toegeunhal ttae jihacheoreul tayo.

I take the subway when I get off work.

Breakdown of toegeunhal ttae jihacheoreul tayo.

• ~을: object particle
• 지하철: subway
• ~할 때: when
• 타다: to take / to ride

Questions & Answers about toegeunhal ttae jihacheoreul tayo.

What does 퇴근할 때 literally mean, and how is it formed?

퇴근할 때 literally means “when (I) get off work / at the time of leaving work.”
It’s formed from:

• 퇴근하다 = to leave work / to get off work
• -ㄹ/을 때 = “when” (used with a verb)

So:

• 퇴근하- + -ㄹ 때 → 퇴근할 때 (because the verb stem ends in a vowel)

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Why is it 퇴근할 때 and not 퇴근하는 때?

Both can be grammatical, but they feel different:

• 퇴근할 때 = the standard, natural way to say “when leaving work” (future/unspecified “when” relative to the situation)
• 퇴근하는 때 = more like “the time when (someone) is leaving work”, which can sound more descriptive or “written,” and is less common in everyday speech for this meaning

In daily conversation, V-(으)ㄹ 때 is the go-to pattern.

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What does 지하철을 타요 mean exactly? Why use 타다 (to ride)?

지하철을 타요 means “(I) take/ride the subway.”
Korean commonly uses 타다 (“to ride”) with vehicles:

• 버스를 타다 = ride/take the bus
• 택시를 타다 = take a taxi
• 지하철을 타다 = take the subway

Even though English often says “take,” Korean uses the “ride” verb.

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Why is there an object particle -을 on 지하철?