그러면 — usually shortened to 그럼 in speech — is the little word Korean uses for "then" in the sense of "in that case." It picks up whatever was just said, treats it as a condition, and draws the next move from it: No time? Then take a taxi. It is one of the very first conjunctions you will need, because conversation is a constant back-and-forth of "if that's so, then here's what we do." The catch for English speakers is that our word "then" does three unrelated jobs, and 그러면 covers only one of them.
What 그러면 does: condition in, decision out
그러면 (neutral; the contraction 그럼 is informal/spoken) is built transparently from 그렇다 ("to be so") + the conditional ending -(으)면 ("if / when"). So it literally means "if that's so, then…" — it lifts the previous statement into an if and hangs a consequence, a decision, or a suggestion on it.
시간이 없어요? 그러면 택시를 타세요.
sigani eopseoyo? geureomyeon taeksireul taseyo
No time? Then take a taxi.
이거 별로예요. 그러면 다른 걸로 할게요.
igeo byeolloyeyo. geureomyeon dareun geollo halgeyo
This one's not great. In that case, I'll go with a different one.
In both, the first sentence sets a premise ("you have no time," "this one is no good") and 그러면 says "given that, here's the move." That responsive, decision-making flavor is 그러면's whole identity.
그럼: the everyday contraction — and a word all by itself
In real speech, 그러면 almost always collapses to 그럼. It behaves identically as a conjunction:
배고파요? 그럼 우리 뭐 좀 먹을까요?
baegopayo? geureom uri mwo jom meogeulkkayo
Hungry? Then shall we grab a bite?
But 그럼 has a second life that 그러면 does not share: standing entirely alone, it is an agreement word meaning "of course / sure / naturally." Here it is not bridging two clauses — it is a complete response, often intensified to 그럼요 (polite) or 그럼그럼 (emphatic).
그럼요! 제가 도와드릴게요.
geureomnyo! jega dowadeurilgeyo
Of course! I'll help you.
그럼, 이따 봐.
geureom, itta bwa
Okay then, see you later. (banmal)
The reframe: English "then" is three different words
This is the heart of the page. English "then" fuses three meanings that Korean keeps strictly separate. Learners who translate "then" straight into their head grab the wrong conjunction constantly.
| English "then" means… | Korean | Example gloss |
|---|---|---|
| "in that case" (condition → decision) | 그러면 / 그럼 | "No time? Then take a taxi." |
| "after that" (time sequence) | 그리고 나서 / 그다음에 | "I ate, and then I left." |
| "so / therefore" (cause → result) | 그래서 | "It rained, so I stayed in." |
Only the first is 그러면. The temporal "and then" — one event after another in time — is 그리고 나서 or 그다음에, never 그러면:
밥을 먹었어요. 그리고 나서 산책했어요.
babeul meogeosseoyo. geurigo naseo sanchaekaesseoyo
I ate. And then I went for a walk. (time sequence — not 그러면)
And the causal "so / therefore" is 그래서. Map 그러면/그럼 specifically onto "in that case" and you will stop mis-firing.
그러면 as a "so then" opener
Beyond bridging two clauses, 그러면 frequently opens a turn to move a conversation to its next stage — "so then / all right then." Here it quietly gathers up everything settled so far as the implicit condition ("given all that…") and pivots to the next step. It is the natural transition word in meetings, lessons, and plans, and you will hear it constantly at the seams of a conversation.
자, 그러면 이제 회의를 시작할까요?
ja, geureomyeon ije hoeuireul sijakalkkayo?
All right, then — shall we start the meeting now?
그러면 오늘은 여기까지 할게요.
geureomyeon oneureun yeogikkaji halgeyo
Okay then, let's wrap up here for today.
This "so then" opener is really the same conditional logic zoomed out: the whole prior discussion becomes the "if that's how things stand," and 그러면 draws the next move from it. That is why it feels so natural to begin and end stretches of talk with it.
The emphatic cousin: 그렇다면
For a more deliberate, hypothetical "if that is really the case," Korean has 그렇다면 (slightly formal/emphatic). It is 그렇다 + -다면 (the hypothetical "if"), and it weighs the premise more seriously than the breezy 그러면 — useful when you are reasoning through a supposition rather than just reacting.
그렇다면 이야기가 완전히 달라지죠.
geureotamyeon iyagiga wanjeonhi dallajijo
If that's really the case, then the whole story changes.
Use 그러면 for quick conversational "in that case"; reach for 그렇다면 when you want to underline "supposing that's true, here's what follows."
Common Mistakes
1. Using 그래서 for "then / in that case." Because English "then" and "so" overlap, learners answer a stated condition with the causal 그래서. But responding to someone's premise with a decision is 그러면's job.
❌ 매운 거 못 드세요? 그래서 이거로 시킬게요.
Wrong — you're responding to a condition ('in that case'), which needs 그러면, not causal 그래서.
✅ 매운 거 못 드세요? 그러면 이거로 시킬게요.
maeun geo mot deuseyo? geureomyeon igeoro sikilgeyo
You can't eat spicy food? Then I'll order this one.
2. Using 그리고 for "then / in that case." 그리고 means "and (also)" — pure addition. It cannot draw a conditional consequence.
❌ 다 준비됐어요? 그리고 출발합시다.
Wrong — 그리고 just adds ('and'); 'then let's go' needs the conditional 그러면.
✅ 다 준비됐어요? 그러면 출발합시다.
da junbidwaesseoyo? geureomyeon chulbalhapsida
Is everyone ready? Then let's set off.
3. Writing spoken 그럼 in formal text. The contraction 그럼 is for speech and casual messages; formal notices and writing want the full 그러면 (or 그렇다면).
❌ 서류를 내세요. 그럼 처리해 드립니다.
Wrong register — spoken 그럼 in a formal notice; use the full 그러면.
✅ 서류를 내세요. 그러면 처리해 드립니다.
seoryureul naeseyo. geureomyeon cheorihae deurimnida
Please submit the documents. Then we'll process them. (formal notice)
4. Splitting the -(으)면 clause into its own sentence. The ending -(으)면 attaches to a verb stem within one sentence; only 그러면 bridges across a full stop. Don't strand a bare -면 clause.
❌ 시간 있으면. 같이 가요.
Wrong — a bare -(으)면 clause can't be a standalone sentence; either join it or use 그러면.
✅ 시간 있어요? 그러면 같이 가요.
sigan isseoyo? geureomyeon gachi gayo
Do you have time? Then let's go together.
Key Takeaways
- 그러면 / 그럼 = "then / in that case" — it takes the previous statement as a condition and draws a decision or suggestion from it (그렇다 + -(으)면, "if that's so, then…").
- 그럼 additionally stands alone as "of course / okay then"; a following clause vs. a standalone answer tells the two uses apart.
- English "then" is three words: condition → 그러면; time sequence → 그리고 나서 / 그다음에; cause → 그래서. Map 그러면 onto "in that case."
- 그럼 is spoken/informal; use the full 그러면 (or the emphatic 그렇다면, "if that's really so") in writing.
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Start learning Korean→Related Topics
- -(으)면: If / WhenTOPIK 1 — Korean's all-purpose conditional — one ending that covers 'if', habitual 'when(ever)', and hypothetical 'if', with 으/면 allomorphy and counterfactual 았/었으면.
- 그래야: Only Then / That's the Only WayTOPIK 3 — The conjunction that presents the previous statement as the sole necessary condition for what follows — 그래야 ('only then / that's the only way it works'), from 그렇다 + -아야, and how it makes the prior action necessary rather than merely sufficient like 그러면.
- 그래서: So / That's Why (Everyday Cause)TOPIK 1 — 그래서 is the default 'so / that's why,' presenting the previous sentence as a neutral, objective cause for this one — and, inheriting the constraint of -아/어서, it cannot be followed by a command or a suggestion.
- Sentence Conjunctions 접속부사 and the 그렇다 PatternTOPIK 1 — The words that open a sentence and link it to the last one — 그리고, 그래서, 하지만, 그런데 — and the single insight that unlocks almost all of them: most are 그렇다 ('be so') plus a connective ending, so each conjunction has an ending twin.