だけど (dakedo)
だけど — but, however (casual)
Pattern
-
A。 だけど、B。A. だけど、B. (A. But B.) -
だけど／だけれども／ですけどだけれども is slightly more careful; ですけど is polite
Sentence-initial だけど
It stands alone at the beginning of a sentence and means that what follows goes against the expectation set by the previous sentence: 行きたい。だけど、お金がない。 The speaker usually shows reluctance, regret or a limit.
Levels of formality
だけど is casual. In more polite speech, use でも or ですが; in formal writing, use しかし. Do not confuse it with だけ + ど: it is a conjunction that comes between two sentences.
Examples
-
行（い）きたい。だけど、お金（かね）がない。
Ikitai. Dakedo, okane ga nai.
I want to go. But I have no money.
-
この料理（りょうり）はおいしい。だけど、少（すこ）し辛（から）すぎる。
Kono ryōri wa oishii. Dakedo, sukoshi karasugiru.
This dish is delicious. But it's a little too spicy.
-
手伝（てつだ）いたい。だけど、今日（きょう）は時間（じかん）がないんだ。
Tetsudaitai. Dakedo, kyō wa jikan ga nai n da.
I want to help. But I don't have time today.
Common mistakes
- It is casual. In essays and formal speech, use しかし or ですが.
- Do not confuse it with the particle けど inside one sentence. Here, it begins a new sentence.
More grammar points
- ばよかった ～ばよかった — I should have ～, if only I had ～
- ばかりで ～ばかりで — only ～ (and nothing else, with a negative feeling)
- ばかりでなく ～ばかりでなく — not only ～ but also ～
- だけでなく ～だけでなく — not only ～ but also ～
- ふりをする ～ふりをする — pretending to ～
- 一方（いっぽう）だ ～一方だ — keeps ～ing in one direction
- 一体（いったい） 一体 — what on earth ～ (emphasizing a question)
- じゃない ～じゃない — isn't it ～! (surprise or confirmation)
- か何（なに）か ～か何か — ～ or something
- 代（か）わりに ～代わりに — instead of ～, in return for ～
- 結局（けっきょく） 結局 — in the end, after all
- きり ～きり — only ～; ever since ～
- っけ ～っけ — was it ～? (recalling)
- ことになっている ～ことになっている — it is the rule or plan that ～
- ことは～が ～ことは～が — it is true that ～, but ～
- くせに ～くせに — even though ～ (with reproach)
- も～ば～も A も ～ば B も ～ — both A and B
- むしろ むしろ — rather, if anything
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