In this lesson, we are taking a look at the structure -만 아니면, which can mean “if only it’s not...” or “if only you were not...”. This is used in situations where you talk about something that you would be willing to do, but you can’t because of some reason. For example, you can use -만 아니면 in sentences like “If you were not my brother, I would not hang out with you” or “I would totally meet you for coffee, but I have work to do.”

Structure
(1) Noun + -만 아니면 + Verb stem + -(으)ㄹ 텐데요
= If only it were not + [noun], I would + [verb]
= If only it were not for + [noun], I would + [verb]
= If only I didn’t have + [noun], I would + [verb]

This is used when you want to say that you would do something only if A were not B.

Ex)
오늘이 월요일만 아니면 거기 갈 텐데요.
[o-neu-ri wo-ryo-il-man a-ni-myeon geo-gi gal ten-de-yo.]
= If only today were not Monday, I would go there.

숙제만 아니면 지금 갈 텐데요.
[suk-je-man a-ni-myeon ji-geum gal ten-de-yo.]
= If only I didn’t have my homework, I would go.

(2) Noun + -만 아니면 + Verb stem + -았/었/였을 거예요
= If only it were not + [noun], I would have + [p.p.]
= If only it were not for + [noun], I would have + [p.p.]
= If only I didn’t have + [noun], I would have + [p.p.]

Ex)
친구만 아니면 경찰에 신고했을 거예요.
[chin-gu-man a-ni-myeon gyeong-cha-re sin-go-hae-sseul geo-ye-yo.]
= If only she were not my friend, I would’ve reported her to the police.

오늘이 친구 생일만 아니면 그냥 집에 있었을 거예요.
[o-neu-ri chin-gu saeng-il-man a-ni-myeon geu-nyang ji-be i-sseo-sseul geo-ye-yo.]
= If only today were not my friend’s birthday, I would’ve just stayed at home.

(3) Nonn + -만 아니면 …
= If only it were not + [noun] ...
= If only it were not for + [noun] ...
= If only I didn’t have + [noun] ...

When what you would have done is obvious and can be easily guessed by the listener, you can just omit the rest of the sentence.

Ex)
직장 상사만 아니면 …
= If only he were not my boss at work …

Sample Sentences
1. 그 사람이 제 친구 남자친구만 아니면...
= If only he were not my friend’s boyfriend …

2. 이것만 아니면 …
= If only this didn’t exist …

3. 공사 소리만 아니면 잘 잤을 거예요.
= If only it were not for the construction noise, I would have slept well.

4. 여기가 친구 집만 아니면, 지금 잠들었을 거예요.
= If only I were not at a friend’s house, I would have fallen asleep.

5. 저희 담임 선생님만 아니면, 따졌을 거예요.
= If only he were not my homeroom teacher, I would have started an argument.