哈囉，大家好！ 哈啰，大家好！
I’m Grace.
Did you know that using 但是 (but) and 可是 (but)
actually convey subtle differences in attitudes?
In this video, you'll learn about their nuances
so you can better understand which one to use
in different situations.
When 但是 and 可是 are used as conjunctions,
they express the meaning of “but”.
So 但是 and 可是 can both be used
to show a contrast or
to introduce something different
from what was said before.
Generally speaking,
但是 is used more frequently than 可是.
In a lot of cases, they’re interchangeable.
But there are situations
where one is preferred over the other,
because there are still some differences between them.
Now, let’s talk about it!
但是 is used more broadly.
It’s often used both in speaking and writing.
When 但是 is used to introduce a contrasting idea
or unexpected twist,
usually what you’re going to say after 但是
is what you want to emphasize,
what you want listeners to focus on.
For example,
Here the speaker wants to emphasize that
他的個性不好 (he has a bad personality).
但是 also shows a rather firm attitude
when expressing “but”,
so here are some common situations
where 但是 is preferred over 可是:
Here she used 但是 to express “but”.
Since 但是 conveys a firm attitude,
it's often used when you're arguing strongly with others.
Here the teacher used 但是
when making a firm request to the students.
We also prefer to use 但是 with 雖然,
so the structure would be:
雖然 (although) ……，但是 (but) ……
For example,
Another example,
可是 can also be used with 雖然,
but it’s not as common.
Now let’s talk about the characteristics of 可是.
可是 is more often used in speaking than in writing.
Compared to 但是,
the tone of voice of 可是 is softer,
so It’s often used to tactfully introduce
a contrasting or different thought.
Here are some situations
where it’s preferable to use 可是：
Here, the person said “可是你不是說你不想吃嗎？”,
she used “可是” to ask the question gently.
If you replace 可是 with 但是,
your tone of voice becomes stronger.
So compared to 但是,
可是 is more often used with questions.
Because most of the time,
when we ask questions,
we use a softer tone to be polite.
The next situation 可是 is often used is…
Here the person wanted to eat
at a certain restaurant,
but she (person B) thought the restaurant
looked too expensive
so she used 可是 to help express
her contrary opinion to her friend’s.
Another example,
Here she uses “可是” to tactfully bring up bad news
that conflicts with what her friend expected.
Alright! Now let’s do a quick summary of today’s lesson:
Both 但是 and 可是 can be used
to introduce a contrasting statement.
They express roughly the same meaning,
so in many cases,
they're interchangeable.
However, some situations favor one over the other.
Generally speaking,
但是 is used more broadly
both in speaking and in writing.
Since it shows a firmer attitude,
it can be found in
news articles, essays, and research papers
where a strong and confident voice might be desired.
Compared to 但是,
using 可是 makes your tone of voice softer,
so it’s often used in daily speaking,
especially when you want to gently ask a question
or express a contrasting view.
Alright, that’s all for today!
I hope you found today's video helpful.
If you're curious about
how to distinguish between other synonyms,
feel free to leave a comment letting me know
which synonyms you'd like me to analyze next.
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check out my Instagram @gracemandarin
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