Condition and supposition

～ても

even if ~; even though ~; no matter ~

AI-written, reviewed by AI (ChatGPT)

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How to form it

  • Verb (て-form) + も
  • い-adjective: ～くても
  • な-adjective: ～でも
  • Noun: ～でも
  • Negative: ～なくても

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Explanation

Says that the result does not change even if a condition is met. It can be about a hypothetical or an actual situation.

With words such as いくら, たとえ or どんなに the idea of 'no matter how much' becomes stronger. The result goes against what you might expect.

Examples

  1. 雨が降っても、試合をします。

    あめがふっても、しあいをします。

    We will play the game even if it rains.

  2. いくら高くても、買いたい。

    いくらたかくても、かいたい。

    No matter how expensive it is, I want to buy it.

  3. 何度聞いても、意味がわからない。

    なんどきいても、いみがわからない。

    However many times I listen, I do not understand the meaning.

  4. 休みでも、仕事をしなければならない。

    やすみでも、しごとをしなければならない。

    Even on a day off, I have to work.

Compare with

  • ～としても: としても is 'even supposing that ~', for a hypothesis; ても is more general.
  • ～のに(逆接): のに is a fact that contradicts expectation, with a feeling of complaint.

Common mistakes

  • Using it for an ordinary 'and' (て) link. The result is contrary to the expected one.