ㄹ락 말다

on the verge of happening

Pairing a verb with its own negative — -ㄹ락 말락, always followed by 하다 — says something is hovering right at the edge of happening without tipping over: 비 올락 말락 해서 'it looks like it might rain but doesn't', 꿈속에 들어갈락 말락 하는 그런 느낌 'that feeling of almost dropping into a dream'. For sound it means barely audible: 들릴락 말락 하게, 'so faint you can only just catch it'.

Register: casual spoken