이면
이면: If It's — Pairing Items in a List
Listing frame with 이다+-면: if it’s A, A; if it’s B, B — covering categories.
How to form it
| When | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun without batchim + 이다 | N면 | 공부면 / 친구면 |
| Noun with batchim | N이면 | 운동이면 / 학생이면 |
| Pair frame | A면 A, B이면 B | 공부면 공부, 운동이면 운동 |
이면 (and bare -면 after vowel nouns) shows up in a loud listing frame: 공부면 공부, 운동이면 운동 — when it comes to study, study; when it comes to sports, sports — meaning they handle each category.
It is the same -면 family as -으면, built on 이다. 우리말샘 does not need a special “listing” headword for you to recognise the rhetoric; courses still teach the pair as a chunk.
Shape
공부면 공부, 운동이면 운동.
노래면 노래, 요리면 요리.
직장이면 직장, 가정이면 가정.Ability praise:
발표면 발표, 글이면 글 — 다 잘해요.
숫자면 숫자, 디자인이면 디자인.Batchim nouns keep 이: 운동이면, 학생이면. Open nouns often drop to -면: 공부면, 친구면.
Listing vs ordinary if
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Ordinary condition | 시간 있으면 가요 (-으면) |
| Pair covering list | 공부면 공부, 운동이면 운동 |
Do not rewrite every if into the pair chant.
Learner traps
- *운동면 without 이 after batchim.
- Treating the pair as a literal hypothetical you must answer.
- Softening every claim with -는 편이다 when the pair frame is the point.
Ask: am I stacking categories to say they’re covered across the board? If yes, A면 A, B이면 B. If you only need if, use -으면.
Do not confuse it with
Taught alongside this
On the jabi learning path, this appears in 공부면 공부, 운동이면 운동 정말 못하는 게 없는 것 같아요 (Whether it is studying or sports, there seems to be nothing they cannot do.) — Intermediate Korean 1, Unit 10, on the theme of Abilities and Reputation. These come with it:
Words used above
Quick check
No sign-up, no score saved — just see if it stuck.
1. 공부면 공부, 운동이면 운동 praises…
2. How does this relate to -(으)면?
3. 학생 + this frame?
Common questions
Is 이면 a separate particle?
Analytically it is 이다 + -면. Courses print 이면 because the pairing frame is common.
Must both sides repeat the noun?
The textbook-style frame repeats (A면 A). Looser talk exists; learn the clear pair first.
vs plain if?
비가 오면 취소해요 is ordinary eumyeon. 공부면 공부… is the covering-list rhetoric.
Can verbs take 이면?
This slot’s star pattern is noun + 이다. Verb conditions stay with -(으)면.