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B2 Lesson 3 of 3 · Giving Your Opinion & Debating

Conceding and nuancing

Acknowledge the other side before defending yours: certes… mais, il est vrai que… cependant, bien que + subjunctive.

14 min · 8 activities

In this lesson you will

  • Use concession structures
  • Oppose ideas with cependant, toutefois, en revanche
  • Sound balanced and convincing
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Lesson summary

The key points to remember, for revision.

  • 1Concession: certes… mais, il est vrai que… cependant, bien que + subjunctive, même si + indicative.
  • 2Opposition: cependant, toutefois, néanmoins; en revanche, par contre; alors que, tandis que.
  • 3Concede first, then defend: it makes your opinion more convincing.

Key vocabulary

certesadmittedly
toutefoishowever
en revancheon the other hand
tandis quewhereas
en valoir la peineto be worth it