 Hi students! It's Shaina from espressoenglish.net. I'm happy to be with you today and if you are watching live then please comment saying hello or like this video so that I know you are in class with me. In today's lesson I want to teach you how to use the words although, even though, and though because a lot of English learners have trouble with these words or they're confused and so maybe they avoid using them. So today it will all become clear. The words although, even though, and though are all used to show contrast when two things are different or opposite. So I like to compare it to the word but. We use the word but to show contrast. For example, I like baseball but my husband prefers soccer. So we've got a difference between me and my husband. And let's take a look at these examples. So let's imagine I've just bought a camera and the camera was expensive. So I could express that in a few different ways. I could say it was expensive but I bought it. So that's giving the idea of a contrast that it's an expensive camera so that would make me not want to buy it but I decided to buy it. So there's a bit of a contrast there. Now we can express the same thing using although or even though. In this context you can use either one. They're the same. So I could say although it was expensive I bought it. Although it was expensive I bought it. Or I could say even though it was expensive I bought it. Now notice that when we use although or even though we don't use but anymore. Okay? You should never use although or even though and but in the same sentence because it doesn't make sense. Alright? Although or even though takes the place of the word but in showing a contrast between the two parts of the sentence. I can also take this sentence and actually change it around to put although or even though in the middle. So I could say I bought it although it was expensive or I bought it even though it was expensive. So I still have this idea of a contrast between the two parts of the sentence an expensive camera and me. I'm someone who likes cheap products but normally I don't buy expensive products so the camera was expensive. I bought the camera even though it was expensive. Okay? It's showing contrast. Now what about the word though? Well there are a couple of different ways to use though but I want to teach you the most common and that is using though at the end of a sentence to make a contrast with the previous sentence. So in our example of the expensive camera I would say it was expensive. I bought it though. Okay? So though in this case contrasts this sentence I bought it with the previous one. It was expensive. Alright? Remember that in these words I just want to make a quick note about pronunciation. The G-H is silent so we say though. We don't pronounce the G-H at all. Alright? So when you're speaking remember that. I know it's very strange to have a G-H that we don't pronounce but that's how we say it although even though and though. Now when you're using these words remember that there has to be a contrast. So you can't use although even though and though when the two parts of the sentence are similar. So for example let's imagine I'm going to a dinner and the dinner has a lot of delicious food and I eat a lot. So I can't say although the food was delicious I ate a lot. That doesn't make sense because delicious food and eating a lot those go together right? They're similar. We would expect the person to eat a lot of food if food is delicious. So there's no contrast and we can't use although. In that case to talk about two similar things we can use and we could use so or we could use because. So I could say the food was delicious and I ate a lot or I ate a lot of food because it was delicious or the food was delicious so I ate a lot. Those words express the relationship between similar things or between a logical cause and effect but when we have a contrast that's when we use although even though and though. So let's imagine I went to the dinner the food was delicious but I wasn't very hungry so I didn't eat very much. Now we have a contrast between delicious food but not eating a lot of the food. So I could say although the food was delicious I didn't eat very much because I wasn't hungry or I could say I didn't eat very much even though the food was delicious because now we have a contrast all right? So I hope these examples have made it clear how to use the words although even though and though. This will help your English sound a little more sophisticated a little more like a native speaker instead of using but all the time. I will say that it's pretty common for us to use but in spoken English just speaking informally and it's also really common to use though at the end of a sentence. We can also use it in response to somebody else saying something that we want to make a counterpoint or we want to express an opinion that is different or in contrast. So if I am camera shopping with my husband and he's worried about the price he could say that camera is really expensive and then I could respond by saying I really want it though okay? So I'm contrasting his concern about the cost with my desire to buy the camera and I use the word though at the end to show that contrast all right? I hope you've enjoyed today's lesson and if you'd like to take your English even farther to the next level then I suggest you take a course with me. I've got lots of great courses that have exercises you can put your English into practice so if you'd like to learn more just click on the link in this video and you can read all about my available courses. One more thing I'd love to see you put this lesson into practice so please leave a comment with some situation where there's a contrast between two different or opposite things and use although even though or though and I will take a look at your comments today and see if you're using the words correctly. Thank you for joining me in today's live lesson and I will see you in the next one. Bye for now.