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Grammar / Level 4 / Lesson 96

ㄹ까 말까, ㄹ락 말락, 고야 말겠다: the 말다 family

By Daniel Buckley · 13 minute read · TOPIK 5

Vocabulary

  1. 고민하다 - to agonise over, to go back and forth
  2. 망설이다 - to hesitate
  3. 상관없다 - to make no difference
  4. 닿다 - to touch, to reach
  5. 들리다 - to be heard
  6. 보이다 - to be seen, to be visible
  7. 인사 - a greeting
  8. 합격하다 - to pass (an exam)
  9. 끊다 - to quit, to cut off
  10. 반드시 - without fail

You're outside a shop with your hand on the door, not sure you want to go in. Korean has a phrase for that exact moment: 들어갈까 말까. Shall I go in, shall I not.

말다 is the verb behind 지 마세요, and it means not doing a thing. Korean likes to stand a verb next to 말다, and the pair tells you how far the action got, or how little anyone cares. The last section turns to a different 말다, the one you met in 고 말다, and makes a vow out of it.

A verb beside its own negative

Four of these forms have the same shape: the verb takes an ending, then 말다 takes the same ending. 말다 is an ordinary ㄹ verb, so its ㄹ behaves as usual. That's why you get 말까 and 마는.

The four pairs

  • Can't decide: ㄹ/을까 말까갈까 말까먹을까 말까
  • Don't care: 거나 말거나가거나 말거나먹거나 말거나
  • Right on the edge: ㄹ/을락 말락보일락 말락닿을락 말락
  • Barely doing it: 는 둥 마는 둥자는 둥 마는 둥먹는 둥 마는 둥

ㄹ/을까 말까: shall I or shan't I

This is the everyday one, and you'll use it yourself. It's ㄹ/을까 asked twice, once each way. It often runs straight into 고민하다, 망설이다 or 하다.

Pick a verb

가다가갈까 말까

  1. 머리를 자를까 말까 고민 중이에요.

    I'm trying to decide whether to get my hair cut.

  2. 전화를 할까 말까 한참 망설였어요.

    I went back and forth for ages over whether to call.

  3. 이 코트 살까 말까?

    Should I buy this coat or not?

  4. 갈까 말까 할 때는 가는 게 좋아요.

    When you can't decide whether to go, go.

Put a number or a limit in the sentence and the doubt moves onto the amount. Will it reach that figure or won't it? So 일 년에 한 번 볼까 말까 해요 means once a year at best.

  1. 그 친구는 일 년에 한 번 볼까 말까 해요.

    I see that friend once a year at best.

  2. 하루에 손님이 열 명 올까 말까 한 작은 가게예요.

    It's a tiny shop that gets ten customers a day, if that.

거나 말거나: I don't care which

거나 offers two options, and here the options are "does" and "doesn't". The speaker is waving both away, so it often sounds dismissive. 믿거나 말거나 is a set phrase, close to the English "believe it or not".

  1. 민수가 오거나 말거나 상관없어요.

    It makes no difference to me whether Minsu comes or not.

  2. 비가 오거나 말거나 저는 나갈 거예요.

    Rain or no rain, I'm going out.

  3. 남들이 보거나 말거나 그는 계속 노래를 불렀다.

    He went on singing, whether anyone was watching or not.

  4. 믿거나 말거나 이건 진짜 있었던 일이에요.

    Believe it or not, this really happened.

※ In conversation you may hear 든지 doing this more often: 가든지 말든지 마음대로 해. Do what you like, go or don't. You'll also hear the short form, 오건 말건. All of these can sound cold, so check who you're talking to.

ㄹ/을락 말락: right on the edge

This one sits exactly at the point where a thing is about to count as happening, and it doesn't quite tip over. It goes on verbs, and the usual ones are about sight, sound and touch. You'll read it in descriptions more often than you'll say it, though it does turn up in speech.

Pick a verb

닿다닿닿을락 말락

  1. 손을 뻗으면 천장에 닿을락 말락 해요.

    If I stretch out my arm, my hand only just reaches the ceiling.

  2. 멀리 작은 섬이 보일락 말락 해요.

    A little island is only just visible in the distance.

  3. 그는 들릴락 말락 한 목소리로 말했다.

    He spoke in a voice you could barely hear.

  4. 아이는 웃을락 말락 한 표정으로 엄마를 봤다.

    The child looked at their mother, on the verge of a smile.

는 둥 마는 둥: barely doing it

둥 is a small noun that can't stand alone. The phrase says you could look at someone and not be sure the action was really happening. It's fine in speech and common in stories, with things people do with half their mind, like eating or listening.

Pick a verb

먹다먹먹는 둥 마는 둥

  1. 아침을 먹는 둥 마는 둥 하고 나갔어요.

    I hardly touched breakfast and went out.

  2. 제가 말하는데 듣는 둥 마는 둥 해요.

    I talk to him and he only half listens.

  3. 어젯밤에는 자는 둥 마는 둥 했어요.

    I barely slept last night.

  4. 그 사람은 제 인사를 받는 둥 마는 둥 하고 지나갔어요.

    He barely acknowledged my hello and walked past.

  1. 유학을 갈까 말까 고민하고 있어요.

  2. 네가 듣거나 말거나 나는 끝까지 말할 거야.

  3. 머리가 어깨에 닿을락 말락 해요.

  4. 숙제를 하는 둥 마는 둥 하고 잤어요.

  5. 문자를 보낼까 말까 한참 생각했어요.

  6. 그 소리는 들릴락 말락 했어요.

Listen and type

1 / 3

Play it as often as you like.

고 말겠다, 고야 말겠다: a vow

고 말다 says a thing ran on to its end, usually against your wishes. Add 겠 and the speaker takes charge of that end: this will finish, and I'll be the one who finishes it. It's the language of New Year resolutions and sports interviews.

고야 말겠다 adds (이)야 and lands harder. Both usually come with 꼭 or 반드시, and they're usually first person. You'd use them for something that really matters, or as a joke about something that doesn't.

Making the vow

  • Stem + 고 말겠다.합격하다 → 합격하고 말겠어요이기다 → 이기고 말겠습니다
  • Stem + 고야 말겠다, for more force.끊다 → 끊고야 말겠어끝내다 → 끝내고야 말겠습니다

Pick a verb

이기다이기이기고야 말겠어요

  1. 올해는 꼭 합격하고 말겠어요.

    I will pass this year, whatever it takes.

  2. 이번에는 반드시 이기고 말겠습니다.

    We will win this time.

  3. 올해는 담배를 꼭 끊고야 말겠어.

    I'm quitting smoking this year, and that's final.

  4. 무슨 일이 있어도 이 일을 끝내고야 말겠습니다.

    Whatever happens, I will see this through.

A relative looks similar. 고야 말았다, in the past, says it finally happened, and that can be good or bad.

  1. 그는 결국 꿈을 이루고야 말았다.

    In the end he did achieve his dream.

In a conversation

A

그 회사에 지원했어요?

That company applied to?

B

아직이요. 할까 말까 계속 고민 중이에요.

Not yet. Shall I, shan't I, continuing to agonise.

A

저번에는 꼭 들어가고 말겠다고 했잖아요.

Last time, surely will get in, you said, you know.

B

그랬죠. 그런데 떨어지면 창피할 것 같아서요.

I did. But if I fall, seems embarrassing, so.

A

남들이 뭐라고 하거나 말거나 일단 해 보세요.

Others what say or not say, first try.

B

네. 오늘은 꼭 지원서를 쓰고야 말겠어요.

Yes. Today surely application will write, finally.

Common mistakes

  1. 살까 말을까 고민 중이에요.

    살까 말까 고민 중이에요.

    말다 is an ㄹ verb, so ㄹ까 joins it with no 을.

  2. 밥을 먹는 둥 말는 둥 했어요.

    밥을 먹는 둥 마는 둥 했어요.

    ㄹ drops before 는, so 말다 gives 마는.

  3. 내일 시험에 꼭 합격하고 말았어요.

    내일 시험에 꼭 합격하고 말겠어요.

    A vow looks ahead and takes 겠. 고 말았어요 reports what already happened.

Check yourself

Quick check

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머리를 ___ 고민 중이에요. (자르다, use ㄹ/을까 말까) I'm trying to decide whether to get my hair cut.

자르다 has an open stem, so it takes ㄹ까.

Summary

ㄹ/을까 말까 forms
DictionaryStemㄹ/을까 말까
가다가갈까 말까
먹다먹먹을까 말까
듣다듣들을까 말까
만들다만들만들까 말까
거나 말거나 forms
DictionaryStem거나 말거나
가다가가거나 말거나
먹다먹먹거나 말거나
듣다듣듣거나 말거나
만들다만들만들거나 말거나
ㄹ/을락 말락 forms
DictionaryStemㄹ/을락 말락
닿다닿닿을락 말락
보이다보이보일락 말락
들리다들리들릴락 말락
울다울울락 말락
는 둥 마는 둥 forms
DictionaryStem는 둥 마는 둥
먹다먹먹는 둥 마는 둥
듣다듣듣는 둥 마는 둥
자다자자는 둥 마는 둥
만들다만들만드는 둥 마는 둥
고야 말겠다 forms
DictionaryStem고야 말겠다
이기다이기이기고야 말겠다
끝내다끝내끝내고야 말겠다
찾다찾찾고야 말겠다
만들다만들만들고야 말겠다

Now you can say

  1. 전화를 할까 말까 한참 망설였어요.

    I went back and forth for ages over whether to call.

  2. 어젯밤에는 자는 둥 마는 둥 했어요.

    I barely slept last night.

  3. 올해는 꼭 합격하고 말겠어요.

    I will pass this year, whatever it takes.

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