けど / けれども
- 1Links two contrasting clauses with the sense of “but” or “although.”Ex. 1
- 2Introduces background before a request or question to make it less direct.Ex. 2
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けど is common in conversation, while けれども sounds more careful and formal, including in speech. Before a request or question, んですけど can introduce background; sentence-final けど can leave the rest of a thought implied.
Learners should use だ or です before けど after nouns and な-adjectives in the basic pattern.
Note that sentence-final けど can leave a request or contrasting thought for the listener to infer.
- がN5When が works as a conjunctive particle, it is close in meaning to けど／けれども; for contrast or as a lead-in, the two are often interchangeable, but が sounds slightly more formal. After nouns and な-adjectives, use だが／ですが — you cannot drop だ. が can also mark the subject.
- だけどN3だけど is formed from だ＋けど and attaches directly to nouns and な-adjectives; with verbs and い-adjectives, use んだけど — you cannot say 高いだけど. It can also appear at the start of a sentence as a conjunction. Its tone is casual; in formal situations, use けれども instead.
- でもN5The particle でも attaches to nouns (including noun＋particle) and question words, meaning 'things like…', 'even if…', or 'no matter…', and cannot be swapped with けど; でも at the start of a sentence means 'but', which is close to the contrastive けど.
- のにN4のに overlaps with けど only in its contrastive sense, but it carries surprise, dissatisfaction, or regret, and the following clause cannot contain commands, requests, or volition. Sentence-final のに expresses regret, not softness. After nouns and な-adjectives, use なのに.
- もののN2ものの corresponds only to the contrastive sense of けど, is rather written/formal in style, and the following clause is usually an outcome that falls short of expectations; it does not take volition, commands, or requests. After nouns, use であるものの, and it cannot be used to lead into a request or at the end of a sentence.
が can serve similar contrastive and prefatory functions more formally; だけど can link clauses after nouns or な-adjectives, while でも commonly begins a new sentence. のに suggests a result contrary to expectations, often with dissatisfaction, while ものの is a written concessive “although.”
