sigani isseumyeon i aebeul sseo bwayo.

subject particle

Breakdown of sigani isseumyeon i aebeul sseo bwayo.

• ~을: object particle
• 이: this
• 시간: time

Questions & Answers about sigani isseumyeon i aebeul sseo bwayo.

Why is it 시간이 있으면 and not 시간은 있으면?

이/가 marks 시간 as the subject of 있다 here.

• 시간이 있다 = to have time / for time to exist
• 시간이 있으면 = if you have time

Using 은/는 would change the nuance. 시간은 있으면 sounds more contrastive, like as for time, if you have it... or if you do have time..., which is not the most neutral way to say it here.

So 시간이 있으면 is the natural, neutral form for if you have time.

What does -으면 mean in 있으면?

-으면 / -면 means if or when in a conditional sense.

Here:

• 있다 = to exist / to have
• 있으면 = if there is / if you have

So:

• 시간이 있으면 = if you have time

A quick pattern:

• consonant-ending stem + -으면
• vowel-ending stem + -면

Examples:

• 먹다 → 먹으면 = if (you) eat
• 가다 → 가면 = if (you) go
• 있다 → 있으면 = if there is / if (you) have

Why does 있다 mean to have here? Doesn’t it usually mean to exist?