- Hello and welcome back.
I'm Aly, I'm your teacher.
Today, I'm gonna take your English
from beginner to advanced,
depending on how much you wanna learn today.
So feel free to skip to your level
or just watch everything for a full lesson.
Beginner A1, "but."
What is a conjunction?
Well, look at these two sentences.
I don't want to sleep.
I want to play video games.
We can connect these two sentences with the word "because."
Because is a conjunction.
It connects two sentences together
and shows the relationship between the two.
I don't want to sleep because I want to play video games.
This is very true for me.
Hmm, let's change this example.
In this example, we have a contradiction.
Usually, if something hurts, that's not good.
Conjunction, conjunction.
How do we connect these?
To connect a contradiction, use "but".
Mm, it hurts, but I like spicy food.
Now, create your own sentence using "but" in the comments.
Now, let's get more spicy.
Change "but" to "however".
Elementary A2.
There are a few ways we use "however".
First, we usually use a comma after "however"
just because grammar, and second,
it's more interesting than "but".
Let me show you.
He is thinking about his date yesterday.
Hmm, I had a lot of fun.
However gives more pause
and makes the contradiction look bigger.
I had a lot of fun yesterday.
However, she talked a lot about her ex.
Using "however" instead of "but"
makes this seem more important,
a bigger contradiction and maybe more of a problem for you.
If you use "but", it just sounds more casual.
Yeah, I had fun, but she talked a lot about her ex.
See, it just sounds more casual.
It's not a big, important contradiction or problem.
Another fun way to use however
is to add an extra piece of information,
maybe to compare something or show how it's different.
Maybe in suggestions like this.
For example, your friend has an extra Ed Sheeran ticket.
She wants to give it to you, but you are like, "Ed Sheeran?
I don't like Ed Sheeran."
Oh.
You, however, might like him.
This is like a by the way.
It's extra information.
And notice the placement of "however" here.
Comma here, comma there.
And "however" is also used as an adverb.
Meaning, it doesn't matter how.
The method isn't important.
Or it doesn't matter how much of something.
For example,
if you go to a restaurant, you ask for a burger.
They might say, "How do you want the burger?
Rare, medium, well?"
Quick cooking tip, rare means not much cooking.
Lots of blood.
Well means lots of cooking.
It's almost burned.
Medium is somewhere in the middle.
But if you are like me and you don't care,
it's not important, you could say this.
"I don't mind.
However."
That's not a helpful answer.
I know, but that's what that means in this situation.
Also, yes, "however" can sound more formal,
and as you know, formality creates distance
and makes things seem more indirect.
So it's great to use in business examples, essays
if you want your writing to look better,
or examples like this.
So now create your sentences in the comments.
Try to use each type of "however".
Intermediate levels, B1 and B2.
Although, even though, and though.
I really like the word "though".
I don't know why, it's just really fun to use.
It's a type of "but".
It's a contradicting conjunction.
It's more fun.
And it lives in different places in a sentence.
Let me show you.
If someone offers you chicken but you are a vegetarian,
maybe you'll say this.
It smells great.
I can't eat it.
We'll use "though" for this.
Notice "though" can be here, here, or here.
It smells great.
I can't eat it though.
Just know that here at the beginning
or here in the middle can sound maybe too formal
or maybe too old fashioned and a bit weird.
The grammar is still good, is still fine.
However, in spoken English, it's usually best at the end.
And it adds so much meaning
and maybe hidden implication to your sentence.
Your friend introduces you to her brother.
This is the type of sentence
that I get asked about all the time.
How can we use though in this way?
He's cute though.
You are almost implying something which you don't say.
In this case, it's like,
I know I shouldn't say this because he's your brother,
but he's cute though.
She could say the whole sentence.
Yes, he's your brother.
Yes, I'm your friend.
He's cute though.
She doesn't need to say that first bit.
With this, we imply something without saying it.
You can also use "though" to give extra information.
Same as "however", like this.
You went to a party.
You didn't have fun.
I didn't have fun at the party.
Becky, though, had lots of fun.
And remember to put a comma there and there.
Although and even though are a bit different.
They're more specific in their meaning.
Even though he's my brother, you wanna date him?
They're saying, yes, this is true.
But this did not affect this.
Or ultimately, this doesn't matter
because this is more important.
Yes, even though it could ruin our friendship,
I wanna date your brother.
Even though it could ruin our friendship,
that doesn't matter.
I wanna date your brother.
That is what matters.
That does not affect this.
And we can change even though for although.
Just remember, this goes before the sentence,
the situation which should affect this,
but it doesn't affect this.
Because again, this is more important.
This is what matters.
So let me show you how that works.
Your friend invites you to their barbecue.
You want to go, but you have to work.
Boo.
So you could say, "Although I wanna come, I have to work.
I want to come, but that doesn't matter.
I have to work."
So in this case, he's not going to the barbecue.
Now let's change it.
Although I have to work, I wanna come to your barbecue.
So now he's saying, yeah, I have to work,
but that's not important to me.
I wanna go to your barbecue.
So maybe, yeah, he's gonna go to the barbecue.
Now is your turn.
Use even though, although, and though
in your own examples in the comments.
Advanced, C1 to C2, despite and in spite of.
And finally.
Oh, hi, who are you?
- I'm Stella.
- Hey, Stella.
Why are you crying?
What's up? - I'm so sad.
Two years I study English.
I can't speak English.
- Oh, no, Stella, you sound great,
but let me just change your sentence a little bit, okay?
- No, it's so bad. - No, no, no, no, don't cry.
Don't cry.
I'm just changing this, see?
Now it's great, now it's perfect.
- After two years, I should be perfect.
- Perfect after two years?
No way, Stella.
Hey, you know what?
- What?
- I'm gonna teach you something very special, okay?
- Okay.
- You said I've been learning English for two years.
- Yes, but I can't speak English.
However, I can't speak English.
I can't speak English though.
- Nice example, Stella.
- Thanks.
- Yeah, and we can change that but.
- My but?
- Your but.
When something like studying English for two years
doesn't have the effect or the result that you expected,
like speaking English,
we have something special for them,
"despite" or "in spite of".
- Despite, I can't speak English.
- Ah, well, not exactly.
No, no, Stella, don't cry.
You're great.
This one's my fault.
I didn't explain everything.
So when we use "despite" or "in spite of",
it works the same as "although" or "even though".
This goes with this sentence
that should affect this result but didn't.
We get rid of the subject
and keep the verb as an -ing form.
- Oh, okay.
So despite studying for two years, I can't speak English.
- Perfect, high five.
- Yeah.
- Just remember to put "despite", "in spite of"
in front of the situation which should affect the results
or you expect it to affect the results but it didn't.
So again, great example.
- Ah, thank you.
- No, you are amazing.
You did that on your own.
- Aly, I love how confident you are.
- That's really nice of you.
Thanks for that nice compliment.
- You're so confident for someone who is not pretty.
You're confident.
I admire you.
- Oh, that's not really a compliment.
- Now, I wanna use our negative sentence.
- That sentence sounded pretty negative.
- In spite of not being pretty, you are very confident.
High five? - The grammar is good, but.
- High five?
- Sure, high five.
- Yeah!
- So maybe we'll do "despite" and "in spite of"
a bit more in a moment.
But now, looks like a really good time to teach you
backhanded compliments.
A backhanded compliment is when someone says
something nice to you,
but that compliment is inside an insult.
So it's not actually nice at all.
It's like when someone says,
"Wow, you look really nice in this light,"
implying that in other lights, you look really ugly.
Or you are really fast at running for someone of your size.
It's a compliment inside an insult.
Do you have this in your language?
What do you call it?
Again, in English, it's a backhanded compliment,
but I'd love to know what it's called in your language,
and try your own backhanded compliments
on me in the comments.
Don't worry, it's safe.
Oh, Stella's back.
Hey, Stella.
- I studied more.
- Amazing.
What did you learn?
- I can also say "despite the fact that"
in full sentence.
- Yes, for example?
- So despite the fact that you have no friends,
you're very friendly.
- Huh.
- Or despite plus noun, right?
- Yeah. - Okay.
Despite your British teeth, you have a nice face.
- Wow, your English suddenly improved a lot, huh?
- Your bad teeth don't affect your face.
- Another backhanded compliment.
Well done, Stella.
- Despite that, will you still teach me?
I really enjoy your classes.
- Yes, of course.
In fact, I'm gonna put you in my ebook.
You're gonna help everyone study this lesson
and remember it forever.
See, look, there you are, lesson 61.
- 61 lessons?
- Yeah, more than that actually.
I'm adding more every month.
- You wrote and drew everything?
- Yep.
- And I'm in here too?
- Yep.
- People can buy this?
- Yes, on patreon.com/papateachme,
or my website, papateachme.com.
- High five.
- High five, Stella.
- Yeah.
(soft gentle music)