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TOPIK II · LEVEL 4

-(으)ㄹ락 말락

Use it when something hovers right at the edge of happening: it almost happens, but not quite, or seems to go back and forth.

시간·순서Time & sequence

Han: Quitting is the speaker's own decision, so hesitation is expressed with -(으)ㄹ까 말까; -(으)ㄹ락 말락 is for events hovering at the edge, like 비가 올락 말락 해요.

Examples

그 아이는 들릴락 말락 한 목소리로 "고마워요"라고 말했어요.The child said "thank you" in a barely audible voice.
이 치마는 길이가 무릎에 닿을락 말락 해요.This skirt just about reaches the knees.
너무 피곤해서 수업 시간에 잠이 들락 말락 했어요.I was so tired that I kept almost dozing off in class.
하늘이 흐려서 비가 올락 말락 해요.The sky is cloudy, so it looks like it might start raining any moment.

Don’t mix up

-(으)ㄹ락 말락vs-(으)ㄹ까 말까 하다-(으)ㄹ까 말까 is a person hesitating over a decision; -(으)ㄹ락 말락 is an event at the edge of happening. 회사를 그만둘까 말까 해요.-(으)ㄹ락 말락vs-(으)ㄹ 뻔하다-(으)ㄹ 뻔했다 reports a near miss that did not happen in the end; -(으)ㄹ락 말락 describes an ongoing borderline state. 길에서 넘어질 뻔했어요.-(으)ㄹ락 말락vs-(으)려고 하다-(으)려고 하다 means something is clearly about to happen; -(으)ㄹ락 말락 stresses that it is uncertain, hovering on the line. 이제 비가 오려고 해요.

How to build it

V+(으)ㄹ락 말락 하다

닿다 → 닿을락 말락 하다, 오다 → 올락 말락 하다, 들다 → 들락 말락 하다

  1. It is usually followed by 하다 (해요, 했어요, 한 + noun, 하게). The second part is always 말락; you do not repeat the verb.
  2. It describes a borderline state or event that nobody fully controls (닿다, 보이다, 들리다, 잠이 들다, 비가 오다), not a decision someone is making.
  3. It is not used in commands or suggestions (-(으)세요, -(으)ㅂ시다).

Classic mistake

Wrong: 요즘 회사를 그만둘락 말락 해요.

Right: 요즘 회사를 그만둘까 말까 해요.

Quitting is the speaker's own decision, so hesitation is expressed with -(으)ㄹ까 말까; -(으)ㄹ락 말락 is for events hovering at the edge, like 비가 올락 말락 해요.

Practise -(으)ㄹ락 말락 on real TOPIK questions

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More level 4 grammar

All TOPIK grammar