Conjunctions & Connectors

和 (hé) means “and” — but only for joining nouns (你和我, 茶和咖啡). It can't link verbs, adjectives or whole sentences the way English “and” does.

Chinese splits English “also” into two words. 还 (hái) keeps the same subject and piles on a second, different action (“…and also”). 也 (yě) brings a new subject to the same action (“me too”).

就 (jiù) is “then” in the sense of “so / in that case” — the first clause sets up a situation, and 就 (before the verb) introduces what follows from it. It pairs constantly with 吧 and 了.

To stack two qualities, Chinese repeats 又 before each: Subject + 又 + Adj1 + 又 + Adj2 (他又高又帅 = “he's both tall and handsome”). The two must point the same way — both good or both bad.

或者 (huòzhě) is “or” for statements — laying out alternatives that are all fine: Possibility 1 + 或者 + Possibility 2 (我喝茶或者咖啡都行 = “tea or coffee, either's fine”). For “or” in a question, you need 还是 instead.

Chinese has two everyday words for “but”, and they're interchangeable: 可是 (kěshì) and 但是 (dànshì). Statement，可是/但是 + the contrary statement (我想去，但是太忙了 = “I want to go, but I'm too busy”). 可是 is a touch softer, 但是 a touch more formal.

因为 (yīnwèi) means “because” and marks the cause; 所以 (suǒyǐ) means “so / therefore” and marks the result. The surprise for English speakers: Chinese keeps BOTH in one sentence — 因为下雨，所以我们没去 (“because it rained, so we didn’t go”). You can also use either alone.

结果 (jiéguǒ) means “as a result / in the end” — it opens the second clause and delivers the outcome of the first: 她穿得很少，结果感冒了 (“she underdressed, and as a result caught a cold”). It often flags an unexpected or unwanted twist: 我去接他，结果没接到 (“I went to pick him up, but in the end couldn’t find him”).

这样 (zhèyàng) means “this way / in this way / like this.” It works as a manner adverb before a verb (这样做, “do it this way”), as a consequence connector with 会 or 才 (你要多说，这样才能进步, “speak more, this way you can improve”), and in the phrase 这样的话 for “if this is the case.”

先…，再… (xiān…, zài…) is the everyday “first…, then…” pattern for putting two actions in order: 先洗手再吃 (“wash your hands first, then eat”). Here 再 means “and then,” not “again.” You can end with 再说 for a “let’s see how it goes” feeling, and chain longer sequences with 然后 and 接着.

什么的 (shénme de) is the casual “and so on / and stuff like that” that closes an open-ended list: 牛奶、鸡蛋什么的 (“milk, eggs, and so on”). You tack it onto the end once it's clear what kind of things you mean, even after a single item (喝点茶什么的, “some tea or something”). It's friendly and spoken, where 等 is the neutral “etc.”

之类的 (zhī lèi de) continues a list by naming the category the examples belong to: 像 KFC 之类的快餐店 (“fast-food restaurants like KFC”). The optional 像 (“such as”) leads the examples, and 之类的 hands off to a category noun. It's the “and that sort of thing” partner to 什么的, which trails off with nothing after.

等 and 等等 (děng, děngděng) are the formal “and so on / etc.” for closing a list: 跑步、游泳、打球等 (“running, swimming, ball games, etc.”). They attach straight onto the last item with no comma before. When you go on to name the category (等城市, “cities such as…”), only the single 等 works, never 等等.

不过 (búguò) is the soft, informal “but”: 这个不错，不过有点贵 (“it's nice, but a bit pricey”). It does the same job as 但是 / 可是 but downplays the contrast, the way English “though” or “mind you” does, and it leads the second clause after the comma. Watch the word order: after a subject, 不过 flips to “merely.”

还有 (háiyǒu) means “in addition / and also / plus,” and you use it to add a new point as an afterthought: 你要吃药，还有，要多休息 (“take your medicine; also, get more rest”). It leads the added clause, often after a comma, and can tack a final item onto a list. It adds a whole new point, unlike 也 (“too”) or 和 (“and”).

另外 (lìngwài) means “besides / in addition,” and you use it to raise a separate extra point after one statement: 这家餐厅很贵。另外，服务也不好 (“this restaurant is expensive; besides, the service isn’t good”). It opens the new point, usually with 也 or 还 in the clause. As an adverb it means “another / separately” before a verb: 我们另外约时间 (“let’s set another time”).

为了 (wèile) marks the purpose of an action, “in order to” or “for the sake of.” Front the whole 为了 phrase: 为了健康，我每天跑步 (“for my health, I run every day”), with a noun (为了钱) or a verb phrase (为了学好中文) after it. When the purpose follows the main clause instead, it needs 是: 我这么做是为了帮你 (“I did this in order to help you”). Keep 为了 (a goal) apart from 因为 (a cause).

One frame links two events: 一 marks the trigger, 就 marks what follows right after. (Subject) + 一 + Event1，就 + Event2. It reads as “as soon as” for a one-time sequence (我一到家就睡了, “as soon as I got home, I slept”) and as “every time / whenever” for a habit (我一紧张就忘词, “every time I get nervous, I forget my words”). Both 一 and 就 are required, and 一 sits right before Event 1’s verb.

Chinese keeps both halves of “although.” 虽然 opens the fact you concede, and 但是 (or 可是) must still lead the second clause, even though English drops the “but.” (Subject) 虽然 + fact，但是 / 可是 + contrast (虽然今天很忙，但是我很开心, “although I’m busy today, I’m happy”). 虽然 can sit before or after the subject; 但是 and 可是 swap freely, with short forms 但 / 可.

要么…要么… lays down two choices with a hardline “either/or” feel: these are the options, pick one. 要么 + Option A，要么 + Option B (要么你去，要么他去, “either you go, or he goes”). Unlike the easygoing 或者 (“either is fine”), 要么 forces a choice and often carries an ultimatum edge, and it states options rather than asking, so it isn’t the question word 还是. Both 要么 are required, and it can stretch to three or more.

One frame, two opposite meanings, and the adverb after the comma is the tell. 除了 + X (+ 以外)，Subj + 都 / 也 / 还. With 都 it means “except” (X is left out): 除了他，我们都去过 (“except him, we’ve all been”). With 也 or 还 it means “in addition / besides” (X is kept in, more is added): 除了英语，我也会说日语 (“besides English, I also speak Japanese”). 以外 is optional; the 都 vs 也 / 还 choice is what sets the meaning.

如果…的话 is the everyday “if,” and its trick is a sandwich: the condition sits between 如果 (which opens it) and 的话 (which closes it), then the result follows, usually led by 就 (or the more relaxed 那么 / 那). 如果明天下雨的话，我们就不去了 (“if it rains tomorrow, we won’t go”). Almost every piece is droppable: you can lose 的话, lose 如果, keep just 就, or leave the “if” completely implied. 如果 also swaps for casual 要是 or formal 假如.

一方面…，(另)一方面… is the Chinese “on one hand…, on the other hand…,” used to lay out two aspects of a situation. 一方面 + [aspect 1]，(另)一方面 + [aspect 2] (一方面很方便，另一方面也容易浪费时间, “on one hand it’s convenient, on the other it’s easy to waste time”). The two aspects can point the SAME way (two pros) or PULL against each other (a trade-off), and the second half often adds 又, 也 or 还 for emphasis. 另 (“other”) on the second half is optional.

尽管 (jǐnguǎn) here is the concessive “although / even though / despite”: 尽管 + [a real fact]，(还是 / 但 / 却 / 仍然) + [what happens anyway]. 尽管很累，他还是坚持跑完了 (“even though he was tired, he still finished the run”). It's close to 虽然, just a shade more emphatic and more common in writing. Unlike English, Chinese keeps both connectors (尽管…但…). The same 尽管 before a bare verb means “feel free,” not “although.”

再不……就…… (zàibù... jiù...) is the “act now or else” warning: (Subject +) 再不 + the action needed now, 就 + the bad thing about to happen, usually closed with 了 (你再不走，就迟到了, “if you don't leave now, you'll be late”). It carries built-in urgency. Don't confuse it with 再也不 (“never again”) or 不再 (“no longer”), which look similar but do completely different jobs.

啊 (a) can tag the end of each item in a casual list: A啊，B啊，C啊……, usually followed by a summary (often with 都), like 茶啊，咖啡啊，我们都有 (“tea, coffee, that kind of thing, we've got it all”). It gives a relaxed, “you know, that sort of thing” feel and marks the list as non-exhaustive. Round it off with 什么的, not the formal 等等. It's not the sentence-final exclamation 啊.

于是 (yúshì) is the narrative conjunction “and so then.” It goes between two clauses and marks the second as what happened next, closely following and prompted by the first: [event 1]，于是 [event 2]了 (下雨了，于是我们回家了, “it rained, so then we went home”). It recounts the past, so 了 is common, and it often becomes 于是就. It's not the logical “therefore” 所以/因此, nor the mere sequence 然后.

而 (ér) is the contrastive conjunction “but rather / whereas / yet.” Its signature move is the substitution frame 不是 A，而是 B (“not A, but rather B”: 我要的不是道歉，而是行动) and its mirror 是 A，而不是 B (“A, not B”). More broadly, [Sentence 1]，而 [Sentence 2] sets two facts side by side as an even contrast (姐姐外向，而妹妹内向). It's a touch formal, and joins clauses or adjectives, never two nouns (that's 和).