Vietnamese Grammar Bank
HOW TO SAY BUT IN VIETNAMESE
In Vietnamese, you can express “but” in only one word which is “NHƯNG”.
Let’s have a look in this lesson to learn how to use it properly!
BUT IN VIETNAMESE WITH NHƯNG
You can add “NHƯNG” between 2 contrast clauses in 1 sentence or 2 contrast sentences.
There are other synonyms for “NHƯNG” such as “NHƯNG MÀ” / “MÀ”.
Note: “MÀ” can only be used between different clauses in a sentence.
PATTERN #1
Clause 1 + nhưng / nhưng mà / mà + Clause 2
PATTERN #2
Sentence 1. Nhưng / nhưng mà + Sentence 2
For example:
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Việt Nam có đồ ăn ngon nhưng thời tiết rất nóng | Vietnam has good cuisine but the weather is too hot! |
| Tôi thích ăn ngọt. Nhưng đó không phải là kem. | I love sweets. But it’s not ice-cream |
| Bánh mì đắt mà ngon thì OK. | It’s okay for banh mi to be expensive but delicious |
View More Examples:
| Tuyết đẹp nhưng mà lạnh quá! | Snow is beautiful but it’s too cold. |
| Gà chiên ngon. Nhưng mà nó béo quá! | Fried chicken is delicious. But it’s too greasy! |
| Cơm ngon mà cay quá! | Rice is delicious but it’s too spicy! |
TUY…NHƯNG / DÙ…NHƯNG
In order to express the contrast statements in a sentence, you can use phrases such as “Tuy…nhưng” or “Dù…nhưng” with a structure like this:
PATTERN
Tuy / Dù + clause 1 + nhưng + clause 2
For example:
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| Tuy anh không đẹp trai nhưng anh giàu | Even though he is not handsome, he is rich |
| Tuy anh giàu nhưng anh vẫn mắc nợ | Even though he is rich, he is in debt |
| Tuy anh mắc nợ nhưng anh không buồn | Even though he is in debt, he is not depressed |
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FAQs
How to use NHƯNG for “but “in Vietnamese?
You can add “NHƯNG” between 2 contrast clauses in 1 sentence or 2 contrast sentences.
There are other synonyms for “NHƯNG” such as “NHƯNG MÀ” / “MÀ”.
Note: “MÀ” can only be used between different clauses in a sentence.
Clause 1 + nhưng / nhưng mà / mà + Clause 2
For example:
Việt Nam có đồ ăn ngon nhưng thời tiết rất nóng
Vietnam has good cuisine but the weather is too hot!
Bánh mì đắt mà ngon thì OK.
It’s okay for banh mi to be expensive but delicious
How to use TUY…NHƯNG?
In order to express the contrast statements in a sentence, you can use phrases such as “Tuy…nhưng” or “Dù…nhưng” with a structure like this:
Tuy / Dù + clause 1 + nhưng + clause 2
For example:
Tuy anh không đẹp trai nhưng anh giàu
Even though he is not handsome, he is rich
Tuy anh giàu nhưng anh vẫn mắc nợ
Even though he is rich, he is in debt
Is Vietnamese SOV or SVO?
The Vietnamese language structure is SVO, meaning sentences are built according to Subject + Verb + Object.
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Learn more about the Vietnamese sentence structure here.
What are some basic sentence structures?
The most basic sentence structures in Vietnamese are as follow:
Subject + “là” + Noun
Tôi là David // I am David
Subject + Adjective
Anh ấy xấu // He is ugly
Subject + Verb + Object
Chị ấy học Tiếng Việt // She studies Vietnamese
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