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.

In Korean, "The field is dark, but light is bright" is expressed as "들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요.". This sentence demonstrates But/However (-지만), one of the most useful grammar patterns for Korean learners. Let's explore the grammar and vocabulary.

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. This line matches the English meaning, "The field is dark, but light is bright", but it keeps the mood soft. The "-요" ending makes it gentle and kind.

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)

Korean sentences always end with the verb. Get comfortable with putting the action word last.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

English depends on voice tone for warmth. Korean bakes warmth into the sentence, so "The field is dark, but light is bright" sounds like a friendly whisper.

Cultural Insight

자연을 친구처럼 바라보는 시선이 한국 이야기 속에 자주 담겨 있어요.

Examples

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

지금 들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요. — jigeum deulpaneun eodupjiman, bulbiti balkayo. — Right now, the field is dark, but light is bright

정말 들판은 어둡지만, 불빛이 밝아요. — jeongmal deulpaneun eodupjiman, bulbiti balkayo. — Really, the field is 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.

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