Contrasting conjunctives
Contrasting conjunctives express a contrast, an impediment. The most used conjunctions are:
可是 (kěshì) “but, nevertheless”，可 (kě) “but, yet”，不过 (buguò) “but, however”，但是 (dànshì) “but, nevertheless”，但 (dàn) “but, yet”，不然 (bùrán) “otherwise”，要不然 (yàoburán) “else”，否则 (fǒuzé) “otherwise”.
Let’s see a few examples:
他想吃披萨，但是要减肥。
Tā xiǎng chī pīsà, dànshì yào jiǎnféi.
He wanted to eat pizza but he has to lose weight.
快起床吧，否则你会迟到！
Kuài qǐchuáng ba, fǒuzé nǐ huì chídào!
Get up soon, otherwise you’ll be late!
我妈妈想睡觉，可是她要去上班。
Wǒ māma xiǎng shuìjiào, kěshì tā yào qù shàngbān.
My mom wants to sleep but has to go to work.
我们组的房子很小，不过很便宜。
Wǒmen zǔ de fángzi hěn xiǎo, buguò hěn piányi.
The house we rented is small but cheap.
With contrasting conjunctives there are also the following combinations translatable with “although… nevertheless…”:
虽然 (suīrán)…,可是 (kěshì);
虽然(suīrán)…, 但是 (dànshì);
虽然 (suīrán)…,不过 (buguò).
Important: when the subject of both phrases is the same, 虽然 comes before the subject, such as in these examples:
虽然他是日本人，可是说中文说得非常流利。
Suīrán tā shì Rìběnrén, kěshì shuō Zhōngwén shuō de fēicháng liúlì.
Although he is Japanese, nevertheless he speaks Chinese very fluently.
虽然他有的是钱，但是不愿意嫁给他。
Suīrán tā yǒudeshì qián, dànshì bù yuàn yì jiàgěi tā.
Although he has a lot of money, she nevertheless doesn’t want to marry him.
Important: when the subjects of both phrases are the same but the subject of the second phrase is omitted, 虽然 comes right after the subject of the first phrase. Here’s an example:
我妈妈虽然已经五十岁了可是还是非常漂亮。
Wǒ māma suīrán yǐjing wǔshí suìle kěshì háishi fēicháng piàoliang.
Although my mom is already fifty, she still remains very beautiful.
Another contrasting combination is represented by 不但 (bùdàn) … 反而 (fǎn’ér) “not only…, to the contrary…”.
出院以后，他的身体不但不好，反而比以前更差了。
Chūyuàn yǐhòu, tā de shēntǐ bùdàn bù hǎo, fǎn’ér bǐ yǐqián gèng chà le.
Not only was he not well when discharged from the hospital, but he was worse than before.
就是 (jiùshì) even if…, 也/还 (yě / hái) anyhow…
你就是去，我也不去。
Nǐ jiùshì qù, wǒ yě bù qù.
Even if you go, I won’t go.
Conjunctions indicating a choice
You usually use 或者 (huòzhě) “or”. Here a few examples:
你可以复习或者可以出去玩
Nǐ kěyǐ fùxí huòzhě kěyǐ chūqu wán.
You can review or go out and have fun.
我想吃苹果或者西瓜。
Wǒ xiǎng chī píngguǒ huòzhě xīguā.
I want to eat an apple or watermelon.
要么 (yàome) “or”…, 要么 (yàome) “or, otherwise”
要么刷卡，要么投币，要么滚蛋！
Yàome shuākǎ, yàome tóu bì, yàome gǔndàn!
Either pass the check, or pay cash, otherwise run along!
不是 (bùshì) “se non”…, 就是 (jiùshì) “allora”
他不是抽烟就是喝酒。
Tā bùshì chōuyān jiùshì hē jiǔ.
If you don’t smoke, then drink.
他不是学习就是写字。
Tā bùshì xuéxí jiùshì xiězì.
If you won’t study, then write the characters.
不是他们来就是我们去。
Bùshì tāmen lái jiùshì wǒmen qù.
If the don’t come, then we’ll go.
Conjunctions indicating an addition
You use 不但 (bùdàn) / 不仅 (bùjǐn) “not only”…, 而且 (érqiě) /并且 (bìngqiě) “but also”…, 也 (yě) /还 (hái)… “and moreover”.
Here’s some examples:
不但我说他是个好老师，而且别的老师也说他教得很成功。
Bùdàn wǒ shuō tā shì ge hǎo lǎoshī, érqiě bié de lǎoshī yě shuō tā jiāo dehěn chénggōng.
Not only do I say that he’s a good teacher but also other professors think he teaches well.
我的朋友不仅骂人，而且打人。
Wǒ de péngyou bùjǐn màrén, érqiě dǎrén.
My friend not only curses people but also hits them.
Conjunctions indicating a cause and effect
因此 (yīncǐ) “for this reason”
她在中国生病了，因此要去看中国的医生。
Tā zài Zhōngguó shēngbìng le, yīncǐ yào qù kànzhòng guó de yīshēng.
She got sick in China, for this reason she had to go to a Chinese doctor.
因为 (yīnwèi) “because, since”…, 所以 (suǒyǐ) “so, then”…
因为他们没学习，所以没有通过考试。
Yīnwèi tāmen méi xuéxí, suǒyǐ méiyǒu tōngguò kǎoshì.
Since they didn’t study, therefore they didn’t pass the test.
因为他们没带地图，所以迷路了几次了。
Yīnwèi tāmen méi dài dìtú, suǒyǐ mílùle jǐ cì le.
Since they didn’t bring a map, they got lost many times.
由于 (yóuyú) “because of”
由于天气不好，我们不能去跑步。
Yóuyú tiānqì bù hǎo, wǒmen bùnéng qù pǎobù.
Because of the bad weather we can’t go running.
之所以 (zhīsuǒyǐ) “the reason why”…, 是因为 (shì yīnwèi) “it’s because”…
有些人之所以对工作不认真，是因为缺乏责任感
Yǒuxiē rén zhīsuǒyǐ duì gōngzuò bù rènzhēn, shì yīnwèi quēfá zérèngǎn.
The reason why some people aren’t diligent at work is because they lack a sense of responsibility.
Important: in phrases that express a cause and effect, the effect can be expressed before the cause. In the first syntagm conjunctions can be left out, while the second syntagm is introduced by 因为, often preceded by 是.
我不想去看电影因为没钱了。
Wǒ bù xiǎng qù kàn diànyǐng yīnwèi méiqián le.
I don’t want to watch the movie because I don’t have any more money.
既然 (jìrán) “ever since”…, 就 (jiù) “then”…
既然你不舒服，就不需要去参加比赛。
Jìrán nǐ bù shūfu, jiù bù xūyào qù cānjiā bǐsài.
Ever since you haven’t been well there’s no need for you to participate in the competition.
Conjunctions that express a condition
只要 (zhǐyào) “so long as” …, 就 (jiù) then…
只要你学习就会通过考试。
Zhǐyào nǐ xuéxí jiù huì tōngguò kǎoshì.
So long as you study you can pass the test.
只要不开车就可以喝很多酒。
Zhǐyào bù kāichē jiù kẹ̌yǐ hē hěn duō jiǔ.
So long as you don’t drive, then you can drink a lot.
只有 (zhǐyǒu) “only if”…才 (cái) “then”…
只有你会说中文，才可以去中国找工作。
Zhǐyǒu nǐ huìshuō Zhōngwén, cái kěyǐ qù Zhōngguó zhǎo gōngzuò.
Only if you know how to speak Chinese can you go to China and look for work.
只有不吃得多才不会变胖。
Zhǐyǒu bù chīde duō cái bù huì biàn pàng.
You won’t get fat only if you don’t eat a lot.
没有 (méiyǒu) A…, 就没有 (jiù méiyǒu) B… (if there’s no A, then there’s no B either)
没有水，就没有人生。
Méiyǒu shuǐ, jiù méiyǒu rénshēng.
If there were no water then no life would exist.
没有改革开放政策，就没有今天的中国。
Méiyǒu gǎigékāifàng zhèngcè, jiù méiyǒu jīntiān de Zhōngguó.
If it weren’t for political reforms and opening, today’s China wouldn’t exist.
(bù) / 别 (bié) …“if not…, then no…” ( only if…, then…)
看完比赛回家。
Bù kànwán bǐsài bù huíjiā.
I won’t go home if I don’t finish watching the game.
她常常说，女生得化妆，好好儿打扮漂亮。
Tā chángcháng shuō, nǚshēng dei huàzhuāng, bù hǎo hǎor dǎban bù piàoliang.
She often says that girls should get made up. If they don’t make themselves up well then they’re not attractive.
东西好就别买。
Dōngxi bù hǎo jiù bié mǎi.
Don’t buy things if they aren’t good.
问她，她就说。
Bù wèn tā, tā jiù bù shuō.
If you don’t ask, she doesn’t talk.
除非 (chúfēi) “unless…”, 才 (cái) “only then…”
除非你去说服他们，他们才会合作。
Chúfēi nǐ qù shuōfú tāmen, tāmen cái huì hézuò.
[Unless you go convince him, only then will they cooperate] They cooperate only if you go convince them.
除非你不听话，我才批评你。
Chúfēi nǐ bù tīnghuà, wǒ cái pīpíng nǐ.
I’ll criticize you only if you don’t listen.
除非太阳打西边出来，我才相信你说的是真话。
Chúfēi tàiyáng dǎ xībian chūlai, wǒ cái xiāngxìn nǐ shuō de shì zhēnhuà.
I’ll believe what you say is true only when the sun rises in the West.
除非 (chúfēi)…, 否则 (fǒuzé) / 要不然 (yàoburán)… “unless…, otherwise…”
除非你记得密码，否则不能登陆。
Chúfēi nǐ jìde mìmǎ, fǒuzé bùnéng dēnglù.
You can’t get in unless you remember the password.
除非你是百万富翁，要不然你最好别去看那边的房子。
Chúfēi nǐ shì bǎiwàn fùwēng, yàoburán nǐ zuìhǎo bié qù kàn nàbiān de fángzi.
Unless you’re a millionaire, you’d do better to not look for homes in that area.
除非明天不下雨，否则我不会上课。
Chúfēi míngtiān bù xiàyǔ, fǒuzé wǒ bù huì shàngkè.
Unless it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I won’t go to class.
除非你跟我去，否则不去。
Chúfēi nǐ gēn wǒ qù, fǒuzé bù qù.
Unless you go with me, I won’t go.
除非便宜，否则我不买。
Chúfēi piányi, fǒuzé wǒ bù mǎi.
Unless it’s cheap, I won’t buy it.
除非提前一个小时到达机场，否则来不及托运行李。
Chúfēi tíqián yī gè xiǎoshí dàodá jīchǎng, fǒuzé láibují tuōyùn xíngli.
Unless you arrive early to the airport, you won’t have time to check your bags.
要不是 (yàobushì)…, 就 (jiù)… “if it wasn’t for…, then…”
要不是她的帮助，我儿子就不能上学。
Yàobushì tā de bāngzhù, wǒ érzi jiù bùnéng shàngxué.
If it wasn’t for his help, my son wouldn’t be able to go to school.
要不是堵车，我早就到学校了。
Yàobushì dǔchē, wǒ zǎojiù dào xuéxiào le.
If it wan’t for the traffic, I would have arrived to school on time.
要不是我以前来过西南大学，今天我肯定迷路了。
Yàobushì wǒ yǐqián láiguo xīnán dàxué, jīntiān wǒ kěndìng mílù le.
If I didn’t first come to Xinan University, today I would be lost for sure.
多亏 (duōkuī) “thanks to…”, 才 (cái) “only…”
多亏你的帮助我儿子才能上学。
Duōkuī nǐ de bāngzhù wǒ érzi cái néng shàngxué.
Only thanks to your son, my son can begin his studies.
多亏我的同屋带了雨伞，我们的衣服才没有被淋湿。
Duōkuī wǒ de tóngwū dàile yǔsǎn, wǒmen de yīfu cái méiyǒu bèi línshī.
My clothes didn’t get only thanks to my roommate who brought my umbrella.
多亏我以前来过西南大学，今天我才没迷路。
Duōkuī wǒ yǐqián láiguo xīnán dàxué, jīntiān wǒ cái méi mílù.
Today I didn’t get lost only thanks to the fact that I came to Xinan University before.
Conjunctions indicating a “non condition”
不管 (bùguǎn) “despite / independent of / it doesn’t matter…” (还是háishi “or”) …也 (yě) / 都 (dōu) “also”.
不管辣不辣，我们也要吃。
Bùguǎn là bù là, wǒmen yě yào chī.
It doesn’t matter if it’s spicy or not, we need to eat it anyway.
不管是苦还是累，不管是酷夏还是严冬，你都不要放弃学习。
Bùguǎn shì kǔ háishi lèi, bùguǎn shì kù xià háishi yándōng, nǐ dōu bụ̀yào fàngqì xuéxí.
It doesn’t matter how hard or tiring it is; however bitter a summer or severe a winter might be, you shouldn’t give up your studies.
不管你是男生还是女生，不管成绩好还是成绩差，你也要努力学习。
Bùguǎn nǐ shì nánshēng háishi nǚshēng, bùguǎn chéngjì hǎo háishi chéngjì chà, nǐ yě yào nǔlì xuéxí.
It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, whether your results are good or bad, you need to study diligently.
无论 (wúlùn) “independent of …” (还是háishi “or”)… 都 (dōu)… “however”
无论天晴还是下雨，我都去跑步。
Wúlùn tiān qíng háishi xiàyǔ, wǒ dōu qù pǎobù.
Independent of whether it’s nice out or rainy, I will go running.
无论黑夜是多么漫长难熬，黎明始终会如期而至。
Wúlùn hēiyè shì duōme màncháng nán’áo, límíng shǐzhōng huì rúqī ér zhì.
However long and difficult the night may be, the sunrise will arrive at the same time.
无论多大的困难，只要努力都能克服。
Wúlùn duō dà de kùnnan, zhǐyào nǔlì dōu néng kèfú.
However big the problems are, you need to work hard to overcome them.
无论发生什么我都会帮助你。
Wúlùn fāshēng shénme wǒ dūhuì bāngzhù nǐ.
Independent of what might happen, I will help you.
再 (zài) as much as…, 也 (yě) however…
你再忙也要经常给父母打电话。
Nǐ zài máng yě yào jīngcháng gěi fùmǔ dǎ diànhuà.
However busy you might be, you have to call your parents often.
如果用不了，再便宜的东西也不应该买。
Rúguǒ yòngbuliǎo, zài piányi de dōngxi yě bù yīnggāi mǎi.
If you’re not going to use it, however cheap objects might be, you shouldn’t buy them.
他再想家，也不要回国。
Tā zài xiǎngjiā, yě bù yào huíguó.
As much as I miss home, I don’t want to go back.
Conjunctions indicating a supposition
如果 (rúguǒ) “if”…, 就 (jiù) “then”…
你如果不想去，就不去。
Nǐ rúguǒ bù xiǎng qù, jiù bù qù.
If you don’t want to go, don’t go.
如果你愿意，我就替你写回信。
Rúguǒ nǐ yuànyi, wǒ jiù tì nǐ xiě huíxìn.
If you won’t, I’ll write a response in your place.
要是 (yàoshi) “if”…, 就 (jiù) “then”…
要是他们家没有电话，我就用手机打。
Yàoshi tāmen jiā méiyǒu diànhuà, wǒ jiù yòng shǒujī dǎ.
If they don’t have a telephone in the house, then I’ll use my cell to call.
假如 (jiǎrú) “if”.
Important: if the second syntagm is a question, the phrase doesn’t need a second connector like 就.
假如明天下雨，你怎么办？
Jiǎrú míngtiān xiàyǔ, nǐ zěnme bàn?
If it rains tomorrow, what will you do?
Important: at the end of the first syntagm, there can always be a 的话 (dehuà).
如果你不想吃这个的话，我就替你吃。
Rúguǒ nǐ bù xiǎng chī zhège dehuà, wǒ jiù tì nǐ chī.
If you don’t want to eat this, I’ll eat it in your place.
In Chinese, to introduce a supposition you mainly use the following characters:
要是 (yàoshi) “if”，如果 (rúguǒ) “if” = these two are used both for formal and informal language, whether written or spoken.
假如 (jiǎrú) “if” = this is used for the written or more formal spoken language.
假使 (jiǎshǐ) “if”, 倘若 (tǎngruò) “if”, 倘使 (tanghi) “if” = these are more formal than 假如 (jiǎrú).
Conjunctions indicating a concession
尽管 (jǐnguǎn) “although…”, 还是 (háishi) “still…”
尽管天气不好，比赛还是照样进行。
Jǐnguǎntiānqì bù hǎo, bǐsài háishi zhàoyàng jìnxíng.
Although it wasn’t the best time, the race went off as always.
Referring to the future:
即使 (jíshǐ) /就算 (jiùsuàn) “even if…”,也 (yě) “also”
即使很危险，我也不怕。
Jíshǐ hěn wēixiǎn, wǒ yě bù pà.
Even if it will be dangerous, I’m not afraid.
哪怕 (nǎpà) “even if…”, 也 (yě) “however…”
哪怕要办的事情特别多，我也要抽时间努力学中文。
Nǎpà yào bàn de shìqing tèbié duō, wǒ yě yào chōu shíjiān nǔlì xué Zhōngwén.
Even if there are many things to do, I want to find the time to study Chinese seriously.
Conjunctions indicating a preference
与其 (yǔqí) “rather than…”, 不如 (bùrú) / 宁可 (nìngkě) “it would be best, it’s preferable…”
与其速度快而质量差，宁可速度慢一些，也保证质量。
Yǔqí sùdù kuài ér zhìliàng chà, nìngkě sùdù màn yīxiē, yě bǎozhèng zhìliàng.
Rather than doing it quickly but badly, it would be best to do it more slowly but guaranteeing the quality.
与其在家里吃饭，不如到食堂去吃饭。
Yǔqí zài jiālǐ chīfàn, bùrú dào shítáng qù chīfàn.
Rather than eating at home, I prefer to go to the cafeteria.
宁可 (nìngkě) “I would prefer…”, 也不 (yě bù) “rather than…”
宁可饿死，也不吃狗肉。
Nìngkě èsǐ, yě bù chī gǒuròu.
I would prefer to die of hunger rather than eat dog meat.
The uses for 除了
除了 (chúle)… (以外yǐwài/ 之外zhīwài)…, 都 (dōu) “other than, with the exception of…”
除了老师以外，我们都没去过中国。
Chúle lǎoshī yǐwài, wǒmen dōu méiqùguo Zhōngguó.
With the exception of the professor, none of us have gone to China.
除了长城之外，什么地方都去过。
Chúle Chángchéng zhīwài, shénme dìfang dōu qùguo.
I went everywhere, with the exception of the Great Wall.
除了 (chúle)… (以外yǐwài /之外zhīwài)…还 (hái)，也 (yě) “besides…, also…”
除了吃米饭以外，我还吃了蛋糕。
Chúle chī mǐfàn yǐwài, wǒ hái chīle dàngāo.
Besides eating rice, I also ate the cake.
这个地方除了方便，还很安静。
Zhège dìfang chúle fāngbiàn, hái hěn ānjìng.
This place, besides being comfortable, is also peaceful.
Conjunctions indicating time
(在zài /当dāng)… 的时候 (de shíhou), “when”
(在zài /当dāng)…时 (shí), “when”
(在zài /当dāng)… 之际 (zhījì), “when”
当我在重庆的时候交了很多朋友。
Dāng wǒ zài Chóngqìng de shíhou jiāole hěn duō péngyou.
when I went to Chongqing I made lots of friends.
(从cóng) … 以后 (yǐhòu) / 以来 (yǐlái) “ever since”
从中国开放以来，它的经济情况越来越好了。
Cóng Zhōngguó kāifàng yǐlái, tā de jīngjì qíngkuàng yuèláiyuè hǎole.
Ever since China opened up, its economic situation has continually improved.
他从上大学以后，接连一天比一天努力学习。
Tā cóng shàng dàxué yǐhòu, jiēlián yī tiān bǐ yī tiān nǔlì xuéxí.
Ever since I started college, I study hard every day.
以前 (yǐqián) / 之前 (zhīqián) “before”; 以后 (yǐhòu) / 之后 (zhīhòu) “after” = are inserted right after what refers to it.
提问之前要举手。
Tíwèn zhīqián yào jǔshǒu.
Before asking a question, you need to raise your hand.
从那之后她没来过。
Cóng nà zhīhòu tā méi láiguo.
He hasn’t come since then.
Photo Credits: 
山 (Mountain) by Steve Webel
