Even though x still y sentence pattern

Question

I am aware of 雖然 being used as although, however, I am not sure if it is appropriate for the following example situations.

English examples:

Even though he wore a helmet, he still suffered a serious concussion.

Even though she got everything she wanted for her birthday, she still acted like a brat.

Even though we installed the best security system, the thieves still found a way inside.

Form:

Even though [condition x which would usually prevent result y], [subject] still [result y].

Can "雖然 x 但是 y" be used when the conditions are extreme like this?

If not, what form would you recommend?

Answer 1

(I'm a native Chinese speaker from Mainland China. People from other Chinese-speaking regions or countries may feel different from me.)

雖然 x 但是 y sounds fine to me for all your examples.

However, to me the turn embedded in 儘管 x 但是 y sounds a little bit stronger than that in 雖然 x 但是 y. That's why when the conditions are very extreme, 儘管 x 但是 y sounds more natural to me.

I think neither 即使 x 還是 y nor 即使 x 仍然 y is appropriate for your examples.

A critical difference between a. 儘管 x 但是 y, 雖然 x 但是 y and b. 即使 x 還是 y, 即使 x 仍然 y:

For group a, x is a statement that the speaker believes to be true, while for group b, x is only a supposition (usually an extreme one).

e.g.

儘管我們安裝了最好的安防系統，賊還是進來了。

→ The speaker believes that the system has been installed and some thief or thieves have found a way inside.

即使我們安裝了最好的安防系統，賊還是會進來的。

→ The speaker makes a supposition that (EVEN IF) we installed the best security system, and he shows that he believes that still some thief or thieves will find a way inside.

Since for group b, x is only a supposition, the sentence below will sound weird:

即使我們安裝了最好的安防系統，賊還是進來了。

→ The speaker makes a supposition that (EVEN IF) we installed the best security system, and he shows that he believes that some thief or thieves have already found a way inside.