Advanced concession and contrast
B1 逆接・対比「〜ものの・〜ながらも・〜つつ・〜にもかかわらず・〜反面・〜一方で」 59 / 69
In short
At A2 you learned four ways to say “but”. This lesson adds the written and formal ones - ものの (mono no), ながらも (nagara mo), つつも (tsutsu mo), にもかかわらず (ni mo kakawarazu) - plus a second family that is not “but” at all: 反面／一方で／に対して, which set two things side by side rather than defeating an expectation. Learn to recognise ものの and つつ in reading first; けど and が will still carry your speaking.
The rule
Step 1 - ものの: “I grant you A, but A did not deliver”
[plain form] + ものの、[clause B]。 ものの is the nominalizer もの plus の, so it attaches like a noun-modifier: verbs and い-adjectives plain, な-adjective + な, noun + である.
What makes ものの different from けど is that clause A must be something you concede as true, and clause B says it fell short of what A implies. 薬を飲んだものの、熱は下がりませんでした - taking the medicine should have worked, and it didn’t. If A and B are merely different (not disappointing), ものの is wrong; use 一方で.
Sentence-initially, とはいうものの (to wa iu mono no, “having said that”) does the same job between two sentences.
ものの is distinctly written: essays, reports, news. It sounds stiff in conversation.
Step 2 - ながら(も): concessive, not simultaneous
You met ながら at A2 as “while” (lesson 23). The same form also means “although”, and the も in ながらも makes that reading explicit.
- V-ます-stem + ながら(も) - 知っていながら (shitte inagara, “even though he knew”). The concessive wants a verb of state, so an action verb turns up as 〜ていながら. With 知る both stems are standard: 知っていながら and plain 知りながら (悪いと知りながら, “knowing it was wrong”).
- い-adjective, plain + ながらも - 狭いながらも (semai nagara mo, “small though it is”). No 〜く here, unlike 〜くても.
- な-adjective stem / noun + ながら(も) - 残念ながら (zannen nagara, “unfortunately”), 子どもながら (kodomo nagara, “child though he is”).
Which reading you get is decided by the words, not the form: if the two clauses clash, it is concessive; if they simply co-occur, it is simultaneous. Both readings keep the A2 rule that the subject must be the same in both clauses.
Step 3 - つつ(も), and the separate 〜つつある
V-ます-stem + つつ(も) is the literary twin of ながらも: 悪いと知りつつも、やめられません (warui to shiritsutsu mo, “though I know it’s bad…”). It is even more written than ものの and is essentially never spoken casually. つつ attaches only to a verb stem - there is no adjective or noun form.
Do not confuse it with 〜つつある (tsutsu aru), a completely different pattern meaning “is in the process of …”: 人口が増加しつつあります。 (Jinkō ga zōka shitsutsu arimasu.) - “The population is increasing.” No concession there at all.
Step 4 - にもかかわらず: formal “despite”
[plain form / noun] + にもかかわらず. A noun or a な-adjective attaches bare - 雨にもかかわらず (ame ni mo kakawarazu) - or, in stiffer writing, through である: 元気であるにもかかわらず. What it never takes is だ.
This is the strongest and most formal member: speeches, announcements, written reports. Its everyday spoken counterpart is のに (lesson 33) - same meaning of thwarted expectation, opposite register. Say のに to a friend, write にもかかわらず in a report.
Step 5 - Contrast, not concession: 反面, 一方で, に対して
These three do not defeat an expectation. They put two facts side by side, and nothing is surprising about either.
- 〜反面／〜半面 (hanmen) - two opposing properties of one and the same thing: この薬はよく効く反面、副作用も強いです。
- 〜一方(で) (ippō de) - broader. It covers the same two-sides-of-one-thing contrast, and it also simply means “meanwhile”, joining two parallel situations with no conflict: 母は働く一方で、父は家事をします。
- 〜に対して (ni taishite) in its contrastive reading - two different parties compared. After a clause it needs の: 兄は外で遊ぶのに対して、弟は家で本を読みます。
Attachment for all three is noun-modifying: な-adjective + な, noun + である (with 〜に対して taking なのに対して after a noun).
Step 6 - くせに: the blaming one
くせに (kuse ni) means “and yet”, but loaded with contempt or blame. Two restrictions matter:
- The subject must be a person - ×この機械は安いくせに. Use のに for things.
- It is rude. Never use it about a teacher, a client or anyone above you. It is fine grumbling about a friend, and common in casual speech.
Attachment: verb/い-adjective plain, な-adjective + な, noun + の (子どものくせに).
Step 7 - Recognise before you produce
ものの and つつも are the hardest and least spoken of this set. Aim to understand them instantly in a text, and keep using が when you write and けど when you speak - both are always correct and never sound wrong. にもかかわらず and 一方で are the two worth actively adding to your own formal writing first.
Forms & patterns
Attachment - what each pattern takes:
| Pattern | Verb 行く／知る | い-adj 安い | な-adj 便利／残念 | Noun 学生／雨 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 〜ものの | 行くものの／行ったものの itta mono no | 安いものの | 便利なものの benri na mono no | 学生であるものの gakusei de aru mono no |
| 〜ながら(も) | 知っていながら shitte inagara | 安いながらも yasui nagara mo | 残念ながら zannen nagara | 子どもながら kodomo nagara |
| 〜つつ(も) | 知りつつも shiritsutsu mo | - | - | - |
| 〜にもかかわらず | 行ったにもかかわらず | 安いにもかかわらず | 便利であるにもかかわらず | 雨にもかかわらず ame ni mo kakawarazu |
| 〜反面／〜一方で | 効く反面 kiku hanmen | 安い一方で yasui ippō de | 便利な反面 benri na hanmen | 学生である一方で |
| 〜のに対して | 遊ぶのに対して asobu no ni taishite | 安いのに対して | 便利なのに対して | 学生なのに対して |
| 〜くせに | 知っているくせに | 安いくせに | 下手なくせに heta na kuse ni | 子どものくせに kodomo no kuse ni |
The register ladder - one meaning, five levels:
| Form | Romaji | Where it belongs | Extra colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| けど | kedo | casual speech, the everyday default | none |
| が | ga | careful speech and writing | none |
| のに | noni | speech at any level | dissatisfaction, surprise |
| ものの | mono no | writing, formal speech | A granted, A’s expected result failed |
| にもかかわらず | ni mo kakawarazu | formal writing, speeches | strongest “despite” |
| くせに | kuse ni | casual speech only | blame - off the ladder, use with care |
The three contrast markers - which one:
| Marker | Compares | Typical shape |
|---|---|---|
| 〜反面 hanmen | two opposing sides of one thing | よく効く反面、副作用が強い |
| 〜一方(で) ippō de | two sides of one thing, or two parallel situations | 便利な一方で、高い |
| 〜のに対して no ni taishite | two different parties | 兄は〜のに対して、弟は〜 |
Examples
- 説明を聞いたものの、よく分かりませんでした。 (Setsumei o kiita mono no, yoku wakarimasen deshita.) - I did listen to the explanation, but I didn’t really understand it.
- この店は便利なものの、少し高いです。 (Kono mise wa benri na mono no, sukoshi takai desu.) - This shop is convenient, but it is a little expensive.
- 狭いながらも、明るくていい部屋です。 (Semai nagara mo, akarukute ii heya desu.) - It is small, but it is a bright, pleasant room.
- 危険だと知っていながら、彼は一人で行きました。 (Kiken da to shitte inagara, kare wa hitori de ikimashita.) - Even though he knew it was dangerous, he went alone.
- 体に悪いと知りつつも、たばこをやめられません。 (Karada ni warui to shiritsutsu mo, tabako o yameraremasen.) - Even knowing it is bad for my health, I can’t quit smoking.
- 雨にもかかわらず、大勢の人が集まりました。 (Ame ni mo kakawarazu, ōzei no hito ga atsumarimashita.) - Despite the rain, a large crowd gathered.
- この薬はよく効く反面、副作用も強いです。 (Kono kusuri wa yoku kiku hanmen, fukusayō mo tsuyoi desu.) - This medicine works well, but on the other hand the side effects are strong too.
- 都会は便利な一方で、生活費が高いです。 (Tokai wa benri na ippō de, seikatsuhi ga takai desu.) - Cities are convenient, while on the other hand the cost of living is high.
- 兄は外で遊ぶのに対して、弟は家で本を読みます。 (Ani wa soto de asobu no ni taishite, otōto wa ie de hon o yomimasu.) - My older brother plays outside, whereas my younger brother reads at home.
- 自分ではやらないくせに、文句ばかり言います。 (Jibun de wa yaranai kuse ni, monku bakari iimasu.) - He never does it himself, and yet he does nothing but complain.
Common mistakes
- この店は便利だものの、高いです。 (Kono mise wa benri da mono no, takai desu.) -> この店は便利なものの、高いです。 (Kono mise wa benri na mono no, takai desu.) - ものの is built on もの, so it takes a noun-modifying shape: な-adjective + な, noun + である. Never だ.
- 悪いと知るつつも、続けています。 (Warui to shiru tsutsu mo, tsuzukete imasu.) -> 悪いと知りつつも、続けています。 (Warui to shiritsutsu mo, tsuzukete imasu.) - つつ attaches to the ます-stem (知り-), exactly like ながら, never to the dictionary form.
- 雨だにもかかわらず、試合をしました。 (Ame da ni mo kakawarazu, shiai o shimashita.) -> 雨にもかかわらず、試合をしました。 (Ame ni mo kakawarazu, shiai o shimashita.) - a noun joins にもかかわらず directly, or through である in stiffer writing, but never through だ. A な-adjective works the same way: 元気であるにもかかわらず.
- 狭くながらも、いい部屋です。 (Semaku nagara mo, ii heya desu.) -> 狭いながらも、いい部屋です。 (Semai nagara mo, ii heya desu.) - an い-adjective keeps its plain 〜い before ながら. The 〜く stem belongs to ても (狭くても), not here.
- この機械は安いくせに、よく動きます。 (Kono kikai wa yasui kuse ni, yoku ugokimasu.) -> この機械は安いのに、よく動きます。 (Kono kikai wa yasui noni, yoku ugokimasu.) - くせに blames somebody, so it needs a human subject; for objects, and for anyone you respect, use のに.
Tips
- Concession vs contrast is the real split. ものの／ながらも／つつも／にもかかわらず all say “B defeats what A led you to expect”. 反面／一方で／に対して say only “A here, B there” - nothing is defeated. If you can insert “surprisingly” before B, you need the first group.
- One form, two meanings - let the clash decide. 音楽を聞きながら勉強します is “while”; 知っていながら黙っていました is “although”. Same ながら. Simultaneity needs two actions that can overlap; concession needs two facts that clash.
- つつ has an evil twin. 〜つつも = “although”; 〜つつある = “is in the process of”. 変わりつつあります means “it is changing”, not “although it changes”. Check whether ある follows.
- Write が, read ものの. In your own output, が covers every formal “but” safely. Reserve ものの and つつも for reading comprehension until they feel automatic - a misused ものの is much more conspicuous than a plain が.