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Formation: V / i-adj plain form + ものの; na-adj + な / である + ものの; N + である + ものの; set phrase: 〜とはいうものの

Accepts a fact and then says that what one would expect from it doesn't follow, often for something done or started that led nowhere, as in 〜たものの. It is mainly written or formal and common in essays and news. The first clause must be a real fact, not a hypothesis, and the main clause typically describes a situation rather than a request, command or the speaker's intention. Compared with のに, which carries spoken frustration, ものの is cooler and more restrained; 〜にもかかわらず is more formal and objective, and 〜ながら(も) usually contrasts states of the same subject. The set phrase 〜とはいうものの is close in meaning to the separate pattern 〜とはいえ.

Variants: とはいうものの

Examples

• 免許は取ったものの、運転する機会がほとんどない。
  I got my licence, but I hardly ever have a chance to drive.
• 景気は回復傾向にあるものの、消費は依然として低迷している。
  Although the economy is recovering, consumer spending remains sluggish.
• 春とはいうものの、朝晩はまだ冷え込む。
  It may be spring, but mornings and evenings are still cold.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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