日本語道場

Nihongo Dojo — N3 → N2

Grammar

N3

~ことは~が

~koto wa ~ ga

it's true that... but

When to use it

Use ~ことは~が to concede a point before pivoting to your real objection — you acknowledge the fact is true, then immediately qualify it. In business Japanese it softens pushback in meetings and email ("we did receive it, but…", "it's cheap, sure, but…"). The repeated word carries the concession, so the emphasis lands entirely on what follows が.

Formation

  • Verbs: V + ことは + same V, tense/politeness shown on the second verb — 読む → 読むことは読みましたが / 読んだことは読んだが
  • i-adjectives: plain form + ことは + same adjective — 安いことは安いが / 安いことは安いのですが
  • na-adjectives: ~な + ことは + ~だ/です — 便利なことは便利だが
  • Nouns: N + であることは + N + だ/です + が (uncommon, stiff) — 事実であることは事実だが
  • Variants: ~ことは~けど (casual), ~ことは~のですが (softer, polite). が may be replaced by けれども in written style.

Examples

  • I did read the materials, but the content is out of date.

  • It's cheap, true, but I still have concerns about the delivery date.

  • We will look into it, but please don't get your hopes up.

  • It's convenient enough, but the cost doesn't work out.

  • We did sign the contract, but the terms are quite unfavorable.