-지만: But (Plain Contrast)

-지만 is Korean's everyday "but." It links two clauses and flags that the second runs counter to the first: expensive but pretty, hard but fun, hungry but I'll wait. It is one of the first connectives a learner should own, because it is both extremely common and mechanically simple — no vowel harmony, no -으- insertion, no irregular reshaping. Whatever the stem, you just add 지만.

One ending, any stem

The great convenience of -지만 is that it attaches to any predicate stem the same way — action verbs, adjectives (which in Korean behave like verbs), the copula 이다, and the existence words 있다/없다.

Notice there is no linking vowel. It is 작지만 (not ×작으지만), 먹지만 (not ×먹으지만). English speakers who have just learned that many endings need -으- after a consonant often over-apply it here; -지만 never takes it.

-지만 carries its own tense

Unlike the causal endings that block tense on their own clause, -지만 freely takes past and future markers on its stem. The contrast can sit entirely in the past, or mix a past first clause with a present result.

This is a genuine convenience: because the tense lives on the -지만 clause itself, you never have to worry about "pushing" tense onto the final verb the way you do with -아서. Each clause carries its own time.

The subjects can differ

The two clauses of a -지만 sentence do not need to share a subject. This makes it perfect for straight comparisons between two people or two things.

The polite openers 죄송하지만 / 실례지만

Two frozen -지만 phrases are worth memorizing whole, because you will use them constantly to soften a request or approach a stranger: 죄송하지만… ("sorry, but…") and 실례지만… ("excuse me, but…"). Here the "but" barely contrasts anything — it is pure politeness padding before an imposition.

-지만 vs -는데: the distinction that trips everyone

This is the one contrast you must internalize on this page. -지만 is a pure adversative — it says nothing but "the second clause runs against the first." -(으)ㄴ/는데 is a softer, background-setting connective: it lays down shared context and then leads gently into the next thing, especially a question or a request. English "but" covers both, so learners over-use -지만 and sound blunt.

Compare a flat contrast with a setup:

The first genuinely weighs two opposing properties. The second is not really contrasting anything; 비싼데 just sets the scene ("it's a little pricey, and given that…") before floating the question. When your second clause is a question or a request and the first is merely context for it, you want -는데, not -지만. For the full treatment, see -는데: contrast and -는데: background.

Common Mistakes

1. Using -지만 to set up a question or request. When the first clause is background for what follows, use -는데. -지만 wrongly asserts a contrast.

• ❌ 역을 찾지만 어디에 있어요? — wrong: you're not contrasting, you're giving background to ask.

2. Inserting a linking vowel -으-. -지만 attaches straight to the stem.

• ❌ 방은 작으지만 깨끗해요. — wrong: no -으- before 지만.

3. Dropping tense from the first clause. If the first clause is past, mark it on the -지만 clause; don't leave it tenseless.

• ❌ 밤새 공부하지만 시험에 떨어졌어요. — wrong: the studying was also in the past.

4. Using -지만 to soften a favor. For a polite lead-in to a request, -는데 sounds warmer; -지만 (outside the frozen 죄송하지만 opener) can sound abrupt.

• ❌ 질문이 있지만 도와주실 수 있어요? — off: not a contrast; you're setting up a request.

Key Takeaways

• -지만 = the plain, all-purpose "but." Attaches to any stem — verb, adjective, 이다, 있다/없다 — with no allomorphy (no -으-, no vowel harmony).
• It carries its own tense: 갔지만, 먹었지만, 하겠지만. Each clause keeps its own time.
• Subjects may differ across the two clauses, so it is ideal for comparisons.
• Memorize 죄송하지만 / 실례지만 / 미안하지만 as polite openers.
• -지만 vs -는데: -지만 pushes back (real contrast); -는데 sets up background, especially before a question or request. When in doubt, ask whether the second clause contradicts or merely follows from the first.