Speaker 1: The other day, I was thinking about the difference between though,
even though, and although even though They all mean but
there's a difference though and although you may not have
learned it before, you'll learn it today. Let's dive in.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you, Jan and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode nine to forty one. Though,
even though, and although, what's the difference? Hey, thanks for
tuning in. So let me ask you something. Have you
ever heard someone say even though I was tired I
went to the party, and then later heard although I
was tired, or even just I was tired though. Wait
a minute, are those all the same or are they different? Well,
the truth is, these three phrases, though, even though, and
although all express contrast, like you say one thing but
then mention something opposite. But how we use them depends
on the situation, how formal or casual we want to sound,
and the rhythm of the sentence. So today I'll walk
you through the differences between though, even though, and although
with clear, natural examples to help you speak more fluently
and confidently. Let's start with though. This one is super
common in every day spoken English. We often use it
the same way as but especially the end of a
sentence like this, I'd even study for the test I passed,
though or it started raining a little, we kept on hiking, though,
See what I mean. The word though is like an afterthought,
a little contrast at the end of your sentence. It
softens the contrast, and it's very natural. It's not as
formal as saying, but so it fits casual, friendly conversations.
Here's another one, that sushi place has really good food.
It's a little pricey, though, or he didn't say much
in the meeting. He made a great impression though. Again,
using though at the end of your sentence gives the
feeling that you want to say, but in a softer,
friendlier way. All right now, how about using even though.
This one's a little different, even though also shows contrast,
but it's stronger. We use even though when something is
unexpected or surprising, like even though I was exhausted, I
stayed up to finish my homework. Yeah, you'd expect the
person to go to sleep, right, but they didn't. That's
the power of even though it makes the contrast more dramatic,
it shows surprise. Here's another one, even though she doesn't
like flying, Jenny traveled to Australia for her friend's wedding.
Or even though it was snowing, we went out for
ice cream. Now, compare that to it was snowing we
went out for ice cream though, even though has more energy.
It feels stronger and more direct. Even though it was snowing,
we went out for ice cream, using though at the
end feel softer, almost like what we wanted to say
was an afterthought. It was snowing we went out for
ice cream though, So yeah, the impact between these two
has a totally different feel. Okay, now let's talk about although.
Although and though have similar meanings. But although sounds a
little more formal. It's more common in writing speeches or
professional settings like this. Although I disagree with what the
senator discussed, we understand her reasoning for blah blah blah
blah blah formal sounding right. Or although he had little experience,
he got the job at the bank. So when you
want to sound more polished or academic, although it was
a good choice, you could say, although it was raining,
the game continued, and that would fit perfectly fine in
a news report or essay, but in conversation you're more
likely to hear it was raining we played anyway, though,
Let's take a look at though, even though and although
side by side, I was tired, I went to the party.
Though even though I was tired, I went to the party.
Although I was tired, I went to the party. All
of them work, and the meaning is mostly the same,
but the tone and rhythm change depending on which word
you choose. And you might be wondering, what about but
I was tired, but I went to the party, but
just shows contrast. As a fact, it's neutral. There's no
real emotion or nuance. On the other hand, though, even
though and although all add a little feeling, they give
the sentence some flavor, some attitude, and that's the difference.
So here's a good rule of thumb. Use though, when
you want to sound natural and casual, especially at the
end of a sentence, use even though, when you want
to show a stronger or more surprising contrast. Use although
when you want to sound a bit more formal or
you're writing something serious. Now here's your challenge. Try writing
or saying three sentences with this language from your own life,
one with though, one with even though, and one with although.
Think about something you did yesterday or something that surprised you.
Here are a few examples to help you out. It
was cold, I went for a walk though, even though
I had a headache. I joined the meeting although I
was nervous. I gave my presentation and hey, keep in mind,
the best way to remember English, like this and any
other word or phrase in English, is to take that
word or phrase, write it in a sentence that's true
for you or true in your world, and then memorize
your sentences. That's how you build fluency. Thanks for listening,
and remember learning another language is not easy, but it's
not impossible, and I'm here to help you on your journey.
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