परंतु / तथापि

But in Formal Writing

Level 5Sounds Like parantu / tathāpi

Never join परंतु and पण in one clause.

How It Works

परंतु is the formal पण. It sets a second fact against the first. सेवा सुरू आहे; परंतु प्रवाशांची संख्या कमी आहे. (The service is running, but the number of passengers is low.)

Word	Where	Example
परंतु	after a semicolon, or opening a sentence	पुलाचे काम पूर्ण झाले; परंतु उद्घाटन अजून झाले नाही.
तथापि	opening a sentence, or after a semicolon	प्रयत्न अनेक झाले; तथापि निकाल समाधानकारक नाही.

तथापि is stronger. It admits one fact and then says that something else holds anyway. पाऊस थांबला आहे. तथापि, नागरिकांनी सावध राहावे. (The rain has stopped. However, citizens should stay alert.)

Both words can open a sentence, with a comma after तथापि. सेवा पूर्ववत झाली. परंतु प्रवाशांची गैरसोय झाली. (Service has resumed. But passengers were inconvenienced.)

Write परंतु with the short ु at the end. Use only one "but" word: do not add पण next to परंतु.

In everyday talk, say पण or मात्र. परंतु and तथापि belong to news, notices, essays and letters.

Examples (5)

सेवा सुरू आहे; परंतु प्रवाशांची संख्या कमी आहे.
The service is running, but the number of passengers is low.
परंतु sets the low numbers against the running service.
सेवा पूर्ववत झाली. परंतु प्रवाशांची गैरसोय झाली.
Service has resumed. But passengers were inconvenienced.
परंतु opens a sentence that turns the point.
पाऊस थांबला आहे. तथापि, नागरिकांनी सावध राहावे.
The rain has stopped. However, citizens should stay alert.
तथापि opens the sentence that follows with a comma.
पुलाचे काम पूर्ण झाले; परंतु उद्घाटन अजून झाले नाही.
The work on the bridge is complete, but it has not been opened yet.
परंतु sets "not opened yet" against the finished work.
प्रयत्न अनेक झाले; तथापि निकाल समाधानकारक नाही.
Many attempts were made; however, the result is not satisfactory.
तथापि gives a stronger turn than परंतु.

Common Mistakes

Using the Hindi word लेकिन.
सेवा सुरू आहे; लेकिन प्रवाशांची संख्या कमी आहे.
सेवा सुरू आहे; परंतु प्रवाशांची संख्या कमी आहे.
लेकिन is Hindi. Marathi says परंतु, पण or मात्र.
Using two "but" words together.
सेवा सुरू आहे, परंतु पण प्रवाशांची संख्या कमी आहे.
सेवा सुरू आहे, परंतु प्रवाशांची संख्या कमी आहे.
Use one word for "but": परंतु or पण, never both.

How It Connects

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परंतु / तथापिLevel 5But in Formal Writing

Learn This First

But in written form.

मात्रHowever
Know मात्र, because परंतु and तथापि are the written forms of but that replace it in articles.
Level 4

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

यद्यपि … तथापिFormal AlthoughLevel 6

Words in This Pattern

परंतु

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