dù ... vẫn ...

Even Though ... Still ...

Level 3

The pattern dù ... vẫn ... means "even though [A], [subject] still [B]." It shows that an action or state continues in defiance of an obstacle or condition.

How It Works

This pattern is highly frequent in everyday spoken and written Vietnamese.

Structure:

  • Dù (có) + [Condition/Obstacle], (nhưng/thì) + Subject + vẫn/cũng + Verb/Adjective

Key Nuances:

  • Hypothetical vs. Factual: While mặc dù ... nhưng ... is slightly more formal and mostly used for factual, existing situations ("even though it is raining right now"), and tuy ... nhưng ... functions similarly for factual situations but with a neutral register, dù is shorter, more colloquial, and can be used for both facts and hypothetical future situations. For heavy emphasis on extreme conditions, you can use the variation cho dù ... cũng ....
  • Marking Hypotheticals with "có": To explicitly mark a condition as hypothetical ("even if" rather than "even though"), it is highly frequent to add có after dù (e.g., Dù có đắt thì tôi vẫn mua - Even if it is expensive, I will still buy it).
  • Using "cũng" instead of "vẫn": In hypothetical scenarios, cũng is frequently used as a valid alternative to vẫn. While they are often interchangeable here, vẫn translates closer to "still" (emphasizing persistence or continuation despite the obstacle), whereas cũng translates closer to "anyway" or "in that case too" (emphasizing that the outcome remains the same regardless of the condition).
  • Connecting with "nhưng" or "thì": English speakers are often taught never to say "Although X, but Y." Because of this, learners often hypercorrect and avoid combining them in Vietnamese. However, pairing a concessive word with a contrast word like nhưng (but) is the standard, default grammatical structure in Vietnamese. While it can be omitted in casual speech, including it adds clarity and emphasis to the contrast. Additionally, in hypothetical "even if" scenarios, thì is a common alternative to connect the clauses.
  • Subject Placement: While dù usually starts the sentence, the subject of the first clause can also be placed before it for stylistic variation (e.g., Tôi dù mệt vẫn đi làm - Even though I'm tired, I still go to work).
  • Clause Reversal: The main clause can also come before the concessive clause (Main Clause + dù + Concessive Clause). When this happens, connector words like nhưng and thì must be dropped (e.g., Tôi vẫn đi làm dù trời mưa - I still go to work even though it is raining).
  • Omitting the subject: In casual speech, if the context is clear, the subject is often dropped entirely.
  • "No matter [who/what/where/etc.]": A highly frequent extension of this pattern pairs dù with question words (like ai, gì, đâu, bao giờ, thế nào, sao) to mean "no matter who/what/where/when/how". The structure is Dù + [Question Word] + (thì) + Subject + cũng/vẫn + Verb. For example: Dù ai nói gì thì tôi cũng không quan tâm (No matter what anyone says, I don't care) or Dù đi đâu tôi vẫn nhớ nhà (No matter where I go, I still miss home).

Examples (5)

  1. Dù trời mưa, tôi vẫn đi làm.

    Even if/though it rains, I still go to work.

    Word by Word: Even though sky rain, I still go work.

    A classic example showing the adverb vẫn placed right before the verb đi.

  2. Dù rất mệt, cô ấy vẫn tiếp tục học.

    Even though she is very tired, she still continues studying.

    Word by Word: Even though very tired, she still continue study.

    Dù can attach directly to an adjective phrase (rất mệt) without needing a full subject in the first clause.

  3. Dù khó vẫn cố gắng.

    Even if it's hard, [we] still try.

    Word by Word: Even though difficult still try.

    In natural spoken Vietnamese, subjects are frequently omitted when the context is understood.

  4. Dù anh ấy xin lỗi nhưng tôi vẫn không tha thứ.

    Even though he apologized, I still won't forgive him.

    Word by Word: Even though he apologize but I still not forgive.

    English speakers often avoid saying 'Although X, but Y', but pairing a concessive word like dù with a contrast word like nhưng is the standard, default grammatical structure in Vietnamese.

  5. Dù có đắt thì tôi vẫn mua.

    Even if it is expensive, I will still buy it.

    Word by Word: Even though have expensive then I still buy.

    Adding có after dù explicitly marks the condition as a hypothetical 'even if' scenario rather than a factual 'even though' statement.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing 'vẫn' at the beginning of the second clause.

    Dù trời mưa, vẫn tôi đi làm.
    Dù trời mưa, tôi vẫn đi làm.

    Because 'still' can float in English sentences (e.g., 'Still, I went'), learners often mistakenly place vẫn at the very beginning of the clause. In Vietnamese, it must go between the subject and the verb or adjective.

  • Omitting 'vẫn' or 'cũng' entirely in the second clause.

    Dù trời mưa, tôi đi làm.
    Dù trời mưa, tôi vẫn đi làm.

    In English, you can simply say 'Even though it rained, I went to work.' The Vietnamese sentence 'Dù trời mưa, tôi đi làm' is grammatical, but it usually includes a word like vẫn (still) or cũng in the second clause to stress that the action happens despite the condition.

How It Connects

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

dù ... vẫn ...Level 3Even Though ... Still ...

Learn This First

To learn 'dù ... vẫn ...', you first need to understand the basic word for 'still' (vẫn) and how Vietnamese typically structures 'although' sentences using 'tuy ... nhưng ...'. This pattern is a variation that emphasizes the persistence of an action or state despite a specific circumstance.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

dù