Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 1: 1/18

でもOr something, Any... (with question words), No matter (who)

Structure

Noun + でも + Suggestion
だれでも - Anyone
なんでも - Anything
どこでも - Anywhere
いつでも - Anytime

Details

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    Standard

About でも

でも is one of many adverbial particles in Japanese. These are particles that behave like a regular 助詞(じょし) (in that they appear after the words that they are referencing), but their role is a little bit more specific. でも itself has several uses, and the use that we will examine in this grammar point is called 例示(れいじ). Basically this means 'presenting examples'.

In English, this results in a translation similar to 'even', or 'or something'. To use this structure, simply attach でも to the end of any noun, or pronoun.

When grouped with a standard noun as above, でも is just showing that the noun is an example/suggestion, and that there are other choices/possibilities available. However, when the noun is a word like 誰(だれ), どこ, 何(なん), or いつ, the translation becomes much closer to English words like 'anyone', 'anywhere', 'anything', or 'anytime'.

Fun Fact

There is debate among Japanese native speakers about whether でも should be considered its own word, or if it is actually just a combination of the particles で and も (or て and も in the case of verbs, but we will cover that later). As で and も together could be translated as 'even with (A)', it would also be correct to consider it this way.

  • スプーンでも缶詰(かんづめ)が開(あ)く。
    A can will open, even with a spoon.

Caution

When grouped with 何(なに), the pronunciation will almost always change to なん. This is purely to make なんでも easier to say.

Examples

--:--

    どこでもいいよ。

    Anywhere is good.

    いつでも家(いえ)に来(き)てください。

    Please come to my house anytime.

    いつでも電話(でんわ)に出(で)るから。

    I will answer the phone anytime.

    いつでも洗濯(せんたく)できますよ。

    I can do laundry anytime.

    お茶(ちゃ)でもどう？

    How about tea or something?

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でも – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (11 in total)

  • MikkaT

    MikkaT

    Hi,
    i started the N5 vocab deck in anime order and でも came up with the translation “but”, which i heard tons of times in several anime. Why is this a meaning in vocab but not at the grammar point and most importantly what are the differences to が and（だ) けど which are described as formal and less formal ways to say “but”?
    Thanks in advance

  • Charliebrown287

    Charliebrown287

    In this case でも would mean even.

  • Charliebrown287

    Charliebrown287

    I have lived in Japan and my wife is Japanese. I have never heard of that before. When I was in school learning Japanese in Japan never heard of this. Even with Japanese friends, and my wife is Japanese they all use でも。

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