but

but  (bt; bt when unstressed)

conj.

1. On the contrary: the plan caused not prosperity but ruin.

2. Contrary to expectation; yet: She organized her work but accomplished very little. He is tired but happy.

3. Usage Problem Used to indicate an exception: No one but she saw the prowler.

4. With the exception that; except that. Often used with that: would have joined the band but he couldn't spare the time; would have resisted but that they lacked courage.

5. Informal Without the result that: It never rains but it pours.

6. Informal That. Often used after a negative: There is no doubt but right will prevail.

7. That . . . not. Used after a negative or question: There never is a tax law presented but someone will oppose it.

8. If not; unless: "Ten to one but the police have got them" (Charlotte M. Yonge).

9. Informal Than: They had no sooner arrived but they turned around and left.

prep.

Usage Problem Except.

adv.

1. Merely; just; only: hopes that lasted but a moment.

2. Used as an intensive: Get out of here but fast!

Idiom:

but for

Were it not for: except for: We would have reached the summit but for the weather.

---

[Middle English, from Old English btan; see ud- in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: Traditional grammarians have worried over what form the pronoun ought to take when but is used to indicate an exception in sentences such as No one but I (or No one but me) has read it. Some have argued that but is a conjunction in these sentences and therefore should be followed by the nominative form I. However, many of these grammarians have gone on to argue somewhat inconsistently that the accusative form me is appropriate when the but phrase occurs at the end of a sentence, as in No one has read it but me. While this treatment of the construction has a considerable weight of precedent on its side and cannot be regarded as incorrect, a strong case can be made on grammatical grounds for treating this use of but as a preposition. For one thing, if but were truly a conjunction here, we would expect the verb to agree in person and number with the noun or pronoun following but; we would then say No one but the students have read it. What is more, if but were a true conjunction here we would not expect that it could be moved to the end of a clause, as in No one has read it but the students. Note that we cannot use the conjunction and in a similar way, saying John left and everyone else in the class in place of John and everyone else in the class left. These observations suggest that but is best considered as a preposition here and followed by accusative forms such as me and them in all positions: No one but me has read it. No one has read it but me. These recommendations are supported by 73 percent of the Usage Panel when the but phrase precedes the verb and by 93 percent when the but phrase follows the verb. · But is redundant when used together with however, as in But the army, however, went on with its plans; one or the other word should be eliminated. · But is generally not followed by a comma. Correct written style requires Kim wanted to go, but we stayed, not Kim wanted to go, but, we stayed. · But may be used to begin a sentence at all levels of style. See Usage Notes at and, cannot, doubt, however, I¹.

---

but¹

conj (coordinating)

1. contrary to expectation he cut his knee but didn't cry

2. in contrast; on the contrary I like opera but my husband doesn't

3. (usually used after a negative) other than we can't do anything but wait

4. only I can but try

conj (subordinating)

1. (usually used after a negative) without it happening or being the case that we never go out but it rains

2. (foll by that) except that nothing is impossible but that we live forever

3. Archaic if not; unless

sentence connector

Informal used to introduce an exclamation my, but you're nice

prep

1. except; save they saved all but one of the pigs

but for were it not for but for you, we couldn't have managed

adv

1. just; merely he was but a child

2. Scot, Austral and NZ informal though; however it's a rainy day: warm, but

all but almost; practically he was all but dead when we found him

n

an objection (esp in the phrase ifs and buts)

[Old English būtan without, outside, except, from be by + ūtan out; related to Old Saxon biūtan, Old High German biūzan]

---

but² Scot

n

(Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) the outer room of a two-roomed cottage: usually the kitchen

prep & adv

(Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) in or into the outer part (of a house) Compare ben¹

[from but (adv) outside, hence, outer room; see but¹]

Thesaurus

Adv.

1.

but - and nothing more; "I was merely asking"; "it is simply a matter of time"; "just a scratch"; "he was only a child"; "hopes that last but a moment" just, merely, only, simply

---

but

conjunction yet, however, though, although, nevertheless, even so, all the same, for all that, in spite of that, despite that, be that as it may You are awful. But I like you.

however, still, yet, nevertheless 'But,' he added, 'the vast majority must accept a common future.'

preposition

except (for), save, bar, barring, excepting, other than, excluding, omitting, with the exception of He was forced to wind up everything but the hotel business.

adverb

only, just, simply, merely St Anton is but a snowball's throw away from Lech.

Translations

but [bʌt]

A. CONJ

1. (contrasting) → pero
she was poor but she was honest → era pobre pero honrada
I want to go but I can't afford it → quiero ir, pero no tengo el dinero
but it does move! → ¡pero sí se mueve!

2. (in direct contradiction) → sino
he's not Spanish but Italian → no es español sino italiano
he didn't sing but he shouted → no cantó sino que gritó

3. (subordinating)
we never go out but it rains → nunca salimos sin que llueva
I never go there but I think of you → nunca voy allá sin pensar en ti
it never rains but it pours → llueve sobre mojado

4. (as linker)
but then he couldn't have known → por otro lado, no podía saber or haberlo sabido
but then you must be my cousin! → ¡entonces tú debes ser mi primo!

B. ADV → sólo, solamente, no más que
she's but a child → no es más que una niña
all but naked → casi desnudo
you can but try → con intentar no se pierde nada
if I could but speak to him → si solamente pudiese hablar con él
one cannot but admire him → no se puede sino admirarle
had I but known → de haberlo sabido(yo), si lo hubiera sabido

C. PREP (= except) → menos, excepto, salvo
anything but that → cualquier cosa menos eso
everyone but him → todos menos él
but for you → si no fuera por ti
the last but one → el/la penúltimo/a
the last but three → el tercero antes del último
there is nothing for it but to pay up → no hay más remedio que pagar
who but she could have said something like that? → ¿quién sino ella podría haber dicho semejante cosa?

D. N → pero m, objeción f
no buts about it! → ¡no hay pero que valga!
come on, no buts, off to bed with you! → ¡vale ya! no hay pero que valga, ¡a la cama!

BUT

There are three main ways of translating the conjunction but: pero, sino and sino que.
Contrasting

• To introduce a contrast or a new idea, use pero:

Strange but interesting Extraño pero interesante I thought he would help me but he refused Creí que me ayudaría, pero se negó

• In informal language, pero can be used at the start of a comment:

But where are you going to put it? Pero ¿dónde lo vas a poner?

! In formal language, sin embargo or no obstante may be preferred:

But, in spite of the likely benefits, he still opposed the idea Sin embargo or No obstante, a pesar de las probables ventajas, todavía se oponía a la idea
Correcting a previous negative

• When but or but rather introduces a noun phrase, prepositional phrase or verb in the infinitive which corrects a previous negative, translate but using sino:

Not wine, but vinegar No vino, sino vinagre They aren't from Seville, but from Bilbao No son de Sevilla, sino de Bilbao His trip to London was not to investigate the case but to hush it up Su viaje a Londres no fue para investigar el caso sino para taparlo

• When but or but rather introduces a verb clause (or requires a verb clause in Spanish) which corrects a previous negative, translate using sino que:

He's not asking you to do what he says but (rather) to listen to him No te pide que hagas lo que él dice, sino que le escuches
Not only ... but also

• When the but also part of this construction contains ((SUBJECT)) + ((VERB)), translate using no sólo or no solamente ... sino que también or sino que además:

It will not only cause tension, but it will also damage the economy No sólo or No solamente provocará tensiones, sino que además or sino que también dañará la economía

• When the but also part does not contain ((SUBJECT)) + ((VERB)), translate using no sólo or no solamente ... sino también or sino además:

Not only rich but also powerful No sólo or No solamente rico sino también or sino además poderoso We don't only want to negotiate but also to take decisions No queremos sólo or solamente negociar, sino también tomar decisiones

---

but [ˈbʌt](STRONG) [bət]

conj (= however) → mais
I'd like to come, but I'm busy → J'aimerais venir mais je suis occupé.
but then again (= on the other hand) → mais d'un autre coté
but then (= but of course) → mais (à vrai dire)

prep

(= apart from, except)
Nobody but him can do it → Lui seul peut le faire.
nothing but → rien d'autre que
We've had nothing but trouble → Nous n'avons eu que des ennuis.
but for you → sans toi
but for your help → sans ton aide
anything but that → tout sauf or excepté ça, tout mais pas ça
the last but one (British) → l'avant-dernier/ière

I cannot help but think, I cannot but think → je ne peux pas m'empêcher de penser

adv (= just, only) → ne ... que
She's but a child → Elle n'est qu'une enfant.
had I but known → si seulement j'avais su
all but finished → pratiquement terminé
anything but finished → tout sauf fini, très loin d'être fini

---

but

conj

→ aber; but you must know that … → Sie müssen aber wissen, dass …, aber Sie müssen wissen, dass …; but HE didn’t know that → aber er hat das nicht gewusst, er hat das aber nicht gewusst; but he didn’t know that → er aber hat das nicht gewusst; they all went but I didn’t → sie sind alle gegangen, nur ich nicht

not X but Y → nicht X sondern Y

(subordinating) → ohne dass; never a week passes but she is ill → keine Woche vergeht, ohne dass sie krank ist; I would have helped but that I was ill (old, liter) → ich hätte geholfen, wäre ich nicht krank gewesen (old)

but then he couldn’t have known that → aber er hat das ja gar nicht wissen können; but then you must be my brother! → dann müssen Sie ja mein Bruder sein!; but then do you mean to say … → wollen Sie dann etwa sagen …; but then it is well paid → aber dafür wird es gut bezahlt

adv she’s but a child → sie ist doch noch ein Kind; I cannot (help) but think that … → ich kann nicht umhin zu denken, dass …; one cannot but admire him/suspect that … → man kann ihn nur bewundern/nur annehmen, dass …; you can but try → du kannst es immerhin versuchen; I had no alternative but to leave → mir blieb keine andere Wahl als zu gehen; she left but a few minutes ago → sie ist erst vor ein paar Minuten gegangen; Napoleon, to name but one, lived here → Napoleon, um nur einen zu nennen, hat hier gelebt

prep no one but me could do it → niemand außer mir or nur ich konnte es tun; who but Fred would …? → wer außer Fred würde …?; anything but that! → (alles,) nur das nicht!; it was anything but simple → das war alles andere als einfach; he/it was nothing but trouble → er/das hat nichts als or nur Schwierigkeiten gemacht; the last house but one/two/three → das vorletzte/vorvorletzte/drittletzte Haus; the first but one → der/die/das Zweite; the next street but one/two/three → die übernächste/überübernächste Straße/vier Straßen weiter; but for you I would be dead → ohne Sie wäre ich tot, wenn Sie nicht gewesen wären, wäre ich tot; I could definitely live in Scotland, but for the weather → ich könnte ganz bestimmt in Schottland leben, wenn das Wetter nicht wäre

n no buts about it → kein Aber nt

---

but

conj but [bat]

used to show a contrast between two or more things John was there, but Peter was not. maar, egter لكن но ale men aber αλλά pero aga اما؛ ولی mutta mais אָבַל लेकिन ali de tetapi en ma, però しかし 그러나 bet bet tetapi maar men, derimot ale mas dar но, а, однако ale toda ali men แต่ fakat, ama, ancak 但是 але, однак لیکن nhưng mà 但是

prep

except (for) no-one but me; the next road but one. behalwe, buiten إلا، باستثناء، ما عدا без kromě med undtagelse af; på nær; den næste igen (to veje herfra) außer εκτός από excepto peale به جز؛ مگر paitsi sauf אֶלָא के अलावा osim kivéve kecuali að frátöldum, nema tranne, eccetto ～のほかには …을 제외하고 išskyrus, be aiznākošais kecuali behalve unntatt, uten z wyjątkiem, oprócz senão în afară de кроме okrem razen osim utom ยกเว้น ...-den/dan başka 除...之外 лише, тільки سوائے trừ ra 除...之外

---

but → لكن ale men aber αλλά pero mutta mais ali ma しかし 그러나 maar men ale mas но men แต่ fakat nhưng 但是