Hello Mandarin Enthusiasts! 🌟
In this week’s lesson, we’ve delved into the nuances of three words that all mean “but”: 但是 (dànshì), 可是 (kěshì), and 不过 (bùguò).
Understanding these subtle differences can truly elevate your Mandarin fluency.
Inspired by the Olympic spirit, let’s put our skills to the test with some Olympic-themed translation exercises.
Get ready to master these conjunctions while immersing yourself in the excitement of the Games!
Today’s Exercises
Translate these English sentences into Mandarin:
Olympic records are impressive, but they are hard to break.
The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics was spectacular, but the weather was very rainy.
Many athletes dream of winning a gold medal, but only a few achieve it.
Recap of CGG #30 lesson
但是 (dànshì): The Most Formal “But”
Use for formal, logical, or decisive contrasts.
Perfect for formal writing or clear, strong points.
可是 (kěshì): The Softer “But”
Slightly less formal and softer, used for both speaking and writing.
Adds a touch of personal feeling to the contrast.
不过 (bùguò): The Most Informal “But”
Most informal and softest, great for casual conversations.
Perfect for expressing doubts, excuses, or regrets in a friendly way.
🥇 Translation #1
Olympic records are impressive, but they are hard to break.
To translate this sentence, we can follow the structure:
📚 Structure: [Statement] + 不过 + [Contrasting Statement]
This structure is used to present a statement followed by a contrasting idea. Here, we choose 不过 (bùguò) to introduce the contrast, indicating “but” in a casual and informal way.
[Statement]
The statement “Olympic records are impressive” is translated as:
奥运 (àoyùn) means “Olympic.” This is an abbreviation for 奥林匹克 (àolínpǐkè), which is the full term for “Olympics” in Mandarin. Using the abbreviation 奥运 makes the sentence concise and is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese.
纪录 (jìlù) means “records.” It refers to achievements or best performances documented in the Olympics.
For example, 世界纪录 (shìjiè jìlù) means “world record.”
非常 (fēicháng) means “very” or “extremely.” It is used to emphasize the degree of the following adjective.
令人 (lìngrén) means “make people” or “cause people to.” This is used to indicate that the following adjective affects the feelings or perceptions of people.
印象深刻 (yìnxiàng shēnkè) means “impressive.”
印象 (yìnxiàng) means “impression.”
深刻 (shēnkè) means “deep” or “profound.”
Together, they convey the meaning of something that leaves a strong impression on people.
So, 非常令人印象深刻 (fēicháng lìngrén yìnxiàng shēnkè) means “very impressive,” literally “very make people deeply impressed.”
不过 + [Contrasting Statement]
The contrasting statement “but they are hard to break” is translated as:
不过 (bùguò) means “but.” It is the most informal choice among the words for “but” and fits well with the casual remark about the difficulty of breaking records.
Alternatively, 但是 (dànshì) is more formal, and 可是 (kěshì) is slightly less formal and softer. Both can be used here but would change the tone slightly.
很 (hěn) means “very” or “quite.” It often functions as a connector between the subject and an adjective without necessarily emphasizing the degree as much as “very” does in English.
难 (nán) means “difficult” or “hard.” It is the adjective describing the difficulty level of the action that follows.
打破 (dǎpò) means “to break.” It is a verb used here to indicate breaking records.
打 (dǎ) means “to hit” or “to strike,” and 破 (pò) means “to break” or “to shatter.” Together, they specifically mean breaking records or other abstract entities.
Recap
奥运纪录非常令人印象深刻,不过很难打破。
奥运 / 纪录 / 非常 / 令人 / 印象深刻 / , / 不过 / 很 / 难 / 打破 / 。
àoyùn jìlù fēicháng lìngrén yìnxiàng shēnkè, bùguò hěn nán dǎpò
Olympic records are impressive, but they are hard to break.
Olympic / records / very / make people / deeply impressed / but / very / difficult / to break
Let’s practice the sentences with my audio recordings:
Slow speed:
Normal speed:
🥈 Translation #2
The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics was spectacular, but the weather was very rainy.
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