Learn by grammar function
Vietnamese Contrast
Express contrast, concession, reversal, and opposing viewpoints.
tuy ... nhưng
Although ... but
'tuy ... nhưng' is commonly used to express contrast or concession, essential for learners.
Tuy mệt nhưng tôi vẫn đi làm.
Although tired, I still go to work.
mặc dù ... nhưng
Although... but
'mặc dù ... nhưng' is commonly used to express 'although... but', an essential structure for learners.
Mặc dù trời lạnh nhưng tôi không mặc áo khoác.
Although it is cold, I do not wear a coat.
dù ... vẫn
Even if... still
'dù ... vẫn' is commonly used to express 'even if... still', an important structure for learners.
Dù mệt tôi vẫn đi.
Even if tired, I still go.
thay vì
Instead of; Rather than
'thay vì' is commonly used to express 'instead of' or 'rather than', an important structure for learners.
Thay vì đi taxi, tôi đi xe buýt.
Instead of taking a taxi, I take the bus.
trái lại
On the contrary
'trái lại' is commonly used to express 'on the contrary', an essential structure for learners.
Tôi thích nơi yên tĩnh. Trái lại, em tôi thích nơi náo nhiệt.
I like quiet places. On the contrary, my younger sibling likes noisy places.
ngược lại
Conversely; On the other hand
'ngược lại' is commonly used to express 'conversely' or 'on the other hand', an important structure for learners.
Tôi giúp bạn, và ngược lại bạn giúp tôi.
I help you, and conversely, you help me.
dẫu sao
anyway; after all
'dẫu sao' means 'anyway' or 'after all'. Its function and style depend on the lesson's structure and examples.
Dẫu sao, chúng ta cũng đã cố gắng hết sức.
Anyway, we have tried our best.
tuy nhiên
However; But
'tuy nhiên' means "however" or "but." Its function and style depend on the sentence structure and examples in this lesson.
Giá cao. Tuy nhiên, chất lượng rất tốt.
The price is high. However, the quality is very good.
mặt khác
On the other hand
'mặt khác' means "on the other hand." Its actual function and style depend on the sentence structure and examples in this lesson.
Cách này nhanh. Mặt khác, nó khá tốn kém.
This method is fast. On the other hand, it is quite expensive.
ngược lại
On the contrary; Conversely
'ngược lại' means "on the contrary" or "conversely." Its actual function and style depend on the sentence structure and examples in this lesson.
Một số người thích học qua sách. Ngược lại, tôi thích học qua đối thoại.
Some people like learning through books. On the contrary, I prefer learning through dialogue.
nói gì thì nói
That said; Anyway
nói gì thì nói is used to acknowledge previous statements and then return to one's own main point.
Nói gì thì nói, ví dụ vẫn là phần quan trọng nhất.
That said, examples are still the most important part.
nói đi cũng phải nói lại
On the other hand; That said
nói đi cũng phải nói lại is used to add another perspective.
Nói đi cũng phải nói lại, cấu trúc này không quá khó.
That said, this structure is not too difficult.
dù thế nào đi nữa
No matter what; Regardless
'dù thế nào đi nữa' expresses that no matter the situation, the following statement remains true.
Dù thế nào đi nữa, bạn vẫn cần luyện ví dụ.
No matter what, you still need to practice examples.
mặc dù là
Although it is; Even though it is
'mặc dù là' is a colloquial extension of 'mặc dù,' commonly used to express concession or contrast.
Mặc dù là câu này đúng, nhưng nghe hơi cứng.
Although this sentence is correct, it sounds a bit stiff.
nói vậy thôi
Just saying that; That's just how it is
Nói vậy thôi is used to retract, soften, or add to the previous statement.
Nói vậy thôi, câu này vẫn dùng được.
That's just how it is, this sentence can still be used.
dù sao thì
anyway; regardless
'dù sao thì' is used to return to the main point, indicating that no matter what happened before, the following statement still holds.
Dù sao thì bạn vẫn cần xem ví dụ.
Anyway, you still need to look at the examples.
dù gì thì
no matter what; after all
'dù gì thì' indicates that regardless of other factors, the speaker returns to a certain fact.
Dù gì thì bạn cũng đã tiến bộ.
No matter what, you have already improved.
nói thế nào thì
no matter how you say it; that being said
'nói thế nào thì' is used to acknowledge different opinions but return to the speaker's own judgment.
Nói thế nào thì ví dụ vẫn là quan trọng nhất.
That being said, examples are still the most important.
tuy là
although; even though
'tuy là' is used to acknowledge a certain identity, state, or fact, then introduce a contrast.
Tuy là người mới học, bạn vẫn có thể hiểu câu này.
Although you are a beginner, you can still understand this sentence.
nhưng mà
But; However
nhưng mà is a very common spoken form of 'but' or 'however'.
Tôi muốn đi, nhưng mà tôi bận.
I want to go, but I am busy.
thế nhưng
But; However
thế nhưng connects to the previous context and introduces a contrast, similar to 'but' or 'however'.
Tôi đã chuẩn bị rất kỹ. Thế nhưng, tôi vẫn mắc lỗi.
I prepared very carefully. However, I still made mistakes.
song
However; But
song is a more formal and literary word for 'however' or 'but', often found in writing and formal speech.
Kế hoạch này khả thi, song cần thêm thời gian.
This plan is feasible, but it needs more time.
tuy vậy
Nevertheless; However
tuy vậy connects to the previous context to introduce a contrast or concession, meaning 'nevertheless' or 'however'.
Bài này khó. Tuy vậy, tôi vẫn muốn thử.
This problem is difficult. Nevertheless, I still want to try.
mặc dù vậy
Nevertheless
'mặc dù vậy' acknowledges the previous situation but introduces a contrasting or unexpected result.
Anh ấy rất bận. Mặc dù vậy, anh ấy vẫn giúp tôi.
He is very busy. Nevertheless, he still helped me.
dù vậy
Even so
'dù vậy' means 'even so', indicating that despite the previous unfavorable condition, the following still happens.
Tôi biết việc này khó. Dù vậy, tôi vẫn muốn làm.
I know this is difficult. Even so, I still want to do it.
trong khi đó
Meanwhile; In contrast
'trong khi đó' can indicate simultaneous actions or contrast between two situations.
Tôi học ở nhà. Trong khi đó, bạn tôi học ở thư viện.
I study at home. Meanwhile, my friend studies at the library.
ngược lại thì
Conversely; On the other hand
'ngược lại thì' is used in spoken or explanatory contexts to introduce an opposite situation.
Nếu học đều thì tiến bộ nhanh. Ngược lại thì rất dễ quên.
If you study regularly, you progress quickly. Conversely, you easily forget.
trái lại thì
On the contrary; Instead
'trái lại thì' introduces a statement opposite to the previous one, common in spoken explanations.
Tôi nghĩ bài này khó. Trái lại thì nó khá dễ.
I thought this question was hard. On the contrary, it is quite easy.
tuy thế
Although so
'tuy thế' is a more formal way to say 'although so', similar in function to 'tuy vậy'.
Điều kiện học tập còn hạn chế. Tuy thế, kết quả khá tốt.
The learning conditions are still limited. Although so, the results are quite good.
dù thế nào
No matter what; Regardless
'dù thế nào' means that no matter the situation, the attitude or result in the following clause remains true.
Dù thế nào, tôi vẫn sẽ học tiếp.
No matter what, I will continue studying.
nói thì nói vậy
That said; Having said that
'nói thì nói vậy' is a colloquial concessive phrase meaning 'that said'.
Nói thì nói vậy, nhưng làm không dễ.
That said, it's not easy to do.
không phải vậy
Not like that; That's not the case
'không phải vậy' is used to deny the previous understanding and then provide a correction.
Không phải vậy, ý tôi là chúng ta cần thêm thời gian.
That's not the case; I mean we need more time.
khác với
Different from; Unlike
'khác với' is used to indicate difference between two things, commonly in comparisons and contrasts.
Tiếng Việt khác với tiếng Anh.
Vietnamese is different from English.
khác ở chỗ
The difference is that
'khác ở chỗ' is used to point out the specific difference, meaning 'the difference is that'.
Hai cấu trúc này khác ở chỗ cách dùng không giống nhau.
The difference between these two structures is that their usage is not the same.
thực ra
Actually; In fact
'thực ra' is used to correct or supplement the real situation, often with a slight contrast.
Thực ra, tôi không giận.
Actually, I'm not angry.