In today’s #AllYouGottaDoIsAsk post, we’ll see how to use the conjunction ‘even though’, ‘although’ and ‘though’, as asked by Wan. It may seem that these three conjunctions can be used similarly. A closer inspection will show that the use of ‘even though’, ‘although’, and ‘though’ differ. In this post we’ll explore how to use ‘even though’, ‘although’ and ‘though’ correctly.

Wan’s question goes like this:

“How do we use ‘though’ at the end of a sentence?”

First and foremost, we must understand that ‘even though’, ‘although’ and ‘though’ are conjunctions. This means that it needs at least two (2) clauses for its sentence to work. In simpler terms, that means, the sentence will need to present two (2) facts.

Secondly, we must know that ‘even though’, ‘although’, and ‘though’ can be used at the beginning, or in the middle of the sentence. Only ‘though’ can be used at the beginning, in the middle, and also at the end of a sentence.

That said, thirdly, we must know that ‘even though’, ‘although’, and ‘though’ have the same meaning as walaupun, meskipun, biarpun, dan sungguhpun. This stands true when the conjunctions are used at the beginning and in the middle of a sentence.

Fourthly, we must know that ‘though’ when used at the end of a sentence, NO LONGER carries the same meaning as ‘even though’ and ‘although’. ‘Though’ when used at the end of a sentence carries the meaning of ‘however’. Special attention will be given on the use of ‘though’ to answer Wan’s question.

In this blog post, we’ll go through some examples and their translation in Bahasa Melayu. Examples differ in the placement of the conjunctions within a sentence. This way, we can see the difference in the usage of ‘even though’/’although’ and ‘though’ more clearly.

Example 1: Even though/although/though he worked hard, he was not happy.

As seen in the sentence above, two contrary facts make up for the sentence. This satisfies the use of conjunctions where at least two (2) clauses need to be present. Other than that, the nature of the facts being contrary satisfies the use of ‘even though’/’although’/’though’.

The direct translation in Bahasa Melayu would be: Walaupun dia bekerja keras, dia tidak gembira. The use of ‘walaupun‘ can be replaced with ‘meskipun‘, ‘biarpun‘, ‘sungguhpun‘, and ‘walau… sekalipun‘. Apply caution when using ‘walau… sekalipun‘ as it denotes an ultimatum.

Unless the sentence above is changed to ‘Although he worked hard, he would never be happy’, then ‘walau… sekalipun‘ can be used. In Bahasa Melayu, that sentence carries the meaning ‘Walau dia bekerja keras sekalipun, dia tidak akan gembira.’

Example 2: He worked hard even though/although/though he was not happy.

As seen in the sentence above, two contrary facts make up for the sentence. This satisfies the use of conjunctions where at least two (2) clauses need to be present. Other than that, the nature of the facts being contrary satisfies the use of ‘even though’/’although’/’though’. Notice that when ‘even tough’/’although’/’though’ is used in the middle of the sentence, no comma (,) is required.

The direct translation in Bahasa Melayu would be: Dia bekerja keras walaupun dia tidak gembira. The use of ‘walaupun‘ can be replaced with ‘meskipun‘, ‘biarpun‘, ‘sungguhpun‘. When these conjunctions are used in the middle of the sentence, the use of ‘walau… sekalipun‘ in its Bahasa Melayu translation is no longer valid.

This is because when ‘even though’/’although’/’though’ is used in the middle of a sentence, it has a certain quality of ‘unawareness’ of the fact carried by the second clause of the sentence. Take these two sentences for clarity:

1. She loves to sing although she could use more singing lessons.
2. Although she could use more singing lessons, she loves to sing.

Notice how sentence (2) makes no sense. Although technically ‘even though’/’although’/’though’ can be used at the beginning and in the middle of a sentence, be cautious that its placement could alter the impact carried by the sentence.

The impact carried by sentence (2) can be improved using ‘still’ in the second clause: Although she could use more singing lessons, she still loves to sing.

Example 3: He worked hard. He was not happy, though.

As seen in the two sentence above, ‘though’ is used a word that links both sentences in contrast. This satisfies the use of conjunctions where at least two (2) clauses need to be present. Other than that, the nature of the facts being contrary satisfies the use of ‘though’ here. Notice that ‘though’ can be used at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the sentence.

The direct translation in Bahasa Melayu would be: Dia bekerja keras. Namun begitu, dia tak gembira. The use of ‘namun begitu‘ can be replaced with ‘tapi‘, ‘namun‘, and ‘sedangkan‘. Notice that in Bahasa Melayu, the conjunction needs to be placed at the beginning of the sentence.

This is the limit in the usage of ‘though’ at the end of the sentence. Where it leans toward carrying the meaning of ‘however’ more than ‘despite/in spite of’ in its use of ‘though’.

In order to illustrate further on the use of ‘though’ at the end of a sentence, observe the below sentences.

1. Lisa’s a heartbreaker. But cute, though.
2. Awang’s a school nerd. He’s athletic, though.
3. They just had lunch. They’re still hungry, though.

The use of ‘though’ at the end of a sentence is hardly formal and is more of an afterthought in contrast to the earlier statement. The use of ‘though’ at the end of a sentence occurs when in conversation. It is akin to Bahasa Melayu pasar of the use ‘…lah, tapi’. Observe the translation of the above sentences below.

1. Lisa suka bermain cinta. Dia comellah, tapi.
2. Awang tu ulat buku di sekolah. Olahragawanlah, tapi.
3. Mereka baru sahaja makan tengah hari. Mereka masih laparlah, tapi.

Note that the usage of ‘…lah, tapi‘ is Bahasa Melayu pasar and is not accepted as formal sentences.

I hope this clears the air on how to use ‘even though’, ‘although’ and ‘though’ correctly. Whether you use it at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of your sentence. As always, feel free to drop a comment below if you have a question. I’d be happy to answer your question as #AllYouGottaDoIsAsk is a feature on this website. You may check out my answer on ‘How To Use The or A?’ here. You may write on the Comment section or you may reply to my email if you’re a Baini Mustafa Weekly Email subscriber.

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