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

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 他 是 美国 人 ,但是 他 还 没 去 过 华盛顿。 Suīrán tā shì Měiguó rén, dànshì tā hái méi qùguò Huáshèngdùn.Although he's American, he still hasn't been to Washington D.C.
  • 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 的 家里 很 有钱,可是 他 从来 不浪费 钱。Suīrán tā de jiālǐ hěn yǒu qián, kěshì tā cónglái bù làngfèi qián.Even though he‘s got a rich family, he never wastes money.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books