말하지만

In a sentence

• 나는 자주 친구들에게 내 생각을 말하지만, 아무도 듣지 않는 것 같아요.

  I often tell my thoughts to my friends, but it seems like no one listens.

  In this sentence, "말하지만" is used to contrast the action of speaking one's thoughts (말하다) with the seemingly ineffectual outcome.

• 그가 노력하고 있다고 말하지만, 실제로는 별로 변화가 없어요.

  He says he is making an effort, but actually, there hasn’t been much change.

  Here, "말하지만" connects the claim made by the subject (그가 말하다) and the observable lack of change.

• 선생님은 우리가 열심히 공부한다고 말하지만, 성적은 예상보다 낮았어요.

  The teacher says we are studying hard, but our grades were lower than expected.

  In this example, "말하지만" links the teacher’s statement with an unexpected result regarding students' performance.