でも (demo) versus けど (kedo) to mean "but"?

Question

I learned that you can use でも (*demo*) at the beginning of a sentence to mean "but," and that you can use けど (*kedo*) at the end of a sentence to mean "though." However, I don't see a difference between these two. For example, suppose someone says this: + あした かいもの に いきましょう. *Ashita kaimono ni ikimashō.* "Let's go shopping tomorrow." Would there be any difference in these two responses? + でも あした は やすみ です. *Demo ashita wa yasumi desu.* "But tomorrow is a holiday." + あした は やすみ です けど. *Ashita wa yasumi desu kedo.* "Tomorrow is a holiday though." To me, these two responses seem to have the exact same meaning. So my question is this: Are there are any differences between でも (*demo*) and けど (*kedo*)? It seems like the placement of the "but" (でも at the beginning and けど at the end) could change the emphasis. Is that true? If so, how? Also, are there any situations when you can use one but not the other?

Answer 1

Hi there,

In my understanding, "でも" is used in the beginning of a sentence to illustrate a counterpoint. An English parallel would be using "however" before starting a sentence. On the other hand, "けど" can be used at the end of a sentence like you mentioned, or it can be used to connect two sentences. For example, you could say "あしたかいもににいきたいですけど、あしたはやすみです。" or in English, "I want to go shopping tomorrow, but tomorrow is a holiday." Beyond the placement of the words, I believe they mean the same thing. Just be sure that the placement is grammatically correct.

Hope this helps!

-Emma