thế mà / vậy mà

And Yet

Level 4

Use thế mà (Northern) or vậy mà (Southern) to connect two clauses when the second clause is a surprising or illogical outcome of the first. It translates to 'and yet' or 'even so'.

How It Works

1. Structure and Placement
This conjunction sits directly between two clauses: [Clause 1] + thế mà / vậy mà + [Clause 2]. It can also be placed at the absolute beginning of a new sentence to refer back to the context of the previous sentence.

2. Regional Preferences and Register
These two forms have different regional distributions:

  • Thế mà: The standard choice in Northern Vietnamese.
  • Vậy mà: A universally understood conjunction used nationwide in everyday speech, serving as the natural, default choice in Southern Vietnamese.

Using thế mà in the South often sounds distinctly Northern. Note that both thế mà and vậy mà are primarily used in spoken or informal contexts. Strict formal writing prefers alternatives like tuy nhiên.

3. Common Pairings and Structures
To emphasize the unexpected nature of the outcome, the second clause frequently includes lại (contrary to expectation) or vẫn (still). Additionally, this conjunction is often used in correlative structures such as:

  • Đã [A]... thế mà / vậy mà còn [B] (Already [A]... and yet still [B])
  • Tuy [A]... thế mà / vậy mà [B] (Although [A]... and yet [B]). Note that while this is great for emphasizing surprise, Tuy [A]... nhưng [B] remains the standard default pair.

4. Emphatic Variations
For a slightly more emphatic or literary tone, you can use the expanded forms ấy thế mà or ấy vậy mà.

5. Contrast with "Nhưng"
Learners often confuse this pattern with nhưng (but). Use nhưng for direct, logical opposition (e.g., 'I like apples, but he likes oranges'). Use thế mà / vậy mà ONLY for counter-expectation (e.g., 'He is 90 years old, and yet he still runs marathons').

6. Exclamatory Usage
These conjunctions can also be used at the beginning of an exasperated exclamation to express indignation, disbelief, or disappointment without needing a first clause (e.g., Vậy mà cũng nói được! - And yet you can still say that!).

Examples (4)

  1. Trời mưa to, thế mà anh ấy vẫn đi làm.

    It rained heavily, and yet he still went to work.

    Word by Word: Sky rain big, so that brother that still go work.

    Shows a surprising outcome despite the heavy rain. 'Thế mà' is used here, which is typical of Northern speech.

  2. Đã dặn kỹ rồi, vậy mà nó vẫn quên.

    I reminded him carefully, and yet he still forgot.

    Word by Word: Already remind carefully already, so that he still forget.

    Expresses frustration. 'Vậy mà' is the natural choice in Southern Vietnamese.

  3. Nó học rất giỏi, thế mà lại thi trượt.

    He studies very well, and yet he failed the exam.

    Word by Word: He study very good, so that contrary take-exam fail.

    Conveys disbelief or disappointment at an illogical outcome.

  4. Ông ấy đã 90 tuổi. Ấy vậy mà ông ấy vẫn rất khỏe.

    He is 90 years old. Even so, he is still very healthy.

    Word by Word: Grandfather that already 90 age. That so that grandfather that still very healthy.

    Demonstrates the emphatic form 'ấy vậy mà' placed at the beginning of a new sentence to express admiration.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'thế mà / vậy mà' for simple, neutral contrasts.

    Tôi là người Mỹ, thế mà anh ấy là người Anh.
    Tôi là người Mỹ, nhưng anh ấy là người Anh.

    'Thế mà' implies a surprising or illogical outcome. Being British is not a surprising consequence of someone else being American. For neutral facts, always use nhưng.

  • Using 'thế mà' in casual Southern speech.

    Món này rẻ, thế mà ngon ghê!
    Món này rẻ, vậy mà ngon ghê!

    While grammatically correct, 'thế mà' sounds distinctly Northern or textbook-like to Southern ears. To sound natural in the South, use 'vậy mà'.

How It Connects

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

thế mà / vậy màLevel 4And Yet

Learn This First

To understand 'thế mà' or 'vậy mà', learners first need to be familiar with the demonstratives 'thế' and 'vậy' (meaning 'so' or 'that way'). They also need to understand the function of the linker 'mà', which often introduces a surprising or contradictory result, and the adverb 'vẫn', which commonly appears in the following clause to show that a state persists despite the contradiction.

Words in This Pattern

thế màvậy mà