が (Conjunction) / でも / しかし / だが / だけど Japanese Grammar Lesson
Grammar Type: Conjunction
Essential Meaning: But / However
Construction: Sentence 1 が Sentence 2
Notes:
- が (Conjunction) is similar to the English conjunctions “But” or “However” in the sense that it joins two independent clauses that express contrasting ideas. However, が (Conjunction) differs from the English words “But” and “However” in three key ways:
- (1) が (Conjunction) connects to Sentence 1 rather than to Sentence 2. Therefore, it is inappropriate to place a comma before が or to begin a sentence with が.
- E.g. *ジョンは来た、がメアリーは来なかった。[As for John, he came, but, as for Mary, she did not come.] が belongs at the end of Sentence 1, not at the beginning of Sentence 2.
- E.g. *ジョンは来た。がメアリーは来なかった。[As for John, he came. But, as for Mary, she did not come.] A sentence can not begin with が (Conjunction).
- (2) が (Conjunction) conveys a weaker sense of contrast than its English equivalents do. In some cases, が (Conjunction) expresses NO contrast whatsoever and is simply used for stylistic purposes. For example, が is sometimes used to connect two closely related sentences, similarly to the semicolon in English.
- E.g. パーティーをしますが来ませんか。[We’re having a party; would you like to come?]
- E.g. 田中さんは私のうちにもときどき来ますが面白い人ですね。[Mr. Tanaka comes to my house too sometimes. He’s an interesting person, isn’t he?]
- (3) In the structure Sentence 1 が Sentence 2, Sentence 2 can be omitted if it is clear from context what the speaker intends to say. This omission can make the structure less direct or more polite.
- E.g. 大丈夫と思いますが… [I think it’s OK, but…]
- E.g. トムはよく勉強するんですが… [Tom studies hard, but…]
- E.g. 駅に行きたいんですが… [I want to go to the station, but…]
- (1) が (Conjunction) connects to Sentence 1 rather than to Sentence 2. Therefore, it is inappropriate to place a comma before が or to begin a sentence with が.
- In the structure Sentence 1 が Sentence 2, the two sentences must be parallel with respect to formality level (i.e. both formal or both informal).
- E.g. *太郎は泳ぎましたが次郎は泳がなかった。[Taro swam, but Jiro didn’t swim.] This example is strange and incorrect because Sentence 1 uses a formal predicate and Sentence 2 uses an informal predicate.
- E.g. 太郎は泳ぎましたが次郎は泳ぎませんでした。[Taro swam, but Jiro didn’t swim.] This example is OK because both Sentence 1 and Sentence 2 use formal predicates.
- When Sentence 1 and Sentence 2 express contrasting ideas, the topics of the two sentences tend to take the contrastive は particle.
- E.g. 私はビールは飲むが酒は飲まない。[I drink beer, but I don’t drink sake.]
- だが, だけど, でも, しかし, and けれども all have the same contrastive meaning as が (Conjunction), but there are some slight differences.
- (1) だが, だけど, でも, and しかし are all used at the beginning of sentences, while が (Conjunction) is used at the end of sentences. Consequently, a comma or period can precede だが, だけど, でも, and しかし.
- E.g. アニメが好き。しかし、鬼滅の刃は見たことがない。[I like anime. However, I haven’t seen Demon Slayer.] In this case, しかし appears at the beginning of Sentence 2 and not at the end of sentence 1.
- (2) けれども is a subordinating conjunction with a similar meaning to the English subordinators “Though” or “Although“. In the structure Sentence 1 けれども Sentence 2, Sentence 1 is a subordinate clause and Sentence 2 is the main clause. With が (Conjunction), both sentences are independent clauses.
- E.g. 彼は貧しいけれども幸運だ。[Though he is poor, he is fortunate.] In this case, 彼は貧しいけれども is a subordinate clause, and 幸運だ is the main clause.
- (1) だが, だけど, でも, and しかし are all used at the beginning of sentences, while が (Conjunction) is used at the end of sentences. Consequently, a comma or period can precede だが, だけど, でも, and しかし.
Example Sentences:
ジョンは来たがメアリーは来なかった。[John came, but Mary did not come.]
旅行をしたいがお金がない。[I want to travel, but I don’t have money.]
私はビールは飲むが酒は飲まない。[I drink beer, but I don’t drink sake.]
WILD Examples:
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