Korean grammar patterns › Level 5
-았/었더라면
if (only) … had (counterfactual past)
Level 5 · TOPIK II · advanced
How to use it
Imagines the opposite of what actually happened in the past. Clause 2 is usually -았/었을 거예요, -았/었을 텐데, or 좋았을 텐데 (regret).
Forming it
| 가다 | → 갔더라면 |
| 먹다 | → 먹었더라면 |
| 공부하다 | → 공부했더라면 |
| 의사 | → 의사였더라면 |
Always with -았/었-: ✗ 가져오더라면.
Examples
조금만 일찍 출발했더라면 기차를 놓치지 않았을 거예요.
If I had left just a little earlier, I wouldn't have missed the train.
그때 그 말을 들었더라면 좋았을 텐데요.
It would have been good if I had listened to that advice back then.
Compared with similar patterns
-았/었다면 is similar but more neutral; -았/었더라면 stresses regret about a real past. -았/었더니 reports what actually happened after an action.