Learn Hardcore Chinese: suīrán jīntiān wǒ hěn máng, dànshì wǒmen háishi qù chāoshì ba. - Although I’m busy today, let’s still go to the supermarket.

In Chinese it’s normal and very natural to use the paired structure 虽然 … 但是/可是/不过 …. It isn’t redundant in Chinese the way it would be in English.

Full form (very common): 虽然今天我很忙，但是我们还是去超市吧。
You can drop the second connector in speech: 虽然今天我很忙，我们还是去超市吧。
You can also replace 但是 with 可是/不过 with little change in meaning.

Can I move 虽然 (or 今天) around?

Yes. All of these are fine, with only slight emphasis differences:

虽然今天我很忙，但是我们还是去超市吧。 (default)
今天我虽然很忙，但是我们还是去超市吧。 (today is foregrounded)
我今天虽然很忙，但是我们还是去超市吧。 (the subject “I” is foregrounded)

Avoid putting 今天 at the very end of the clause; that sounds odd.

Why is it 我很忙 and not 我忙 or 我是忙?

In Chinese, many adjectives function like stative verbs, so you don’t use 是 with them. Say 我很忙, not 我是忙.
Plain 我忙 often sounds comparative or abrupt (as if contrasting with “not busy”). In neutral statements, Chinese usually uses a degree adverb like 很.
Negatives and questions can drop 很: 我不忙, 我忙吗？

Does 很 always mean “very” here?

Not always. In sentences like 我很忙, 很 often works as a neutral linker, not strongly “very.” If you truly mean “very,” use stronger words:

Intensifiers: 非常忙, 特别忙, 太忙了, 挺忙的
Slight: 有点儿忙

What exactly does 还是 mean in this sentence?

Here 还是 conveys “still/anyway / it’s better to (after consideration).” Common uses of 还是:

Choice in questions: 你要茶还是咖啡？
“Still / nonetheless”: 他还是不来。
“Had better / let’s just (decide on this option)”: 我们还是去超市吧。 (your sentence)

Why 还是 and not 还?

还 (hái) = “still/yet” in a temporal/continuative sense: 我们还在开会 (we’re still in a meeting), 他还没来 (he hasn’t come yet).
还是 (háishi) can mean “still,” but here it carries a decision/suggestion flavor: “we’d better/let’s still do it.”
Compare:
- 我们还去超市吧。 → Often “we’re still going to the supermarket (as planned),” a weak suggestion at best.
- 我们还是去超市吧。 → “After weighing things, it’s better if we go (anyway).”

What does the final 吧 do?

吧 softens the sentence into a suggestion/invitation, similar to “let’s …” or “how about …”

With 吧: 我们还是去超市吧。 (polite suggestion)
Without 吧: 我们还是去超市。 (sounds like a decision/statement)
Don’t swap in 吗; 吗 makes a yes-no question. You can write 我们还是去超市吧？ (rising intonation) to gently propose and invite confirmation.

Can I replace 但是 with 可是 or 不过?

Yes:

可是 is very colloquial.
但是 is neutral to slightly formal.
不过 feels like “however” and is a touch softer. All work in 虽然 … (可是/但是/不过) ….

Do I need 去 before 超市? Could I say 到?

You need a motion verb. The most natural is 去.

Standard: 去 + 地点 → 去超市
Also common: 到 + 地点 + 去 → 到超市去 (focus on “arrive at”)
For a quick trip, add a trip measure: 去趟超市, 去一趟超市, or soften with 去一下超市

Why is there no measure word with 超市? Should it be 一个/一家?

When naming a destination, you can say 去超市 without a measure word. If you mean a specific or countable one, use the classifier 家 for shops:

去那家超市
去一家超市 (some supermarket, not a specific known one)

Does 我们 here mean “let’s”?

Yes. 我们 + 动作 + 吧 is a common way to make a first-person plural suggestion, i.e., “let’s …”

You can even omit 我们 and still suggest: 还是去超市吧。 (context supplies “let’s”)

Where should 还是 go? Can I move it after 吧?

还是 goes before the verb phrase it modifies.

Correct: 我们还是去超市吧。
Incorrect: 我们去超市还是吧。
If you say 还是我们去超市吧, it emphasizes “better it’s us who go (as opposed to others),” which adds a contrastive meaning.

Could I use 尽管 instead of 虽然? What about 仍然?

尽管 can replace 虽然 (slightly more formal/literary): 尽管今天我很忙，我们还是去超市吧。
仍然 means “still” like 仍然/仍旧, but it’s formal and not a great fit with a 吧-suggestion. Use 还是 for this “let’s still do it” nuance.

Is the comma after 忙 necessary?

Yes—the two clauses form a concessive structure and are separated by a comma in Chinese punctuation:

虽然 …，但是 … (comma between the clauses)