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Learn Hardcore Korean: toegeunhal ttae jihacheoreul tayo. - I take the subway when I get off work.

Hardcore Korean
/Lesson 30
/toegeunhal ttae jihacheoreul tayo.

toegeunhal ttae jihacheoreul tayo.

퇴근할 때 지하철을 타요.toegeunhal ttae jihacheoreul tayo.

I take the subway when I get off work.

Breakdown of toegeunhal ttae jihacheoreul tayo.

object particle

지하철jihacheol

~할 때~hal ttae

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)

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.

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

퇴근하다toegeunhada

to leave work / to get off work

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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.

Why is there an object particle -을 on 지하철?

-을/를 marks the direct object of the verb. Here, 지하철 is what you “ride,” so it gets -을:

지하철을 타요

Particle choice:

If the noun ends in a consonant → -을 (지하철을)
If it ends in a vowel → -를

In casual speech, 을/를 is sometimes dropped, but keeping it is clear and standard.

Where is the subject (like “I”)? Is it missing?

Yes—Korean often omits the subject when it’s obvious from context.
This sentence can mean:

“When I get off work, I take the subway.”
It could also be “you/he/she/they” depending on the conversation, but most commonly it’s I in everyday statements.

If you want to specify:

저는 퇴근할 때 지하철을 타요. = As for me, when I get off work, I take the subway.

Does 타요 mean present tense or future tense here?

타요 is present tense in form, but in Korean the present tense is often used for:

habitual actions (what you usually do)
general truths
actions that happen regularly

So this sentence most naturally means:
“When I get off work, I (usually) take the subway.”

If you mean “today (specifically),” you can add time context:

오늘 퇴근할 때 지하철을 탈 거예요. = “When I leave work today, I’m going to take the subway.”

What politeness level is 타요, and what are common alternatives?

타요 is 해요체 (polite casual). Common variants:

타요 (polite)
타 (informal, to close friends)
탑니다 (formal, more stiff/official)

So:

퇴근할 때 지하철을 타요. (most common in everyday polite speech)

Is the word order fixed? Could I say 지하철을 퇴근할 때 타요?

Korean word order is flexible, but the most natural flow is usually:

Time + object + verb: 퇴근할 때 지하철을 타요.

You can reorder for emphasis:

지하철을 퇴근할 때 타요. = emphasizes the subway (as opposed to bus/car), but it can feel slightly marked depending on context.

The verb typically stays at the end.

Could I add -는 to make 퇴근할 때는? What changes?

Yes:

퇴근할 때는 지하철을 타요.

Adding -는 (topic/contrast marker) to 때 often adds nuance like:

“As for when I get off work…”
or a slight contrast: “When I get off work (as opposed to when I go to work), I take the subway.”

Without -는, it’s a simple neutral statement.

How would I say “every time I get off work, I take the subway”?

Use -을 때마다 (every time/whenever):

퇴근할 때마다 지하철을 타요.

This is stronger than the plain sentence; it implies it happens each time, not just generally/habitually.

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