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文法の投稿シリーズ24 - Allerdings / however / 尤も

Dietz

When you want to express something that contrasts with or appears to contradict a previous statement, you're essentially presenting two ideas that seem to conflict. In such situations, English has a go-to solution: using "however." In German, the equivalent casual word is "aber." 
 
In more formal or written contexts, though, "jedoch" feels more appropriate. If you are acknowledging an initial point but then introducing a contrasting idea, you would use "allerdings" in German. English speakers can usually stick to "however" without needing to make additional distinctions.
 
For example:  
"He is fast. However, he makes mistakes."  
彼女は早いと思う。もっとも、失敗もします。
"Er ist schnell, allerdings macht er auch Fehler."  
An even better phrasing in German could be:  
"Er ist zwar schnell, allerdings macht er auch Fehler."  
He is indeed fast, but he also makes mistakes.

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The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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