전에야

[Pavel Bond]

사람에 속하는 동물이 나타난것은 겨우 300만년 전에야 비로소 인간이 자신의 생활을 문자로 남기기 시작했다.
Why전에야, and not 후에?
The people began to describe themselves 3000000 years AFTER, not before their appearance?

 

[baram]

That Korean sentence doesn't sound natural to me, but "전" in Korean can also be translated into "ago". So 300만년 전에야.. means "only three million years ago" here. Hope this helps!

 

[Pavel Bond]

That Korean sentence doesn't sound natural to me, but "전" in Korean can also be translated into "ago". So 300만년 전에야.. means "only three million years ago" here. Hope this helps!

Thank you!
And how would you change this phrase to make it sound more natural?

 

[baram]

I would say(I tried not to change much): 사람에 속하는(인류로 분류되는?) 동물이 나타난 것은 겨우 300만년 전으로, 그때 비로소 인간이(or 인간은) 자신의 생활을 문자로 남기기 시작했다

 

[Pavel Bond]

I would say(I tried not to change much): 사람에 속하는(인류로 분류되는?) 동물이 나타난 것은 겨우 300만년 전으로, 그때 비로소 인간이(or 인간은) 자신의 생활을 문자로 남기기 시작했다

Thanks a lot! And let's try the 3rd version. How would you say it in the most natural, colloquial, easy-to-understand way?

 

[CharlesLee]

It's about social animals.

'사람에 속하는 동물' is 'man, a social animal.' The reason why '사람에 속하는 동물' is expressed is that humans can write

the letters of languages, while ants can never.

 

[Pavel Bond]

Thanks!