语法 · HSK 2–3
虽然……但是…… (suīrán…dànshì…): "although" in Chinese
In English you say either "although" or "but", never both; in Chinese they work as a pair: 虽然 + Clause 1，但是/可是 + Clause 2: 虽然今天很冷，但是他还去游泳了 "Although it is cold today, he still went swimming". Never leave out 但是/可是/还是 in the second clause.
句型Patterns
虽然 + Subject + …，但是/可是 + Subject + …Subject can go after 虽然 or before it.Subject + 虽然 + …，但是 + (还/还是) + …Adding 还是 ("still") makes the contrast natural.
例句Examples
- 虽然这件衣服很贵，但是质量非常好。suī rán zhè jiàn yī fu hěn guì, dàn shì zhì liàng fēi cháng hǎo.Although this piece of clothing is expensive, the quality is very good.
- 他虽然只学了一年中文，但是说得很流利。tā suī rán zhī xué le yì nián zhōng wén, dàn shì shuō de hěn liú lì.Although he has only studied Chinese for a year, he speaks fluently.
- 虽然下雨了，可是我们还是去爬山了。suī rán xià yǔ le, kě shì wǒ men hái shì qù pá shān le.Although it rained, we still went hiking.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗虽然我很累，我去了上课。
✓虽然我很累，但是我还是去上课了。
Chinese requires 但是, 可是 or 还是 in the second clause to complete 虽然.
-
✗虽然他很忙，但是他来帮我。
✓虽然他很忙，但是他还是来帮我了。
When the subject of the second clause is a pronoun, 但是 always goes at the start of the clause, before the subject.
重点词语Words in this guide
Common questions
Can I drop 虽然 and only keep 但是?
Yes. Saying 这件衣服很贵，但是质量很好 is completely natural; dropping 但是 while keeping 虽然 sounds unfinished.