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Unit 18: On The Verge (-(으)ㄹ락 말락 하다)

To describe a situation that is hovering right on the edge of happening (it might happen, it might not, back and forth), you use -(으)ㄹ락 말락 하다 in Easy Korean.

Structure

Verb Stem + -(으)ㄹ락 말락 하다

  • 비가 오다 -> 비가 올락 말락 해요 (It looks like it's going to rain any second, but it isn't quite falling yet.)
  • 닿다 -> 닿을락 말락 해요 (It is just barely out of reach / about to touch but not quite.)
  • 잠이 들다 -> 잠이 들락 말락 했어요 (I was drifting in and out of sleep / just about to fall asleep but kept waking up.)

Usage

It's a very descriptive, vivid phrase that paints a picture of something hovering on a boundary.

Examples

  • 목소리가 들릴락 말락 해요. (I can barely hear the voice / it's fading in and out.)
  • 눈물이 떨어질락 말락 해요. (The tears are on the verge of falling [welling up].)