Expressing contrariness with "dao"

倒 (dào) can be used to express something is contrary to expectations, acting as a turning point in the sentence. It is generally followed by a positive comment.

Using 倒 as "However"

倒 can be used to express an unexpected situation. Note that 倒 is often followed by 也 or 又 to add further emphasis.

Structure

⋯⋯ ，Subj. + 倒 + (也 / 又) ⋯⋯

Examples

  • 他 不 是 很 努力 ，成绩 倒 也 不错 。Tā bùshì hěn nǔlì, chéngjī dào yě bùcuò.He's not very hard-working, but his score isn't bad.
  • 已经 是 春天 了，倒 又 冷 起来 了。Yǐjīng shì chūntiān le, dào yòu lěng qǐlái le.It's already spring, but it's getting cold.
  • 不 吃 药 ，病 倒 慢慢 好 了。Bù chī yào, bìng dào màn man hǎo le.I didn't take any medicine, but I'm getting better.
  • 英语 不 是 他 的 母语 ，他 说 得 倒 挺 地道 的 。Yīngyǔ bùshì tā de mǔyǔ, tā shuō dé dào tǐng dìdào de.English is not his mother language, but he speaks quite like a native speaker.

Using 倒 as "Despite"

Structure

倒 can also be used to express a concession, mostly emphasizing the positive side. 就是、但是、可是、不过 is often used to emphasize undesirable things.

Subj. + 倒 ⋯⋯ ，不过 / 但是 / 就是 ⋯⋯

Examples

  • 这 篇 文章 的 内容 倒 不错 ，就是 太 长 了 。The content of this article is great, but it's a little too long.
  • 这 件 衣服 的 样式 和 大小 倒 都 合适 ，可是 我 不 喜欢 这 个 颜色 。The style and size if this piece of clothes fit me well, but I don't like its color.
  • 你们 的 服务 倒 不错 ，但是 对 我 来说 太 贵 了 。Your service is great, but it's too expensive to me.
  • 我 倒 想 陪 你 一起 去 ，不过 要 等 到 周末 。I want to come with you, but you need to wait until this weekend.

For more on 倒, be sure to check our C1 (advanced) grammar point on expressing contrariness with 倒.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Retrieved from "https://resources.allsetlearning.com/gramwiki/?title=Expressing_contrariness_with_%22dao%22&oldid=45696"