[Korean grammar] -(으)ㄹ라치면 Expressing Conditions and Decisions

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가: 요즘 방학이라 편의점에서 아르바이트 한다며? 어때?
I heard you’re working part time at a convenience store since you’re on vacation. How is it?
나: 일은 별로 안 힘든데 혼자 가게를 보니까 화장실 가기가 좀 불편해. 한가해졌다 싶어서 잠깐 화장실에라도 다녀올라치면 손님들이 갑자기 연달아 오는 거 있지?
The work isn’t too hard, but because I have to watch over the store by myself, it’s hard to go to the bathroom. Just when I think we’re not going to be busy and I try to go to the bathroom, customers come in one after another, you know?
가: 어머, 화장실도 제대로 못 가고 힘들겠다.
Oh, dear, that must be stressful to not be able to go to the bathroom when you need to.
나: 아, 그리고 진짜 바쁘게 일하다가 손님이 뜸해져서 잠깐 앉아서 쉴라치면 그때 사장님이 꼭 오신다니까. 잘못한 것도 없는데 괜히 놀고 있었던 것 같아서 민망하더라고.
Oh, and just when I think I can sit down and take a break after busily tending to a lot of customers, that’s when the owner comes in. It’s a bit embarrassing because it looks like I’m not working, when, in reality, I haven’t done anything wrong.

This expression is used to indicate that the situation in the following clause occurs whenever the subject tries to do the task stated in the preceding clause. Specifically, it refers to an often-experienced situation in which the situation in the following clause always occurs whenever the subject tries to do the action in the preceding clause, resulting in the subject not being able to properly do the intended action. It is usually used in spoken speech.


• 밥 좀 먹을라치면 계속 전화가 오니 제대로 먹을 수가 없다.
Whenever I try to eat, I keep getting phone calls, which prevent me from eating properly.

• 리모컨이 평소에는 잘 보이다가 TV 좀 볼라치면 이상하게 안 보인다.
usually know right where the remote is, but whenever I go to watch TV, I strangely can’t find it.

• 모처럼 날 잡아서 교외로 바람 좀 쐬러 나갈라치면 그날따라 꼭 비가 온다.
Whenever I choose a day to leave town and to get some fresh air, it never fails to rain precisely on that day.

This expression can be replaced with -(으)려고 하면 without much change in meaning. However, -(으)ㄹ라치면 is a slightly more colloquial expression than -(으)려고 하면.
• 밥 좀 먹으려고 하면 계속 전화가 오니 제대로 먹을 수가 없다.
• 모처럼 날 잡아서 교외로 바람 좀 쐬러 나가려고 하면 그날따라 꼭 비가 온다.

>> You can click on the title of each grammar below to see other grammars which also express 'Conditions and Decisions'

1. -는 한
2. -(으)ㄹ라치면
3. -노라면
4. -느냐에 달려 있다
5. -기 나름이다

>> Full of 'Korean grammar in use - Advanced': Click here
>> Full of 'Korean grammar in use - Intermediate': Click here

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