Hindi uses लेकिन, मगर, and परंतु where English often uses but. All three can coordinate two statements, yet they do not belong to the same register. लेकिन is the safe all-purpose choice, मगर is especially natural in conversation and expressive prose, and परंतु belongs mainly to formal written Hindi. The contrast is not merely “A is different from B”: the second clause normally corrects, limits, or defeats an expectation raised by the first.
The basic adversative pattern
The ordinary order is clause A + connector + clause B. Each clause may stand independently, so this is coordination rather than the subordination found with “although.”
बारिश हो रही थी, लेकिन हम टहलने गए।
bāriś ho rahī thī, lekin ham ṭahalne gae.
It was raining, but we went for a walk.
दुकान छोटी है, मगर यहाँ अच्छी चाय मिलती है।
dukān choṭī hai, magar yahā̃ acchī cāy miltī hai.
The shop is small, but you get good tea here.
The rain creates an expectation that the walk will be cancelled; the second clause overturns it. A small shop may suggest a limited selection, but its tea is good. This expectation-based meaning explains why an adversative connector sounds more purposeful than simply joining the facts with और “and.” Compare the broader treatment of adversative clauses.
लेकिन: the neutral default
लेकिन is normal in everyday speech, messages, journalism, and most non-specialist prose. It can connect complete clauses, shorter predicates, adjectives, or corrected alternatives.
मैंने उसे फ़ोन किया, लेकिन उसने फ़ोन नहीं उठाया।
maĩne use fon kiyā, lekin usne fon nahīṃ uṭhāyā.
I called her, but she did not pick up.
कमरा साफ़ है, लेकिन काफ़ी छोटा है।
kamrā sāf hai, lekin kāfī choṭā hai.
The room is clean but quite small.
वह नाराज़ नहीं है, लेकिन थोड़ा निराश ज़रूर है।
vah nārāz nahīṃ hai, lekin thoṛā nirāś zarūr hai.
He is not angry, but he is certainly a little disappointed.
In the last sentence, ज़रूर strengthens the concession: although “angry” is rejected, a milder negative feeling remains true. Hindi often uses particles such as तो, ही, and ज़रूर to make the contrast more precise; the conjunction itself does not carry all the emphasis.
At the beginning of a new sentence, लेकिन can connect the new sentence to the preceding discourse. This is common in both conversation and accessible writing:
हम समय पर निकल गए थे। लेकिन रास्ते में बहुत लंबा जाम लगा था।
ham samay par nikal gae the. lekin rāste meṃ bahut lambā jām lagā thā.
We had left on time. But there was a very long traffic jam on the way.
This does not make लेकिन a subordinate conjunction; it remains a discourse-level coordinator linking two assertions.
मगर: conversational and expressive
मगर overlaps heavily with लेकिन. It is ordinary and widely understood, especially in informal conversation, song, dialogue, and emotionally colored prose. It is not “wrong” or necessarily slangy. Some speakers simply prefer लेकिन, while मगर can sound more personal or emphatic in a refusal, warning, or objection.
चलो फ़िल्म देख लेते हैं—मगर बहुत देर मत करना।
calo film dekh lete haiṃ—magar bahut der mat karnā.
Let’s watch a film—but don’t make it too late.
मैं मदद कर दूँगा, मगर आज नहीं।
maĩ madad kar dū̃gā, magar āj nahīṃ.
I’ll help, but not today. (male speaker)
In the second example, the material after मगर is not a full pronounced clause. Hindi recovers the exact predicate मैं मदद कर दूँगा from context, including the completive light-verb nuance. English permits the same kind of ellipsis, so there is no need to manufacture a complete clause after every connector.
In very formal administrative or academic writing, मगर may feel too conversational. In ordinary personal writing, however, it remains natural.
परंतु: formal written contrast
परंतु is a Sanskrit-derived (formal) connector used in essays, reports, official statements, speeches, and elevated exposition. It often presents a carefully reasoned limitation. In relaxed conversation it can sound bookish or deliberately theatrical.
योजना उपयोगी है, परंतु इसके लिए अतिरिक्त धन की आवश्यकता होगी।
yojanā upyogī hai, parantu iske lie atirikt dhan kī āvaśyaktā hogī.
The plan is useful; however, it will require additional funding. (formal)
प्रारंभिक आँकड़े उत्साहजनक हैं, परंतु किसी निष्कर्ष पर पहुँचना अभी जल्दबाज़ी होगी।
prārambhik ā̃kaṛe utsāhjanak haiṃ, parantu kisī niṣkarṣ par pahũcnā abhī jaldabāzī hogī.
The preliminary figures are encouraging; however, it would still be premature to reach a conclusion. (formal/academic)
The shorter पर also means “but” (informal/neutral) and is extremely common, although it is not the focus of this page: मैं आता, पर समय नहीं मिला “I would have come, but I did not have time.” Do not infer that परंतु is merely a longer form required for correctness; register, not grammaticality, separates them.
Connector choice and sentence shape
The three connectors do not control gender, number, person, tense, or aspect. Each clause keeps the agreement required by its own subject, object, and predicate:
सीमा पहुँची, लेकिन उसके दोस्त अभी तक नहीं आए।
sīmā pahũcī, lekin uske dost abhī tak nahīṃ āe.
Sima arrived, but her friends have not come yet.
Here पहुँची agrees with feminine singular सीमा, while आए agrees with masculine plural दोस्त. The coordinator joins propositions; it does not make their agreement match.
Hindi also avoids mechanically translating English but when English uses it to mean “except”: मेरे अलावा कोई नहीं आया means “Nobody but/except me came,” not कोई लेकिन मैं. Likewise, English not only…but also has the paired Hindi construction न केवल…बल्कि…भी, not ordinary लेकिन.
कमरा महँगा तो है, लेकिन जगह बहुत अच्छी है।
kamrā mahãgā to hai, lekin jagah bahut acchī hai.
The room is expensive, admittedly, but the location is very good.
The pattern X तो है, लेकिन Y explicitly concedes X before asserting a counterweight. तो marks the first property as granted; it does not replace the coordinator.
Punctuation and clause boundaries
In short coordinated clauses, a comma before लेकिन / मगर / परंतु is useful but not mechanically obligatory in every informal message. In edited prose it clearly displays the turn from one proposition to the next. A dash can signal a stronger spoken interruption. A full stop is possible when the second clause is a separate discourse move.
Do not insert an English-style comma immediately after a clause-initial connector: लेकिन, हम गए is generally poor Hindi punctuation. Write लेकिन हम गए. With परंतु, some editorial styles allow a comma after a long introductory transition, but the connector itself does not require one.
ट्रेन निकल चुकी थी, लेकिन अगली ट्रेन आधे घंटे बाद थी।
ṭren nikal cukī thī, lekin aglī ṭren ādhe ghaṇṭe bād thī.
The train had left, but the next train was half an hour later.
Common Mistakes
❌ मैं थका था, लेकिन भी काम करता रहा।
Incorrect English-style combination — Hindi does not use लेकिन भी for ‘but still.’
✅ मैं थका था, लेकिन काम करता रहा।
maĩ thakā thā, lekin kām kartā rahā.
I was tired, but I kept working. (male speaker)
❌ लेकिन, हम समय पर पहुँच गए।
Incorrect punctuation — an English-style comma is not placed automatically after initial लेकिन.
✅ लेकिन हम समय पर पहुँच गए।
lekin ham samay par pahũc gae.
But we arrived on time.
❌ हालाँकि बारिश थी, लेकिन फिर भी मगर हम गए।
Incorrect — the sentence piles up three competing contrast markers.
✅ हालाँकि बारिश थी, फिर भी हम गए।
hālā̃ki bāriś thī, phir bhī ham gae.
Although it was raining, we still went.
❌ वह थका था, मगर लेकिन काम करता रहा।
Incorrect — मगर and लेकिन redundantly occupy the same contrast slot.
✅ वह थका था, मगर काम करता रहा।
vah thakā thā, magar kām kartā rahā.
He was tired, but he kept working.
Key Takeaways
लेकिन, मगर, and परंतु coordinate a second assertion that corrects or limits an expectation from the first. लेकिन is neutral and broadly usable; मगर is especially conversational and expressive; परंतु is formal and strongly associated with edited or official prose. Keep each clause’s own agreement, do not stack multiple adversative pair members, and use punctuation to reveal the clause boundary rather than copying English comma habits.
Related Topics
- और coordinationA1 — Join words, phrases, predicates, and clauses with neutral Hindi और while keeping case, agreement, and punctuation clear.
- Adversative clausesA2 — Connect contrasting Hindi clauses with लेकिन, मगर, पर, or formal किंतु and परंतु while keeping concession, tense, and subject reference clear.
- हालाँकि यद्यपि and फिर भी concessionB1 — Frame an acknowledged obstacle with neutral हालाँकि or formal यद्यपि, and mark the unexpected outcome with फिर भी or तथापि.
- जबकि simultaneous and contrastive जबकिB1 — Use जबकि to relate simultaneous situations or set two propositions in deliberate contrast, with natural word order, punctuation, and register.
- Punctuation across complex sentencesC2 — Use commas, semicolons, dashes, colons, and sentence boundaries to clarify Hindi clause structure without asking punctuation to replace grammar.