Connectors: sed, tamen, kvankam and malgraŭ

Esperanto's connectors never change form and never ask for a special mood. The verbs keep their ordinary tenses; the one rule to learn is -us for an imagined case after eĉ se.

sed and tamen: but and however

Sed is but, at the join between two clauses:

• Mi venis, sed li jam foriris. - I came, but he had already left.

Tamen is however, nevertheless. It can open its clause or sit inside it, and it can even follow sed:

• Mi estis laca; tamen mi daŭrigis. - I was tired; however, I carried on.
• Mi estis laca, sed mi tamen daŭrigis. - I was tired, but I carried on anyway.
• Ŝi estas juna, sed tamen tre sperta. - She is young, but still very experienced.

kvankam: although

Kvankam opens a clause about a fact, and the verb keeps whatever tense is true:

• Kvankam li estas riĉa, li ne estas feliĉa. - Although he is rich, he is not happy.
• Kvankam pluvis, ni iris. - Although it rained, we went.

The other clause may echo it with tamen, never with sed:

• Kvankam pluvis, ni tamen iris. - Although it rained, we still went.

malgraŭ: despite

Malgraŭ is a preposition, so a noun follows it:

• Malgraŭ la pluvo, ni iris. - Despite the rain, we went.

Before a whole clause, the usual form puts tio in the noun's place, then ke:

• Malgraŭ tio, ke pluvis, ni iris. - Despite the fact that it rained, we went.

Malgraŭ ke also occurs, and then it means much the same as kvankam. Prepositions has the tio, ke pattern for the others.