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

Quick Answer: "The field is dark, but light is bright" in Korean is "들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요." (deulpaneun eodupjiman, bulbiti balkayo.). It uses the -지만 grammar pattern (But/However (-지만)). Level: A2.

Master the Korean expression "들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요." (The field is dark, but light is bright). It showcases the -지만 pattern, which you will encounter constantly in Korean dramas, books, and conversations.

Category: 빛

What does "The field is dark, but light is bright" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요." translates to "The field is dark, but light is bright." in English. Korean expresses "the field is dark, but light is bright" as "들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요.". The sentence structure may feel backwards compared to English, but once you get used to verb-final order, Korean starts to feel surprisingly logical.

Pronunciation guide: deulpaneun eodupjiman, bulbiti 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 "들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 들판은 (deulpaneun) • 어둡지만, (eodupjiman,) • 불빛이 (bulbiti) • 밝아요 (balkayo)

Try covering the verb and guessing the sentence meaning from context. Then reveal it — this builds your Korean reading intuition.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

The Korean version flows naturally because it follows the golden rule of Korean word order: time/place first, then subject, then object, and finally the verb.

Cultural Insight

한국 전통 이야기에서 산과 강은 단순한 배경이 아니라 살아있는 존재로 묘사되곤 해요. 자연을 의인화하는 전통이 강합니다.

Examples

들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요. — deulpaneun eodupjiman, bulbiti balkayo. — The field is dark, but light is bright.

들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요? — deulpaneun eodupjiman, bulbiti balkayo? — Does the field is dark, but light is bright?

들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 안 밝아요. — deulpaneun eodupjiman, bulbiti an balkayo. — The field is not dark, but light 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 field is dark, but light is bright" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요.". deulpaneun eodupjiman, bulbiti balkayo.

Fill in the blank: 들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 ___

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