Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[nawee]

Hello,

Where is "nevertheless used? And how is it different from "however"?

I came across the following sentence in an English exercise and found the use of "nevertheless" there quite odd. Can you confirm (if my intuition is correct) and explain why?

"For years, people thought the picture was a fake Van Gogh; nevertheless, in fact, it is a fake one."

Thank you,

Nawee

[BourneNOIR]

Hi nawee,
"nevertheless" is synonymous with "regardless" or "in spite of". So I think it is normally used when you want to make a contrary statement disregarding your first comment. For example:
"Everyone is driving over the speed limit; nevertheless it is illegal to do so."

Yes, it does feel kind of awkward to see it used in your example.
Anyone, feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.