Lesson 6: Concessive and Causal Connectives

Overview

Chinese uses paired connectives (关联词, guānlián cí) to link clauses in complex sentences. Unlike English, Chinese often requires both halves of the pair to be present for a grammatically complete and natural sentence. This lesson covers the three most important pairs at HSK 3 level: concessive 虽然...但是, causal 因为...所以, and emphatic concessive 尽管...还是.

Learning Objectives

• Use 虽然...但是 to express "although...nevertheless"
• Use 因为...所以 to express cause and effect
• Use 尽管...还是 for stronger concessive meaning ("despite...still")
• Understand subject placement rules within paired connective sentences

Vocabulary

Character	Pinyin	Type	Meaning	Example
虽然	suīrán	conj	although, even though	虽然很累
但是	dànshì	conj	but, however	但是很开心
因为	yīnwèi	conj	because	因为下雨
所以	suǒyǐ	conj	therefore, so	所以没去
尽管	jǐnguǎn	conj	despite, even though (strong)	尽管困难
还是	háishi	adv	still (in concessive context)	还是做到了
可是	kěshì	conj	but (softer than 但是)	可是没有时间
然而	rán'ér	conj	however (formal/written)	然而失败了
既然	jìrán	conj	since, given that	既然决定了
不过	bùguò	conj	but, however (casual)	不过有点贵
反而	fǎn'ér	adv	on the contrary, instead	反而更好了
却	què	adv	but, yet (literary contrast)	他累，却不休息
由于	yóuyú	prep	due to, because of (formal)	由于天气
因此	yīncǐ	conj	therefore (formal)	因此取消了

Grammar Focus

Pattern 1: 虽然...但是 — Although...But

Structure: 虽然 + Clause 1, 但是/可是 + Clause 2

虽然 introduces a concessive clause (something true but not the whole story). 但是 or 可是 introduces the contrasting main point. When the subjects of both clauses are the same, 虽然 comes after the subject. When the subjects differ, 虽然 begins the sentence.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
虽然今天很冷，但是我还是要去跑步。	Suīrán jīntiān hěn lěng, dànshì wǒ háishi yào qù pǎobù.	Although today is cold, I still want to go running.
他虽然很忙，但是从来不忘记朋友。	Tā suīrán hěn máng, dànshì cónglái bù wàngjì péngyǒu.	Although he is very busy, he never forgets his friends.
这家餐厅虽然贵，可是味道真的很好。	Zhè jiā cāntīng suīrán guì, kěshì wèidào zhēn de hěn hǎo.	Although this restaurant is expensive, the food is really good.

Common mistake: Using 虽然 and 但是 in separate sentences. They must connect clauses in one sentence. Also, never use 虽然...但是 with 因为...所以 in the same sentence.

Pattern 2: 因为...所以 — Because...Therefore

Structure: 因为 + Cause Clause, 所以 + Result Clause

This is a complete cause-and-effect pair. In casual speech, either 因为 or 所以 can be dropped, but in formal speech and writing, both are typically present. 因为 can also appear mid-sentence after the subject.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
因为昨天下大雨，所以比赛推迟了。	Yīnwèi zuótiān xià dàyǔ, suǒyǐ bǐsài tuīchí le.	Because it rained heavily yesterday, the match was postponed.
我因为头疼，所以没去上班。	Wǒ yīnwèi tóuténg, suǒyǐ méi qù shàngbān.	Because I had a headache, I didn't go to work.
因为她非常努力，所以成绩一直很好。	Yīnwèi tā fēicháng nǔlì, suǒyǐ chéngjì yīzhí hěn hǎo.	Because she works very hard, her grades have always been excellent.

Common mistake: Reversing cause and effect. 所以 always introduces the result, never the cause. Confirm the logical direction before writing.

Pattern 3: 尽管...还是/仍然 — Despite...Still

Structure: 尽管 + Clause 1, 还是/仍然 + Clause 2

尽管 is a stronger and slightly more formal version of 虽然. It emphasizes that the result holds true despite significant obstacles. 还是 and 仍然 (yīngrán) function as adverbs in the second clause.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
尽管非常困难，他还是坚持下去了。	Jǐnguǎn fēicháng kùnnán, tā háishi jiānchí xiàqù le.	Despite the great difficulty, he still persisted.
尽管生病了，她仍然来上课了。	Jǐnguǎn shēngbìng le, tā réngrán lái shàngkè le.	Despite being sick, she still came to class.
尽管大家都反对，他还是做出了那个决定。	Jǐnguǎn dàjiā dōu fǎnduì, tā háishi zuòchū le nàge juédìng.	Despite everyone's opposition, he still made that decision.

Common mistake: Confusing 尽管 with 既然. 既然 means "since/given that" and leads to a logical consequence, while 尽管 means "despite" and leads to an unexpected result.

Dialogue

A: 你昨天为什么没来上课？ Nǐ zuótiān wèishénme méi lái shàngkè? Why didn't you come to class yesterday?

B: 因为我突然发烧了，所以没法来。 Yīnwèi wǒ tūrán fāshāo le, suǒyǐ méifǎ lái. Because I suddenly had a fever, so I couldn't come.

A: 哦，你现在好一点了吗？虽然发烧，但是还是要多喝水。 Ō, nǐ xiànzài hǎo yīdiǎn le ma? Suīrán fāshāo, dànshì háishi yào duō hē shuǐ. Oh, are you feeling better now? Although you had a fever, you still need to drink more water.

B: 是的，我知道。尽管很不舒服，我还是在家做了一些作业。 Shì de, wǒ zhīdào. Jǐnguǎn hěn bù shūfú, wǒ háishi zài jiā zuò le yīxiē zuòyè. Yes, I know. Despite feeling very unwell, I still did some homework at home.

A: 你真的很用功！不过，身体最重要，要好好休息。 Nǐ zhēn de hěn yònggōng! Bùguò, shēntǐ zuì zhòngyào, yào hǎohǎo xiūxi. You are really diligent! But your health is most important, you need to rest well.

B: 谢谢你关心。因为这周有考试，所以我有点担心。 Xièxiè nǐ guānxīn. Yīnwèi zhè zhōu yǒu kǎoshì, suǒyǐ wǒ yǒudiǎn dānxīn. Thank you for your concern. Because there's an exam this week, I'm a bit worried.

A: 别担心，虽然你缺了一节课，但是我可以帮你补笔记。 Bié dānxīn, suīrán nǐ quē le yī jié kè, dànshì wǒ kěyǐ bāng nǐ bǔ bǐjì. Don't worry, although you missed one class, I can help you catch up on the notes.

Practice

Exercise 1: Connect the sentences

Join each pair of sentences using the connective in parentheses:

1. 他很聪明。他不努力学习。(虽然...但是)
2. 外面下雨了。我们没去爬山。(因为...所以)
3. 大家都说太难了。她还是完成了。(尽管...还是)

Exercise 2: Choose the correct connective

Fill in the blank with 虽然, 但是, 因为, 所以, 尽管, or 还是:

1. ___今天很忙，我___要去看望老人。
2. ___天气不好，___我们决定不出门了。
3. ___他很努力，___他的成绩并不好。

Exercise 3: Error correction

Find and fix the error:

1. 因为他很聪明，虽然成绩很好。
2. 虽然下雨了，因为我没带伞。
3. 尽管困难，既然他放弃了。

Cultural Note

The frequent use of paired connectives in Chinese reflects a preference for logically explicit communication, especially in formal speech and writing. Chinese students and professionals are taught from a young age to state reasons before conclusions (因为...所以) and to acknowledge counterpoints before asserting a main argument (虽然...但是). This pattern appears in business communication, academic writing, and even casual WeChat messages. Mastering these connectives will make your Chinese sound educated and well-structured rather than simple and choppy.