Structure
Verb[る]+ まで(も)
Noun + まで(も)
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Rare Kanji
迄
About まで
The adverbial particle まで is used in the same way as many other adverbial particles, in that it is highlighting that the statement that comes after it as important in some way. However, unlike our first look at まで, which discussed its use as 'until', this use of まで has the nuance of 'even', or 'to the extent'. It can be used after verbs or nouns.
Although using まで as 'even' may seem different to 'until', they are essentially the same thing in Japanese. This is because まで always means '(A) まで, (B)', where (A) is the 'limitation/extent', and (B) is the 'noteworthy factor'. This 'noteworthy factor' will usually be a descriptive word/phrase, such as a verb, adjective, or explanation.
Fun Fact
The も particle is sometimes grouped together with まで, when the meaning is 'even'. This just adds emphasis to the fact that the event is somewhat surprising, or that the result is satisfying.
Related
Examples
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こっちまでイライラしてきた。
Even I am starting to get annoyed. (to the extent・until)
それまでやらなくてはいけないの?
I have to even do that? (to the extent・until)
頭まで痛くなってきた。
Even my head is starting to hurt. (to the extent・until)
夜中まで日本語の文法を勉強している。
I'm studying Japanese grammar even in the middle of the night. (to the extent・until)
お腹が空いているとき、熊は果実まで食べる。
Bears will even go as far as to eat berries when they are hungry. (to the extent・until)
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The Particle まで
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まで – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (13 in total)
Jake
even・to even, to the extent
Structure
- Noun + まで(も)
View on Bunpro
opgjoh
I gotta ask a stupid question! Is that okay?
How do I know that it’s “even in the middle of the night”, rather than just a “until the middle of the night” in this first example sentence?
After all, N + まで can mean until, right?
Or is it simply a matter of emphasis? As in, it’s implied that we’re studying from some earlier point in time until the middle of the night, which is quite noteworthy?
So, in short: Other than context, is there some trick to distinguish the “until”-まで from the “even”-まで ?
EDIT: Guess I should have done more reading… it says here:
mrnoone
If you want to be more clear, you can simply use までも.
megatron0000
I have been wondering why も、さえ are not acceptable here:
jhol
What is the difference between this and ほど for the meaning “to the extent”? Are they interchangeable?
deltacat3
彼は親切だが、家族と一緒とまで言うことができない。
He is really kind, but I wouldn’t go as far as calling him family.Is someone able to explain to me how the section 家族と一緒と translates into “calling him family”? I read this as “together with family”.
atticusd
I came in to ask the exact same question.
Iluminari
Any update on this?
Manab
I am wondering the exact same thing Any ideas so far? I thought the first と might the ~and~ one and the second と the quotation one. I`m not sure though. It seems off to me.
EdBunpro
An admin/high-level person can chime in, but when i had this exact question awhile ago I found the answer to be in this page
Munzu
Can anybody please give me an explanation of the difference between ほど and まで in this context? The explanations in the grammar points don’t make the difference clear to me and the link above doesn’t cover the “even/to the extent” nuance.
Tim
I have a question that is well represented by this example:
お腹が空いているとき、熊は果実まで食べる。
Bears will even go as far as to eat berries when they are hungry.
Is there any nuance to adding the “まで” to the noun here (berries) instead of the verb (eat)? Would this be equivalent:
お腹が空いているとき、熊は果実を食べるまで。
To me, this feels more like the English equivalent of “Bears will even go so far as to [eat berries]” whereas the original feels like “Bears will go so far as to eat even [berries]”
jelly1
The structure box says it is used with dictionary verbs but from what I’ve seen (examples included), it’s used with 〜て form.
e.g. 大ケガしてまで手に入れた
Konachan
Like @jelly1, I also got confused by the 〜て form used in the examples.
I got confused by the example: “お金を払ってまでテストを受けたくない” Which uses 払う in its て-form so I searched a the www a bit and came to the conclusion: Using the dictionary form in the above example (お金を払うまでテストを受けたくない) would be translated to “I don’t want to take the test until I payed for it” which fits “Verb + まで” (N5 Lesson 8 6/13) but not までも. As this is new grammar for me, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong but I think it should be “Verb[て] まで”
- How to use まで ( = made) – Maggie Sensei (A reference included here on bunpro) also states “5. even […] (3) Vて ( verb te-form) + まで ( = made): to do something even doing something/ to go so far as ~”
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