～が
but / however
～が connects two sentences into one, just like English “but”. You attach が to the end of a complete clause, then continue with a second clause.
Be careful: this is a different が from the subject marker. The subject marker comes after a noun (犬が = “the dog”), while this が comes after a whole sentence. Compared with the casual connector ～けど, ～が sounds a little more formal and is common in writing.
1. Contrast: “but”
The most common use is to join two clauses that point in opposite directions.
駅まで走ったが、間に合わなかった。
“I ran to the station, but didn't make it.”
- 駅（えき）= station
- まで = “as far as” (limit marker)
- 走った（はしった）= ran
- が = but
- 間に合わなかった（まにあわなかった）= didn't make it in time
2. Soft opener
～が can also act as a polite cushion. Here it does not really mean “but”; it just softens what comes next.
すみませんが、駅はどこですか。
“Excuse me, but where is the station?”
- すみません = excuse me
- が = softener (“but”)
- 駅（えき）= station
- は = topic marker
- どこ = where
- ですか = polite question ending
How to form it
Clause (plain or polite form) + が + clause
- 行きました（いきました）= went → 行きましたが（いきましたが）= went, but
- 高い（たかい）= expensive → 高いですが（たかいですが）= it is expensive, but
- 食べた（たべた）= ate → 食べたが（たべたが）= ate, but
Key idea
～が connects two clauses. It can express contrast like “but”, or act as a polite softener before a question, request, or explanation.
Other N5 grammar
Updated .