Chinese Grammar

A Softer "but"

Clause 1, 不过 + Clause 2 Instead of just using 可是 or 但是, you can also use the softer and more informal 不过 (búguò). The meaning is closer to "however" or "nevertheless" in English.

Structure

Just like its counterparts, "不过" is a conjunction that comes between two distinct clauses.

Clause 1, 不过 + Clause 2

Examples

我想帮助你，不过 我没有空.
wǒ xiǎng bāng zhù nǐ ， bù guò wǒ méi yǒu kōng 。
I want to help you, but I don't have time.
他的汉语水平很高， 不过 他的声调不太好。
tā de hàn yǔ shuǐ píng hěn gāo ， bù guò tā de shēng diào bù tài hǎo 。
His Chinese level is very high, but his tones aren't very good.

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