sed

But

Level 1

Sed shows a contrast between two ideas.

How It Works

The word sed means but. It joins two sentences or two parts of a sentence that contrast.

Kind of contrastExample
two ideas that differMi ŝatas kafon, sed mi ne ŝatas teon.
two descriptionsLa domo estas malgranda, sed bela.
a surpriseWei estas juna, sed li estas saĝa.

Commas are used between joined sentences: Ana laboras, sed Kenji ne laboras. Esperanto has no strict rule for commas, but a comma before sed is normal between two full sentences.

Sed often follows ne: Ana trinkas ne kafon, sed teon. The ne denies the first part, and sed adds the right one.

Examples (4)

  1. Mi ŝatas kafon, sed mi ne ŝatas teon.

    I like coffee, but I do not like tea.

    Sed joins two sentences that differ.

  2. La domo estas malgranda, sed bela.

    The house is small, but beautiful.

    Sed joins two descriptions of the same house.

  3. Ana laboras en Brazilo, sed ŝi loĝas en Portugalio.

    Ana works in Brazil, but she lives in Portugal.

    Sed shows that the second fact is a surprise.

  4. Wei estas juna, sed li estas saĝa.

    Wei is young, but he is wise.

    Sed joins two sentences.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

sedLevel 1But

Learn This First

Sed joins two parts of a sentence that disagree.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.