doch, jedoch or allerdings?
b1All three set up a contrast, but they sit in different places in the sentence. doch joins two main clauses like „aber“ and does not count towards word order. jedoch says the same thing in written, formal register and inverts the word order when it comes first. allerdings qualifies an agreement: yes, but with a reservation.
doch
Joins two main clauses like „aber“. It sits before the clause and takes no position of its own, so the verb stays in second place.
Ich habe angerufen, doch niemand ist rangegangen.I called, but nobody picked up.
jedoch
The same as „aber“, only in written register. It can stand inside the clause or at the very front; at the front it takes position 1, so the verb comes right after.
Der Plan war gut, jedoch fehlte das Geld.The plan was good, but the money was missing.
allerdings
First agrees, then names a reservation. On its own as an answer it means „yes, exactly“ instead.
Das Zimmer ist schön, allerdings ist es sehr teuer.The room is nice, though it is very expensive.
The mistake
Es regnet, jedoch wir gehen spazieren.
Es regnet, jedoch gehen wir spazieren.
„jedoch“ is an adverb, not a conjunction like „aber“. At the front it occupies position 1, so the verb has to come right after it. With „doch“ the sentence would stay as it was: Es regnet, doch wir gehen spazieren.
Rule of thumb
Try „aber“. If the word order stays put, doch fits; if the sentence is written register, use jedoch and invert. If it is a reservation about something good, use allerdings.
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