How to Say "The bridge is dark, but starlight is bright" in Korean | -지만 Grammar

Quick Answer: "The bridge is dark, but starlight is bright" in Korean is "다리는 어둡지만, 별빛이 밝아요." (darineun eodupjiman, byeolbiti balkayo.). It uses the -지만 grammar pattern (But/However (-지만)). Level: A2.

Struggling with how to say "The bridge is dark, but starlight is bright" in Korean? Here is the natural way: "다리는 어둡지만, 별빛이 밝아요.". We will unpack the -지만 grammar and show you exactly how it works.

Category: 빛

What does "The bridge is dark, but starlight is bright" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "다리는 어둡지만, 별빛이 밝아요." translates to "The bridge is dark, but starlight is bright." in English. The phrase "다리는 어둡지만, 별빛이 밝아요." translates as "the bridge is dark, but starlight is bright". What makes it stand out is how Korean packages the entire idea: the subject comes first, the context follows, and the action wraps it up at the end.

Pronunciation guide: darineun eodupjiman, byeolbiti balkayo.

Grammar Point: But/However (-지만)

The connective -지만 joins two contrasting clauses, similar to 'but' or 'however' in English. It attaches directly to the verb/adjective stem. This sentence also uses -아/어요.

Verb stem + 지만. For example: 작지만 (small but…), 춥지만 (cold but…).

Korean Sentence Structure Breakdown

Korean follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, which is different from English (SVO). In "다리는 어둡지만, 별빛이 밝아요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 다리는 (darineun) • 어둡지만, (eodupjiman,) • 별빛이 (byeolbiti) • 밝아요 (balkayo)

Listen for the rhythm: Korean syllables tend to be evenly timed, unlike English which stresses certain syllables. This gives Korean its distinctive flowing sound.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

This expression sounds like something from a beloved fairy tale — and that is exactly the register Korean uses for warm, everyday communication.

Cultural Insight

한국어에서 '고향(故鄕)'은 단순한 출신지가 아니라 그리움과 정체성이 담긴 단어예요. 한국 노래와 시에서 가장 자주 등장하는 주제 중 하나입니다.

Examples

다리는 어둡지만, 별빛이 밝아요. — darineun eodupjiman, byeolbiti balkayo. — The bridge is dark, but starlight is bright.

다리는 어둡지만, 별빛이 밝아요? — darineun eodupjiman, byeolbiti balkayo? — Does the bridge is dark, but starlight is bright?

다리는 어둡지만, 별빛이 안 밝아요. — darineun eodupjiman, byeolbiti an balkayo. — The bridge is not dark, but starlight is bright.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect: 작은지만 → Correct: 작지만. Do not add the modifier ending -은/-는 before -지만. Attach -지만 directly to the stem.

Incorrect: 먹아요 → Correct: 먹어요. The stem 먹- ends in a dark vowel (ㅓ), so it takes -어요 not -아요. Match the vowel harmony.

Quiz

How do you say "The bridge is dark, but starlight is bright" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "다리는 어둡지만, 별빛이 밝아요.". darineun eodupjiman, byeolbiti balkayo.

Fill in the blank: 다리는 어둡지만, 별빛이 ___

The correct ending is "밝아요". The polite -요 form is essential for everyday Korean conversation.