But - 하지만, 그런데/근데


How to Say 'But' in Korean

In Korean, to say “but” at the start of your sentence, use:

하지만

For example:

저는 영화를 좋아해요. 하지만 드라마를 더 좋아해요.

I like movies. But, I like dramas more.

드레스가 매우 예뻐요. 하지만 너무 비싸요.

The dress is very pretty. But, it’s too expensive.

To use “but” at the end of a sentence, to extend it, attach “지만” to the verb stem:

드레스가 매우 예쁘지만 너무 비싸요.

The dress is very pretty, but it’s too expensive.

저는 영화를 좋아하지만 드라마를 더 좋아해요.

I like movies, but I like dramas more.

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Did you know?

Instead of 하지만, you could also say 그렇지만, which comes from the verb 그렇다 (to be so).

그렇지만 and 하지만 are basically interchangeable.

저는 미국 사람이에요. 그렇지만 한국어를 잘해요.
I’m American. But, I speak Korean well.

Using 그런데 to show contrast

그런데 is yet another way to show contrast, like the phrases above. However, it shows less contrast than 하지만. You use it to introduce information that may relate to the previous context.

저는 요즘에 너무 바빠요. 그런데 다음주에 시간이 있을 거예요.

I’ve been very busy lately. However, next week I’ll have time.

You may often see 그런데 abbreviated to 근데.

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그런데 and 근데 are more for casual and informal conversations! 근데, especially.

See you in the next one.

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Vocab Review!

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다음주 = next week
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요즘 = recently
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시간이 = time
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드레스 = dress
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