Recherche parmi différents professeurs en Anglais…
Nyasu
What 듯 말 듯 means?
This is the whole sentence : 닿을 듯 말 듯 알아갈 듯 말 듯
I know 닿을 (닿다) means "to touch", but what this ending?
듯 말 듯 is a negative form?
Thanks for answer x3
17 mai 2016 14:04
Réponses · 2
3
-(ㄹ/을) 듯 말 듯 => barely, almost, just about doing something (close to, but not quite happening).
말다 means "to not do something", so the expression combines "something happening" with "not happening(말다)".
As 닿다 means "touch", 닿을 듯 말 듯 is "just about touching (but not quite)".
알아가다 means "get to know someone/something", probably "get to know a person over time" in this context.
And if so, 닿다 in this context may also be a figurative way of saying "have an encounter with someone".
And 닿을 듯 말 듯(,) 알아갈 듯 말 듯 has two -듯 말 듯 phrases one after another - like separated by a comma.
So the whole phrase probably means "barely running into each other, on the verge of getting to know each other".
(But since it is missing the "who" or "what" part, we can't be sure without more of the context)
Other -듯 말 듯 examples:
- 비가 올 듯 말 듯 한다: It looks almost raining, but not quite yet.
- 들릴 듯 말 듯 한 작은 소리: a barely audible weak sound".
- 생각이 날 듯 말 듯 하다: It's on the tip of my tongue / I can almost but not quite remember.
17 mai 2016
Vous n'avez pas encore trouvé vos réponses ?
Écrivez vos questions et profitez de l'aide des locuteurs natifs !
Nyasu
Compétences linguistiques
Anglais, Hongrois, Japonais, Coréen
Langue étudiée
Japonais, Coréen
Articles qui pourraient te plaire

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
22 j'aime · 17 Commentaires

How to Sound Confident in English (Even When You’re Nervous)
17 j'aime · 12 Commentaires

Marketing Vocabulary and Phrases for Business English Learners
14 j'aime · 6 Commentaires
Plus d'articles
