Expressing "although" with "suiran" and "danshi"

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The grammar pattern "虽然⋯⋯ 但是⋯⋯" (suīrán... dànshì...) is one of the most common used patterns in Chinese, especially in written Chinese. You can think of it as meaning "although," but unlike in English, you still need to follow it with a "but" word in Chinese.

Structure

"虽然(suīrán) ⋯⋯ ,但是(dànshì) ⋯⋯ " expresses that while the former part of the sentence is true, there is an adverse reaction in the latter part.

虽然 ⋯⋯ ,但是 ⋯⋯

Simply put, the pattern means, although..., but... In English, you wouldn't normally need the "but" there, but it is required in Chinese. Be aware that "可是" can be used interchangeably with "但是" for the "but" part.

Examples

  • 虽然 爷爷 已经 五十 多 了 ,但是 他 精神 很 好 。 Although grandpa is old, he look very well.
  • 虽然 她 说 不 太 饿 ,但是 她 点 了 很 多 菜 。Suīrán tā shuō bù tài è, dànshì tā diǎn le hěn duō cài.Even though she said she isn't hungry, she ordered a lot of food.
  • 虽然 他 家 很 有钱,可是 他 从来 不 浪费 钱 。Suīrán tā jiā hěn yǒuqián, kěshì tā cónglái bù làngfèi qián.Even though his family is rich, he never wastes money.
  • 虽然 这 次 考试 不 重要 ,但是 我 也 要 好好 准备 。Suīrán zhè cì kǎoshì bù zhòngyào, dànshì wǒ yě yào hǎohǎo zhǔnbèi.Although
this exam is not important, I'm going to prepare well anyway.
  • 虽然但是Although .
  • 这 件 衣服 虽然 很 贵 ,但是 质量 很 好 。Zhè jiàn yīfu suīrán hěn guì, dànshì zhìliàng hěn hǎo.Although this piece of clothing is expensive, the quality is pretty good.
  • 虽然 他 已经 在 上海 住 了 两 年 了 ,但是 还 不太 了解 这个 城市 。 Suīrán tā yǐjīng zài Shànghǎi zhù le liǎng nián le, dànshì hái bù tài liǎojiě zhège chéngshì.Although he's been living Shanghai for two years, he still doesn't know much about this city.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books