Structure
Verb[ても](A) + Verb[なくても](A)
Details
Register
Standard
使用域
一般
About ~ても~なくても
Like かどうか, another way that Japanese conveys 'whether or not' is through the use of ~ても~なくても. This grammar structure literally means 'even if (A), even if not (A)', to show that whatever the result is will not change, regardless of (A).
~ても~なくても is used primarily with verbs, and will always have the same verb appearing both before ても and なくても.
~ても~なくても is used primarily with verbs, and will always have the same verb appearing both before ても and なくても.
- あの人がいてもいなくても、仕事の量は変わらないから、首にしてもいいと思う。Whether or not he is here doesn't change the workload, so I think it would be good if we fired him.
- 私は運動しても運動しなくても痩せられないから、もう運動はしない。Regardless of whether or not I exercise, I can't lose weight, so I will not exercise anymore.
- ここの居酒屋ではビールを頼んでも頼まなくても、ビールを持ってくる。Regardless of whether you order beer or not, they will bring you one at this izakaya.
Synonyms
ようが~まいが
Even if, No matter what, Whether or not, [Emphatic], Volitional + が
Not studied yet
かどうか
Whether or not, If...or not
Not studied yet
〜でも 〜でも
Whether ~ or, Neither ~ or
Not studied yet
にしても~にしても
Regardless of whether
Not studied yet
を問わず
Regardless of, Whether or not, No matter, With or without
Not studied yet
にしろ~にしろ
Whether… or
Not studied yet
にかかわらず
Regardless of, Whether or, No matter, With or without
Not studied yet
やら~やら
Whether or, Things like, And … so on
Not studied yet
Examples
試験に受かっても受からなくても、勉強していたら自分の身になる。
Whether you pass the exam or not, you will still be better off if you studied for it.
身になる means 'to be beneficial'.
この単位が取れても取れなくても、卒業できるだけの単位は取れている。
Whether I get this credit or not, I will still have the necessary credits to graduate.
担当になってもならなくても、私はあなたの味方です。
Whether you get to be in charge or not, I support you.
買っても買わなくてもいいので、一度見てもらえませんか?
It doesn't matter whether you buy it or not, why don't you take a look?
釣れても釣れなくても、釣りは楽しいらしい。
I heard fishing is fun whether you are able to catch any fish or not.
Get more example sentences!
Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.
Self-Study Sentences
Study your own way!
Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.
Online
More uses of ても and なくても
Maggie Sensei
ても review
JapaneseTest4You
Offline
Tobira
Page 214
Track Resources!
Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.
~ても~なくても – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (4 in total)
Fuga
Hey @lisaki8 !
The reason that 持つ is in the ている form is because お金を持っている is a phrase that means ‘to have money (to be in the state of possessing money)’. If 持つ were to be used here, it will change the nuance to, ‘to hold money (to physically hold money)’, and would make the whole sentence sound a bit unnatural.
We hope that this answers your question!
lisaki8
Got it. Thank you so much! It’s really helpful to know the difference between ‘having money’ and ‘holding money.’
CroAniki
Glad someone else had the same question, I was losing my mind trying to understand why my " ても なくても" conjugation of “持つ” wasn’t getting accepted as correct.
Perhaps it could be handy to have the verb in parentheses be “(持っている)” rather than “(持つ)” for those not aware of the phrase/difference.
Got questions about ~ても~なくても? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!
Join the Discussion