A softer "but" with "buguo"

Instead of just using 可是 or 但是, you can also use the softer and more informal 不过 (búguò). The meaning is closer to "however" or "nevertheless" in English.

Structure

Just like its counterparts, "不过" is a conjunction that comes between two distinct clauses.

Clause 1, 不过 + Clause 2

Examples

• 喝 白酒 可以，不过 酒 的 度 数 不 能 太 高。Hē báijiǔ kěyǐ, bùguò jiǔ de dù shǔ bùnéng tài gāo.Drinking white wine is okay, but the alcoholic content cannot be too high.
• 我 想 帮助 你，不过 我 没有 空。Wǒ xiǎng bāngzhù nǐ, bùguò wǒ méiyǒu kōng.I want to help you, but I don't have time.
• 他 的 汉语 水平 很 高，不过 他 的 声调 不 太 好。Tā de Hànyǔ shuǐpíng hěn gāo, bùguò tā de shēngdiào bù tài hǎo.His Chinese level is very high, but his tones aren't very good.

See also

• Two words for "but"
• "Although" with "suiran" and "danshi"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 258) →buy
• Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇) (pp. 23) →buy
• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 254) →buy
• Boya Chinese Lower Intermediate 1 (博雅汉语准中级加速篇) (pp. 12) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (p. 163) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (p. 96) →buy