may/might……but句式引导分句表示让步的意义，其所在分句则相当于al-though, though, but引导的让步状语从句。但may……but这个句式比although、though或but的语气要弱一些。这个结构中may陈述的分句内容是真实存在的事实，绝不是“可能”的一种假设或推断的行为，翻译时要特别加以注意用表示让步关系的连词“虽然,尽管，无论，不管”等。如：
He may brag a little, but Carmela is excited by his tales of the sea.
尽管他说话有些夸张，但卡梅拉还是十分着迷这些美妙的故事。
It may be a comfortable car, but it uses a lot of petrol.(= Although it is a comfortable car, it uses a lot of petrol.)
这辆车虽然很舒适,但耗油太大。
He may be tall, rich and handsome, but he is not my type.
虽然他是个高富帅，但是他不是我的菜。
You might have plenty of money, but that doesn't mean you're better than me.
虽然你有多钱,但这并不等于你就比我好。
Confucius may be long gone, but you don't have to look far to see the power of his ideas.
孔子虽然离开人世已经很久了,但是你不必远望,便可看到他思想的威力。
They may be seven thousand miles away but they know what's going on over here.
虽然他们远在7000英里之外,但他们却知道这里的情况。
He may be fat, but he can still run fast.
他尽管很胖,仍然跑得很快。
There may be some evidence to suggest she's guilty, but it's hardly conclusive.
虽然有些证据表明她有罪,但是,这些证据并不是很确凿的。
You may feel all the training is a waste of time , but later you’ll be grateful you did it.
虽然你会觉得所有的训练都是在浪费时间,但将来你会为自己的参加而感到庆幸。
Ben may only be ten , but he plays the guitar beautifully.
本虽然才10岁,但吉他却弹得非常好。
I may be only a servant, but I have my pride.
虽然我只是个仆人,但是我是有自尊心的。
That coat may have cost a lot of money, but it's worth it.
那件外套虽然花很多钱,但值得。
But he's your brother. He may be my bother but I don't trust him,
但他是你的哥哥。他尽管是我的哥哥,但我不信任他。
He may be lazy, but he can work very hard when he feels like it.
他虽然懒,但只要他想用功,就会全力以赴。
You may think you're smart but you don't understand this kind of work at all.
你虽自以为很聪明,但你根本不懂这种工作。
He may have acted unwisely, but he was at least trying to do something helpful.
他虽然做得不明智，但至少他做一些有益的事情。
He may be clever, but he hasn't got much common sense.
他虽然聪明,但不太通情达理。
It may be a good report, but it seems to lack facts.
这虽然是个好报告,但事实似乎还不充分。
I had taken those lyrics to heart, It may have been a cliché, but the phrase that best summed up my political philosophy was : “ It's always about the future , " .. . ( Hillary ,Living History )
这首歌的歌词我已记在心里,它的内容虽然老套,但其中一句歌词“都是为了未来”却总结了我的政治理念……(希拉里，亲历历史》,译林出版社,p.465)
He may be clever, but he doesn't know everything.
虽然他很聪明，但是他并不是无所不知。
This sentence may be correct grammatically, but a native speaker never says it that way.
这个句子尽管在语法上是正确的,但本族人是决不会这么说的。
He may be intelligent but he has no common sense.
他虽然很聪明，但却没有一点儿常识。
You might think you're very clever, but that doesn't give you the right to order me about!
虽然你以为自己很聪明,但这并不能给你随意使唤我的权利。
John's facts may be correct, but his conclusions are unprovable.
约翰所列举的事实虽然是正确的,但他的结论却无法证实。
We may have our differences from time to time, but basically we trust one another's judgment.( =I admit that we have our differences...but...)
虽然我们之间不时地出现一些分歧,但我们基本上是互相相信对方的判断的。
这一结构中的may也可换成might,语气更委婉。如:
Going to the beach for two weeks might seem like a good idea to you but I don't think we can afford it,
到海滨去游玩两个星期尽管对你来说似乎是个好主意,但我们可没那么多钱。
Your typewriter may/might be a wonderful machine, but it's still old-fashioned compared with a word-processor.
你的打字机尽管很棒,但同文字处理机比起来仍然是一架老式机器。
This weekly schedule may not solve all of your problems, but it will make you more aware of how you spend your time.(《大学英语》,Book l,Unit One)
这张周作息表虽然解决不了你所有的问题,但是它会使你比较清楚地了解你是怎样使用你的时间的。
We may not be able to recall this information, but it is all stored in our brains.(《大学英R语》,Book.1 ,Unit Nine)
我们虽然不能回忆起这些信息,但它们却都贮存在我们的脑子里。
Thomas Jefferson , the third President of the United States , may be less famous than Georg Washington and Abraham Lincoln , but most people remember at least one fact about him：he wrote the Declaration of Independence.(《大学英语》, Book 2,Unit Three)
美国第三任总统托马斯·杰斐逊虽然不如乔治·华盛顿和亚伯拉罕·林肯那样著名,但大多数人至少记得有关他的一件事:他写的《独立宣言》。
Colleagues may disapprove but refrain from objecting. Nurses may bitterly resent having to take part , day after day, in deceiving patients, but feel powerless to take a stand.(《大学
英语》,Book 4，Unit Five)
同事们虽然不赞成,但避免公开表示反对。护士们对不得不日复一日地参与欺骗病人的做法也许深恶痛绝,但要抵制却感到无能为力。
此外,may或might也可用在come what may, try as sb might, no matter...may等结构中,同样表示让步,作“尽管,不论”解。如:
Charles has decided to get a college education, come what may.
无论怎样,查尔斯已下决心要上大学。
Try as I might, I could not overcome my fear of heights.
不管怎样努力,我都无法克服恐高症。
Try as I might, I cannot erase such a terrible experience from my memory.
不管怎样努力,我也不能把这可怕的经历从我的记忆中抹掉。
Try as she might, she would never pass the driving test.
不管怎样努力,，但她还是难通过驾驶员考试。
Try as he might, he couldn't find a job.
不管他怎样努力，他还是找不到工作。
Try as he might, he couldn't solve the problem.
不管怎么努力，但他还是无法解决这个问题。
They always fulfill their tasks, no matter how(=however )great the difficulties(may be).
不管有多大的困难,他们总是完成任务。
However talented a man may be, the collective will always be wiser and stronger.
一个人再有才能,也比不上集体的智慧和力量。
所以,may...but...为固定结构,may作“虽然,尽管,不管不论”解,may所在的分句则相当于although引导的让步状语从句，以后看见了就大胆地翻译为让步意义的句式，也可以在作文里无限套写这样的高级句型。
