connective N3 common politewritten
確かに〜が — admittedly ~ but
確かに〜が ・ たしかに〜が
Builds on 確かに
Meaning
- admittedly ~, but ~ / it's true that ~, however ~ — concedes a point, then pushes back with the speaker's real position
Key sentence
確かに値段は高いが、品質は申し分ない。
Admittedly the price is high, but the quality is beyond reproach.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 確かに + [conceded point] + が／けれど、 + [counter-point] | 確かに [A] が、[B] | 確かに便利だが… / 確かにそうですが… |
Examples
確かに彼は努力しているが、結果が出ていない。
He's certainly working hard, but the results aren't showing.
確かに難しい問題だが、解決できないわけではない。
It's admittedly a hard problem, but that doesn't mean it can't be solved.
Easily confused with
Notes
- A staple of balanced argument: grant the opposing point first to sound fair, then state your real claim after が／けれども. 確かに can also stand alone as 'true / indeed' agreeing with someone.
See 確かに〜が in real sentences
Jengo shows 確かに〜が the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.