But

“Everyone who got to where they are had to begin where they were.” – Richard Paul Evans

You hopefully know a bit about the particle が by now, but, did you know it can also mean “but” as well? It can be confusing how much が gets used out there.

The way が works is this:

が is able to combine two contrasting sentences together into one. Basically, it means “but.”

So, what does this mean? Let’s look at it in English really quickly.

I went to the party but I didn’t meet Michael.

I was able to time travel but I didn’t see a dinosaur.

Sentences like that. If you are able to make two sentences in Japanese (and you can), then you can contrast them with が, I promise. Let’s start out with something simple. Then, we’ll apply this grammar to a bunch of other grammar you’ve already learned!

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