How to Say "The squirrel is tired, but keeps walking" in Korean | -지만 Grammar
Quick Answer: "The squirrel is tired, but keeps walking" in Korean is "다람쥐는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요." (daramjwineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji geoleoyo.). It uses the -지만 grammar pattern (But/However (-지만)). Level: A2.
"다람쥐는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요." means "The squirrel is tired, but keeps walking" in Korean. It features the -지만 pattern — the connective -지만 joins two contrasting clauses, similar to 'but' or 'however' in english. Practice this phrase to build your Korean fluency.
What does "The squirrel is tired, but keeps walking" mean in Korean?
The Korean sentence "다람쥐는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요." translates to "The squirrel is tired, but keeps walking." in English. This line matches the English meaning, "The squirrel is tired, but keeps walking", but it keeps the mood soft. The "-요" ending makes it gentle and kind.
Pronunciation guide: daramjwineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji geoleoyo.
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 "다람쥐는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요.", the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Here is the word-by-word breakdown: • 다람쥐는 (daramjwineun) • 피곤하지만, (pigonhajiman,) • 끝까지 (kkeutkkaji) • 걸어요 (geoleoyo)
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 squirrel is tired, but keeps walking" sounds like a friendly whisper.
Cultural Insight
한국어는 감정을 드러낼 때도 부드러운 말투로 마음의 온기를 전해요.
Examples
다람쥐는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요. — daramjwineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji geoleoyo. — The squirrel is tired, but keeps walking.
오늘은 다람쥐는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요. — oneuleun daramjwineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji geoleoyo. — Today, the squirrel is tired, but keeps walking
지금 다람쥐는 피곤하지만, 끝까지 걸어요. — jigeum daramjwineun pigonhajiman, kkeutkkaji geoleoyo. — Right now, the squirrel is tired, but keeps walking
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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