Learn Hardcore Korean: iri kkeutnamyeon jamsi swieoyo. - When work is done, I rest for a moment.

-면 attaches to a verb stem to form a conditional or temporal clause. It can mean both “if” and “when.” In 일이 끝나면, because it describes a habitual or expected situation, it’s best translated as “when work ends” or “after work finishes.”

Why is 일이 marked with 이 instead of 를, and why do we use 일이 끝나다 rather than 일을 끝내다?

이/가 marks the subject; 을/를 marks the object.
일이 끝나다 (intransitive) means “work ends (by itself).”
일을 끝내다 (transitive) means “to finish the work.”
So 일이 끝나면 = “when work ends,” whereas 일을 끝내면 = “if/when someone finishes the work.”

What does 잠시 mean, and how is it different from 잠깐 or 조금?

잠시 = “for a brief moment” or “for a short time.”
잠깐 is very similar (often more casual in spoken language).
조금 means “a little (bit)” in terms of quantity or degree and is less specific about duration.

What level of politeness is 쉬어요, and could this sentence be interpreted as a suggestion (“Let’s rest”)?

쉬어요 is the polite informal (해요체) present tense of 쉬다 (“to rest”).
Depending on context and intonation, it can be a simple statement (“I/We rest”) or a mild suggestion (“Let’s rest”).
Stronger or more explicit forms:
• 쉬세요 (polite request)
• 쉬자 (casual suggestion)
• 쉬십시오 (formal request)

Who is the subject of 쉬어요? There’s no pronoun—how do you know who’s resting?

Korean often omits subjects when they’re clear from context. 쉬어요 could mean:
• “I rest,”
• “We rest,”
• “You (should) rest,”
• or “They rest.”
Context (speaker, listener, situation) tells you which one it is.

How is 끝나면 pronounced in natural speech? Are there any sound changes?

In 끝나면, the final consonant ㅌ in 끝 assimilates to the following ㄴ, so it’s pronounced [끈나면].

How is this sentence structured in Korean word order compared to English?

Korean is a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) language. Here:
• 일이 끝나면 = subordinate clause (“when work ends”)
• 잠시 쉬어요 = main clause (“I rest for a moment”)
Verbs (and any verb endings like -면) always come at the end of their clause.

Could you use -자마자 or -고 나면 instead of -면, and how would the nuance change?

일이 끝나고 나면 = “after work ends” (focus on sequence).
일이 끝나자마자 = “as soon as work ends” (immediate action).
-면 is more neutral (“when/if”) and often conveys a general or habitual meaning.

Do I need a comma between 일이 끝나면 and 잠시 쉬어요?

Unlike English, Korean commas before subordinate clauses are optional. You can write either:
• 일이 끝나면 잠시 쉬어요.
• 일이 끝나면, 잠시 쉬어요.
Most of the time, no comma is used unless you want an extra pause or clarity.