だけど: meaning and usage

How to form it

• sentence+だけど+sentence
• noun/な-adjective (stem)+だけど+sentence

How it is used

A conversational 'but, however'. It can start a sentence or follow a noun or な-adjective. More casual than 「しかし」 or 「だが」; in polite speech use 「ですが」.

Examples

1. だけど急にどうしてそんなことを言うの？

   But, why would you say such a thing so suddenly?

2. この店は安いよ。だけど、いつも混んでいる。

   This place is cheap. But it's always crowded.

3. 明日は休みだけど、早く起きるつもりだ。

   Tomorrow is a day off, but I plan to get up early.