nhưng
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Conjunction:
- But; however; yet: A word used to connect two words, phrases, or clauses that express contrasting or opposing ideas. It introduces a statement that contrasts with what was said before it.
Usage
- Connecting Clauses: "Nhưng" is placed at the beginning of the second clause to show contrast with the first clause.
- Structure: [Clause 1], nhưng [Clause 2].
- Connecting Phrases or Words: It can also connect two contrasting elements within a sentence.
- Structure: [Element 1] nhưng [Element 2].
Usage Examples
- Connecting Clauses:
- Tôi muốn đi chơi, nhưng tôi phải học bài. (I want to go out, but I have to study.)
- Cô ấy rất bận, nhưng cô ấy vẫn luôn vui vẻ. (She is very busy, yet she is always cheerful.)
- Connecting Phrases:
- Căn phòng nhỏ nhưng sạch sẽ. (The room is small but clean.)
- Anh ấy giàu nhưng không kiêu căng. (He is rich but not arrogant.)
Advanced Usage
- "Nhưng mà": This is a common variant, slightly more conversational, with the same meaning as "nhưng".
- Tôi hiểu, nhưng mà tôi không đồng ý. (I understand, but I don't agree.)
- "Tuy... nhưng...": A correlative conjunction pair meaning "Although/Even though... but...". "Tuy" starts the first clause, and "nhưng" starts the second.
- Tuy trời mưa, nhưng chúng tôi vẫn đi. (Although it was raining, but we still went.)
Variants and Related Words
- Song: (Conjunction, more formal/literary) But, however.
- Anh ta có tài, song tính tình kiêu ngạo. (He is talented, but his character is arrogant.)
- Tuy nhiên: (Conjunction) However, nevertheless. Often used to start a new sentence.
- Dự án có nhiều khó khăn. Tuy nhiên, chúng tôi sẽ cố gắng. (The project has many difficulties. However, we will try.)
- Mà: (Conjunction) Can sometimes be used similarly to "nhưng" in conversational Vietnamese, often in the structure "... mà ...".
- Nó nhỏ mà mạnh. (It's small but strong.)
Synonyms
- Thế nhưng: But, however (emphasizes the contrast).
- Nhưng mà: But (colloquial).
- Mặc dù... nhưng...: Although... but... (similar to "Tuy... nhưng...").
Related Phrases
- Có... nhưng...: Used to concede a point before stating a stronger contrasting one. (There is... but...).
- Cô ấy có đẹp, nhưng tính tình không tốt. (She is beautiful, but her personality is not good.)
- Không những... mà còn...: Not only... but also... (Used for adding similar ideas, not contrasting ones. Included here to highlight the difference).
- Cô ấy không những thông minh mà còn chăm chỉ. (She is not only intelligent but also hardworking.)
Notes
- "Nhưng" is one of the most common and fundamental contrastive conjunctions in Vietnamese.
- In the correlative structure "Tuy... nhưng...", both parts are used together in Vietnamese, whereas in English, "but" is often omitted after "although" (e.g., "Although it rained, we went").
- The variant "nhưng mà" is very common in spoken language.
- but; yet