How do I express these ideas in Japanese while listing things?

For example, how should these sentences be translated into Japanese while
carrying the same tone?

  1. He has a scary face but a heart of gold.
  2. She's very quiet but also very direct.
  3. I was doing my best, and yet I also wanted to give up.
  4. I'm excited yet vigilant about the future.
  5. You'll have to do it carefully but fast.
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2019-06-18T11:44:51.573
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2022-02-03T02:43:55.447
2019-11-19T14:06:21.690
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question
grammar conjunctions
"But", "but also", "yet", and "and yet" when listing things?
I think what in many cases also among your examples make a difference is how
strongly one wants to emphasize the contrast, at first, how I would "guess"
them:

In 1. I guess the sense of contrast is quite strong; one might not bother to
make the statement just because someone looks scary, or just because someone
is nice, but only because they came as a set.

In 3-5, I think the sense of contrast is a lot weaker, i.e. just saying "one
half" is still meaningful enough.

Giving the above, I would probably use:

  1. ...なのに... (Big contrast; なのに may be best translated as despite / even though)
  2. (May need more rephrasing, instead of using quiet, I would say something like) だいたい黙っていますが言う時ははっきり（を？）言う。
  3. ...ながら(あきらめ)ようと思った (weak contract, could be translates as while ...ing)
  4. ...が... (weak contrast, between "but" and "and") 
  5. Probably the toughest and depends also on the context, but maybe ても/でも, something like 早くてもていねいにしないと
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2019-06-18T13:28:23.767
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answer
Japanese has a wide variety of phrases to relate one sentence to the next. For
lack of a better term, I'm going to call these words "Sentence-Initial
Conjunctions".

でも, equivalent to "however" or "but", is used when the speaker is giving
information that shows a contrast to the previous sentence.

As it is said, no matter how much good things you can tell about someone, if
there is a "but", everything goes down to drain. So this "but" is a bit of
poison.

In your examples:

* * *

①

> He has a scary face but a heart of gold.  
>  かれ【kare】は【wa】こわい【kowai】かお【kao】 を{o}
> している【shiteiru】が【ga】、よい【yoi】こころ【kokoro】を【wo】もっている【motteiru】。

As the tone of contrast from the first part of the sentence completely changes
after you say "but" likewise the tone of contrast changes after you say
いるが【iruga】, here いる【iru】 means "has", and the particle が【ga】 is attached to
the last word of the first part of the sentence as a way of differentiating it
from the second part of the sentence.

* * *

②

> She's very quiet but also very direct.  
>  かのじょ【kanojo】は【wa】とても【totemo】しずか【shizuka】です【desu】が【ga】、また【mata】
> ひじょう【hijou】に【ni】ちょくせつてき【chokusetsuteki】です【desu】。

The particle が【ga】 in です【desu】が【ga】 is the contrasting word "but". When you
say the sentence, it will naturally carry the same tone when you speak
Japanese fluently. It will slightly vary a bit because of the Japanese accent,
but the Japanese people will get the tone you are trying to convey.

There is a certain **pause** of 1 second **after** part " **She's very quiet**
", then it comes the next part "but also very direct" また【mata】
ひじょう【hijou】に【ni】ちょくせつてき【chokusetsuteki】です【desu】. This is the tone we use in
English.

In the case of Japanese, there is a **pause after** the particle **が【ga】** in
the clause しずか【shizuka】です【desu】が【ga】.

That is to say, in English the pause comes before the "but", but in Japanese
the pause comes after the "が【ga】. Despite the slight variation in tone,
Japanese native speakers will get the contrasting tone like the one we have in
English.

* * *

③

> I was doing my best, and yet I also wanted to give up.  
>
> わたし【Watashi】は【wa】さいぜん【saizen】を【wo】つくしていた【tsukushiteita】が【ga】、それ【sore】でも【demo】わたし【watashi】は
> 【wa】あきらめたい【akirametai】と【to】おもった【omotta】。

As you can see here as well, there is a が【ga】 right after the word
つくしていた【tsukushiteita】. が【ga】 is used as a connector to give contrast between
the two sentences, and naturally, there will always be a pause after it and
before the contrasting word それでも【soredemo】("and still"/"but still"), which
comes later. This is like the small gap we have after the word "best" (??).

* * *

④

> I am very happy yet not satisfied.  
>  わたし【watashi】は【wa】とても【totemo】うれしい【ureshii】です【desu】が【ga】、まんぞく【manzoku】
> していない【shiteinai】。

It's the same thing here too. The pause is right after が【ga】 in the
construction いるが【iruga】 which means "yet" in the sentence.

* * *

Note: For most of the contrasting sentences, in Japanese we use が【ga】 for
"but", "yet" etc.

I hope this info helped you out. You can try listening to contrasting
sentences in Japanese Audio Books online to help you understand better the
tone and the pause in the sentences.
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2019-06-18T14:13:43.537
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2019-11-17T06:21:31.123
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answer
I think you have several options. For example...

  * けど / けれど / けれども:

> 「彼は顔は怖い **けれど** 優しい人です。」  
>  「彼女はおとなしい **けど** はっきりものをいう人だ。」

  * が:

> 「彼は[強面]{こわもて}だ **が** 心は優しい。」  
>  「彼女はおとなしい **が** 率直な人だ。」

  * 一方(で) / 反面、/ (と)同時に / ～が/しかし同時に: 

> 「私は将来を楽しみにする **一方で/と同時に** 、警戒もしている。」  
>  「慎重に、 **しかし同時に** 素早くしなければいけません。」

  * ても / でも:

> 「彼は顔は怖く **ても** 、心は優しい。」

  * のに:

> 「彼は怖い顔をしている **のに** 、優しいですね。」

  * ながら / ながらも / つつ / つつも: 

> 「未来に期待し **ながらも** 、警戒している。」  
>  「最善を尽くし **つつ** 、やめてしまいたいとも思った。」

  * or maybe しかし / それでも / なおかつ / それでいて:

> 「彼女は[物静]{ものしず}かで、 **それでいて** 率直な人だ。」  
>  「慎重に、 **それでいて/なおかつ** 素早くやらねばならない。」
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2019-11-17T02:49:01.717
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2019-11-17T03:07:11.227
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answer
I am adding one more to Chocolate's list:

  * で

> 怖い顔で優しい人  
>  a nice person albeit with a scary face

> 強面で優しい人  
>  a nice person albeit with a fierce look
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answer