1. على الرغم من أن هذا قد يكون صحيحا
Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
although this may be true
على الرغم من أن هذا قد يكون صحيحا
I do not believe this although this may be true.
in contrast في المقابل
The company lost $7 million this quarter in contrast to a profit of $6 million a year earlier.
In contrast to his predecessor, the new President has little interest in foreign travel.
different from مختلفة من
It's definitely different from the last couple of pictures.
of course ... but
بالطبع ... لكن
This may of course be true but I do not believe it.

2. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
on the other hand من ناحية أخرى
to introduce a fact or opinion that contrasts with the fact or opinion before it
On the one hand, expansion would be good, but on the other hand it would be sad to lose the family atmosphere.
On the one hand they would love to have kids, but on the other hand, they do not want to give up their freedom.
It’s a nice place to visit. On the other hand, it’s rather expensive.
on the contrary على العكس تماما
The risk of infection has not diminished – on the contrary, it has decreased.
“It must have been terrible.” “On the contrary I enjoyed every minute.”
at the same time في نفس الوقت
I was watching TV last night and at the same time I was listening to what my brother was saying.

3. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
in spite of على الرغم من
In spite of / despite
at the beginning of the sentence or between two clauses
In spite of / despite + -ing
when the subject of both clauses is the same
In spite of/ despite the fact that+ subject + verb
if the clauses of the sentence have different subjects
In spite of / Despite her qualifications, she can’t find a job.
In spite of the cold weather, they enjoyed themselves.
In spite of the fact that they live near me, I don’t see them very often.
NOT In spite of / Despite living near me, I don’t often see them.

4. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
above all قبل كل شيء
Above all, keep in touch.
In their society, honesty was prized above all other virtues.
then again بعد كل هذا
I suppose Mary might help; then again she might not.
in reality في الواقع
In reality, human beings and dinosaurs never lived on earth at the
same time.
Reports put the death toll at 50, when in reality it was closer to 200.
But لكن
She is 83 but she still goes swimming every day.
We are making good progress, but we have still got a long way to go.
His mother will not be there, but his father might.
after all
بعد كل شيء
She should not be working so hard – she is 70, after all.
Maybe she was right after all.
I am not really ambitious. After all, money is not everything.

5. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
Even so/ nevertheless
وحتى مع ذلك
in a second sentence, at the beginning or end, with the meaning’ although that is true’ or ‘ in spite of that’
For emphasizing that the first statement is true but it does not prevent the second statement from also being true.
I know he has some bad habits. Nevertheless you shouldn’t be so rude to him.
I know he has some bad habits. You shouldn’t be so rude to him, even so.
I am not able to go to the beach with you. Nevertheless, thanks for asking me.

6. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
Unlike على عكس
The festival has been a great success, unlike last year when it rained non-stop.
Or أو
You can have soup, salad or sandwiches.
She has not phoned or written for weeks.
In the event of loss of money or traveller’s cheques, you must notify the police within 24 hours,
and yet
ومع ذلك
He did not study hard and yet passed the final exam.
The weather was cold and yet it was bright and sunny.
Her advice seems strange and yet I believe she is right.
even so وحتى مع ذلك
Cashes are rare, but, even so, there should be stricter safety regulations

7. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
While في حين
While
to compare and contrast facts
before a statement that is true but it is not as important as the statement that follows it
My brother is good at sciences while I’m good at languages.
While I understand your problem, there is nothing I can do to help you.
While most children learn to read easily, some need extra help.
While Tom is very good at science, his brother is absolutely hopeless.
Albeit ولو
He finally agreed, albeit reluctantly, to help us.
The Unites States finally agreed, albeit unwillingly, to support the UN action.

8. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
Besides بالإضافة إلى
= apart from/ as well as/ in addition to (this/ that)
Besides + -ing
when both verbs have the same subject
Besides + noun/ pronoun
She spends a lot of time working but she does a lot of other things besides.
Besides eating too much, he also gets far too little exercise.
He has lots of other interests besides football.
A lot of them are studying other things besides Italian.
There are cakes and sandwiches, and lots more besides.

9. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
Although رغم أن
Although/though/even though
At the beginning of a sentence or between two clauses.
All have a similar meaning: though is more formal at the beginning of a sentence, but a little more informal when used between two clause, even though is more emphatic.
Although/ Though/ Even though her job is hard, her salary is low.
Her salary is low, although/ though/ even though her job is hard.
Although Steven was extremely tired, he washed the dishes. Although he has got a good job, he still complains.
I felt he was wrong although I did not say so.
Although small, the kitchen is well designed.

10. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
Instead بدلا من
He has been playing football all afternoon instead of studying.
Can you go to the meeting instead of me?
She said nothing, preferring instead to save her comments till ater.
Whereas في حين
to compare and contrast facts and emphasize the contrast between these facts, in the same way as while
Whereas I like sport, my friends hate it.
I like sport, whereas my friends hate it.
Some of the studies show positive results, whereas others do not.
We thought she was arrogant, whereas in fact she was just very shy.

11. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
Despite على الرغم من
Her voice was shaking despite all her efforts to control it.
Despite applying for hundreds of jobs, he is still out of work.
She was good at physics despite the fact that she found it boring.
Conversely العكس بالعكس
Some wrong answers were marked right and, conversely, some right answers had been rejected.
When the press was biased towards the political right, television coverage tended to lean to the left. Conversely, if the press swung heavily to the left, television would have to redress the balance by leaning to the right.
Otherwise وإلا
= if not, when talking about will/ would happen if another thing mentioned does not/ did not happen
If I see her today I’ll tell her. Otherwise, I’ll call her later.
I was ill. I would have gone to the party otherwise.
My parents lent me the money. Otherwise, l could not have afforded the trip.

12. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
Else
= different; more
Use in the following structures: something else, nothing else, etc.
In questions and statements
Or (else)
to introduce an alternative
with else emphasizes that there will be a bad result if the first thing mentioned doesn’t happen
Jack didn’t know so I asked somebody else.
There’s nowhere else to look.
What else did he say?
I didn’t know where else to go.
Are you going to phone me or shall I phone you?
I’d better leave now or (else) I’ll be late.

13. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
However لكن
However
at the beginning of a second sentence.
However/ though
at the end of a sentence , or between two clauses of a second sentence
Her job is hard. However, her salary is low.
Her job is hard. Her salary is low though/ however.
Her job is hard. Her salary is low, though/ however, so she’s leaving.
Rather بالأحرى
His purpose was not so much to attack his rivals. Rather, it was to defend his own position.
The walls were not white, but rather a sort of dirty grey.

14. Transitions words and phrases of opposition/limitation/contradiction
Use
Example(s)
Regardless بغض النظر
The weather was terrible but we carried on regardless.
There must be equality of rights for all citizens, regardless of nationality.
He went ahead and did it, regardless of the consequences.
Regardless of how many there may be, why would you cancel the best of them.
Nevertheless مع ذلك
It is a difficult race. Nevertheless, about 1,000 runners participate each year.
The old system had its flaws, but nevertheless it was preferable to the new one.
Notwithstanding
على الرغم من
Notwithstanding some major financial problems, the school has had a successful year.
The bad weather notwithstanding, the event was a great success.