How to Say "The gardener is scared, but is brave" in Korean | -지만 Grammar

Quick Answer: "The gardener is scared, but is brave" in Korean is "정원사는 무섭지만, 용감해요." (jeongwonsaneun museopjiman, yonggamhaeyo.). It uses the -지만 grammar pattern (But/However (-지만)). Level: A2.

Here is how to say "The gardener is scared, but is brave" naturally in Korean: "정원사는 무섭지만, 용감해요.". We will break down the But/However (-지만) pattern step by step.

Category: 감정

What does "The gardener is scared, but is brave" mean in Korean?

The Korean sentence "정원사는 무섭지만, 용감해요." translates to "The gardener is scared, but is brave." in English. This sentence paints a vivid picture: the gardener is scared, but is brave. In Korean, "정원사는 무섭지만, 용감해요." delivers the same meaning with a softer emotional texture. The polite ending makes it suitable for any situation.

Pronunciation guide: jeongwonsaneun museopjiman, yonggamhaeyo.

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.

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 "정원사는 무섭지만, 용감해요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 정원사는 (jeongwonsaneun) • 무섭지만, (museopjiman,) • 용감해요 (yonggamhaeyo)

Korean uses postpositions (after the noun) instead of prepositions (before the noun). 'In the house' becomes '집에서' — house + at/in.

Why This Korean Expression Sounds Natural

English relies on tone of voice to sound warm. Korean encodes that warmth grammatically, so "The gardener is scared, but is brave" automatically sounds considerate when expressed in Korean.

Cultural Insight

한국어는 감정을 직접 말하기보다 행동으로 보여주는 경우가 많아요. '사랑해'보다 '밥 먹었어?'가 더 큰 사랑의 표현일 수 있죠.

Examples

정원사는 무섭지만, 용감해요. — jeongwonsaneun museopjiman, yonggamhaeyo. — The gardener is scared, but is brave.

정원사는 무섭지만, 용감해요? — jeongwonsaneun museopjiman, yonggamhaeyo? — Does the gardener is scared, but is brave?

정원사는 무섭지만, 안 용감해요. — jeongwonsaneun museopjiman, an yonggamhaeyo. — The gardener is not scared, but is brave.

Common Mistakes

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

Incorrect: 용감해요 정원사는 무섭지만, → Correct: 정원사는 무섭지만, 용감해요. Korean uses Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. The verb must come at the end of the sentence, unlike English where it comes after the subject.

Quiz

How do you say "The gardener is scared, but is brave" in Korean?

The correct Korean translation is "정원사는 무섭지만, 용감해요.". jeongwonsaneun museopjiman, yonggamhaeyo.

Fill in the blank: 정원사는 무섭지만, ___

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