haru Korean › Grammar › Level 3B › A/V-(으)면 A/V-(으)ㄹ수록 —오래 살면 살수록 고향이 그리워져요
A/V-(으)면 A/V-(으)ㄹ수록 —오래 살면 살수록 고향이 그리워져요 — the more …, the more … — two things that grow together
The more …, the more … — two things that grow together. Korean grammar for intermediate learners — Level 3B, lesson 5: 나이가 들수록 고향이 그리워져요 (The older I get, the more I miss home — city, country, nostalgia).
What it means
-(으)면 -(으)ㄹ수록 says that two things change together: as the first grows, so does the second — 'the more …, the more …'. You say the same verb or adjective twice, first with -(으)면 and then with -(으)ㄹ수록: 배우면 배울수록 재미있어요 'the more I learn, the more fun it is'. After a 받침 use 으면 … 을수록 (먹으면 먹을수록, 많으면 많을수록); after a vowel use 면 … ㄹ수록 (보면 볼수록, 배우면 배울수록); a stem that already ends in ㄹ keeps just one ㄹ (살면 살수록, 멀면 멀수록). Irregular stems change as they do before 으: 듣다 → 들으면 들을수록, 춥다 → 추우면 추울수록. The first half is often dropped, leaving only -(으)ㄹ수록: 나이가 들수록 'the older you get', 날짜가 가까울수록 'the closer the date' — and 갈수록 (Lesson 3A-10) is exactly this: 'the further it goes', that is, 'as time goes on'. The second half usually describes a change or a judgement, so it often has -아/어지다 (Lesson 2B-1) or 더: 고향이 더 그리워져요. A very common fixed phrase is 빠르면 빠를수록 좋아요 'the sooner the better'. -았/었- never goes inside; put the tense at the end of the sentence: 시간이 지날수록 더 그리워졌어요.
Forms
| Pattern | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -으면 -을수록 | 받침 O | 먹다 + 으면 + 을수록 → 먹으면 먹을수록 |
| -면 -ㄹ수록 | 받침 X · ㄹ (ㄹ은 하나) | 보다 + 면 + ㄹ수록 → 보면 볼수록 |
Key points
- -(으)면 -(으)ㄹ수록 = the more …, the more …: the same word twice — 받침 → 으면 … 을수록 (먹으면 먹을수록) · no 받침 or ㄹ → 면 … ㄹ수록 (보면 볼수록 · 살면 살수록)
- The first half can be dropped: 나이가 들수록 · 날짜가 가까울수록 · 갈수록 (Lesson 3A-10). Adjectives work too: 많으면 많을수록 좋아요. -았/었- ✗ — the tense goes at the end.
Examples
- 앞의 것이 많아지면 뒤의 것도 같이 많아질 때 써요: 한국어는 배우면 배울수록 재미있어요.
- 받침 O → -으면 -을수록: 먹으면 먹을수록 · 많으면 많을수록 · 들으면 들을수록(ㄷ).
- 받침 X · ㄹ → -면 -ㄹ수록: 보면 볼수록 · 살면 살수록(ㄹ은 하나) · 추우면 추울수록(ㅂ).
- 앞의 -(으)면을 빼고 짧게 말해도 돼요: 나이가 들수록 · 날짜가 가까울수록 · 갈수록.
- -았/었-은 안 붙어요. 과거는 문장 끝에: 시간이 지날수록 더 그리워졌어요.
Where university textbooks teach it
This point also appears in: Seoul National University Korean 3B, lesson 14; Yonsei University Korean 3-2, lesson 19; Sogang University Korean 4A, lesson 4; Ewha Womans University Korean 2-2, lesson 13; Sogang University Korean 5B, lesson 1; Hongik University Korean 3B, lesson 7; Hanyang University Korean 3-1, lesson 5.
Also in this lesson
- 하도 A/V-아서/어서 —항공료가 하도 비싸서 깜짝 놀랐어요 — so very … that … — a strong, spoken reason
- A/V-았던/었던 N —여기는 제가 어렸을 때 살았던 동네예요 — the … I once … · the … that was — memories of what is over
- N만큼 · A/V-(으)ㄴ/는 만큼 —요즘은 시골도 도시만큼 편리해요 — as … as N · as much as … — comparing and matching