takes a request or command after it. The dictionaries don't label it old or regional, but it's far rarer than 거든, so I'd read it and not use it.

민수를 만나거들랑 내 안부 좀 전해 줘.
If you see Minsu, say hello from me.
서울에 도착하거들랑 전화해라.
When you get to Seoul, give me a call.
힘들 때 생각나거들랑 언제든 찾아오너라.
If you think of me when things are hard, come and see me any time.

※ It can also end a sentence in casual speech, as another 거든: 오늘은 일찍 가야 하거들랑. I've got to leave early today, see.

~자면: if you mean to

자면 supposes an intention and tells you what it will take. It's close to (으)려면, which is the one you'll use more. It goes on verbs only. The second clause usually names a need or a cost.

제시간에 도착하자면 지금 나가야 해요.
To get there on time, we need to leave now.
이 일을 다 끝내자면 일주일은 걸릴 거예요.
If you mean to finish all of this, it'll take at least a week.
그러자면 돈이 많이 들어요.
To do that, you'd need a lot of money.

You've probably already heard it in set phrases, which may be its most common use. These are "if I'm to speak" expressions, and they introduce what you're about to say.

솔직히 말하자면 저는 그 계획이 마음에 안 들어요.
To be honest, I don't like that plan.
예를 들자면 이런 거예요.
For example, it's like this.
따지자면 제 잘못도 있어요.
Strictly speaking, part of it's my fault too.

※ 자면 can also be 자고 하면, "if someone says let's": 네가 가자면 갈게. If you say let's go, I'll go. Context tells you which it is.

(으)면 몰라도: unless, and only then

Literally "if A, I don't know". The speaker leaves one possibility open and rules out everything else, so the second clause is usually negative. It's common and useful in conversation. (으)면 모를까 does the same job.

민수 씨가 도와주면 몰라도 혼자서는 못 해요.
Unless Minsu helps, I can't do it on my own.
주말이면 몰라도 평일에는 시간이 없어요.
The weekend might work, but I've got no time on weekdays.
오늘이면 몰라도 내일은 안 돼요.
Maybe today, but tomorrow's no good.
네가 먼저 사과하면 모를까 나는 연락 안 해.
Unless you apologise first, I'm not getting in touch.

(이)라야: it has to be, or that's all it is

This is 이다 with the 아/어야 of "only if", so it goes on a noun. It has two jobs that point in opposite directions. The first insists: only this will do, and 이라야만 pushes harder.

이 일은 경험이 있는 사람이라야 할 수 있어요.
Only someone with experience can do this job.
이 문제는 너라야 풀 수 있어.
Only you can solve this.
이 옷은 키가 큰 사람이라야 어울려요.
Only someone tall can carry off these clothes.

The second belittles: you bring the thing up and say it's nothing much. Then the sentence usually gives the small amount, with 뿐 or a negative.

월급이라야 얼마 안 돼요.
As for my salary, it isn't much.
아는 사람이라야 민수 씨 한 명뿐이에요.
The only person I know is Minsu.
쉬는 날이라야 일주일에 하루뿐이에요.
All I get is one day off a week.

이렇게 계속 마시다가는 몸이 망가져요.
책 좀 읽을라치면 꼭 아이가 울어요.
그 집을 사자면 십 년은 일해야 해요.
돈을 주면 몰라도 그 일은 안 해요.
거짓말을 했다가는 큰일 나요.
조금 더 싸면 몰라도 지금은 못 사요.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

consonants · left hand vowels · right hand

In a conversation

요즘 왜 그렇게 피곤해 보여요?

These days why do you look so tired?

좀 쉴라치면 꼭 회사에서 전화가 와요.

A bit whenever I go to rest, always the office calls.

그렇게 일하다가는 쓰러져요.

Like that carry on working and you collapse.

알아요. 그런데 프로젝트를 끝내자면 어쩔 수 없어요.

I know. But project if I mean to finish, no choice.

이번 주말에는 쉴 수 있어요?

This weekend can you rest?

일이 빨리 끝나면 몰라도 힘들 것 같아요.

Work quickly if it finishes, I don't know, seems hard.

Common mistakes

좀 쉬을라치면 전화가 와요.
좀 쉴라치면 전화가 와요.
쉬다 has an open stem, so it takes ㄹ라치면.
민수 씨가 도와주면 몰라도 혼자서 할 수 있어요.
민수 씨가 도와주면 몰라도 혼자서는 못 해요.
(으)면 몰라도 leaves one way open, so everything else has to be closed.
날씨가 좋자면 소풍을 갈 수 있어요.
날씨가 좋으면 소풍을 갈 수 있어요.
자면 supposes an intention, so it goes on verbs. The weather doesn't intend anything.

Check yourself

Quick check

1 / 6

그렇게 ___ 배탈 나요. (먹다, use 다가는) Keep eating like that and you'll be ill.

consonants · left hand vowels · right hand

Straight on the stem.

Summary

다가는 forms
Dictionary	Stem	다가는
먹다	먹	먹다가는
가다	가	가다가는
놀다	놀	놀다가는
듣다	듣	듣다가는

ㄹ/을라치면 forms
Dictionary	Stem	ㄹ/을라치면
먹다	먹	먹을라치면
가다	가	갈라치면
놀다	놀	놀라치면
듣다	듣	들을라치면

자면 forms
Dictionary	Stem	자면
먹다	먹	먹자면
가다	가	가자면
놀다	놀	놀자면
듣다	듣	듣자면

(으)면 몰라도 forms
Dictionary	Stem	(으)면 몰라도
먹다	먹	먹으면 몰라도
가다	가	가면 몰라도
놀다	놀	놀면 몰라도
듣다	듣	들으면 몰라도

Now you can say

좀 쉴라치면 전화가 와요.
Every time I try to rest, the phone rings.
솔직히 말하자면 저는 그 계획이 마음에 안 들어요.
To be honest, I don't like that plan.
주말이면 몰라도 평일에는 시간이 없어요.
The weekend might work, but I've got no time on weekdays.