Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 6: 6/16

～ても・でも

Even if, Even though

Structure

Verb［て］＋も
［い］Adjective［て］＋も
［な］Adjective＋で＋も
Noun＋で＋も


Verb［なくて］＋も
［い］Adjective［なくて］＋も
［な］Adjective＋でなくて(1)＋も
Noun＋でなくて(1)＋も

(1) じゃなくて

Details

  • Register

    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

About ても

The combination of the conjunction particle て (or the case-marking particle で), with the adverbial particle も, often has the nuance of 'even if (A)', or 'even though (A)'.
To use this structure, simply conjugate a verb or い-Adjective into its て-form, and then add も.
For nouns and な-Adjectives, でも will be used instead.
  • あの人(ひと)に言(い)っても何(なに)も変(か)わりません。
    Nothing will change even if you talk to him.
  • お茶(ちゃ)は冷(つめ)たくても美味(おい)しいから好(す)きです。
    I like tea because it tastes good even if it is cold.
  • 彼女(かのじょ)は仕事(しごと)が大変(たいへん)でも諦(あきら)めません。
    She will not give up on work even if it is difficult.
  • 安(やす)い電子(でんし)レンジでも弁当(べんとう)は温(あたた)められます。
    Even with a cheap microwave you can warm up bentos.
This grammar pattern may also be used for highlighting negative sentences, and will translate similarly to 'even if not (A)', or 'even though not (A)' in these cases.
  • これは明日(あした)までに終(お)わらなくてもいいから。
    It's okay even if you don't finish this by tomorrow.
  • 頭(あたま)が痛(いた)くなくてもこの薬(くすり)を飲(の)んでください。
    Please take this medicine, even if your head doesn't hurt.
  • 野菜(やさい)は好(す)きじゃなくても食(た)べた方(ほう)がいい。
    Even if you don't like vegetables, you should eat them.
  • 運転手(うんてんしゅ)じゃなくてもシートベルトをしなくてはいけない。
    Even if you're not the driver, you need to wear your seatbelt.
Fun Fact
でも (the form after nouns and な-Adjectives) is often considered to be an adverbial particle itself, and there is often debate amongst native speakers as to whether でも is actually a word, or simply a standard grouping of で, the case marking particle and も, the adverbial particle. However, It may be easier to remember でも as its own word, for learning purposes.

Synonyms

Examples

  • 映画館(えいがかん)に行(い)っても、見(み)たい映画(えいが)がない。

    Even if I were to go to the movie theater, there aren't any movies I want to see.

  • サッカーの練習(れんしゅう)をしても全然(ぜんぜん)上手(じょうず)になれない。

    Even if I practice soccer, I can't improve.

  • 子供(こども)に何回(なんかい)も起(お)きてと言(い)っても、起(お)きなかった。

    Even though I told the kid to wake up multiple times, he didn't get up.

  • 試合(しあい)に負(ま)けても、諦(あきら)めません。

    Even if I lose the game, I won't quit.

  • トレーニングをしても、痩(や)せない。

    Even if I work out, I don't lose weight.

  • 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

  • Offline

    • みんなの日本語 I

      Page 158 [CH 25]

    • Genki II 2nd Edition

      Page 257

    • [DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar

      Page 111

    • [DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar

      Page 468

    • [AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese

      Page 95

  • 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 – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (7 in total)

  • yousefb

    yousefb

    Hi, can you explain the difference between this grammar point and のに (grammar point 130). At a first glance they seem to be interchangeable but I keep making mistakes in reviews not knowing which one to use for a “even though…” type sentence.

  • IcyIceBear

    IcyIceBear

    It might be helpful to think of のに as “despite”. If you can put “despite” in the sentence, it won’t be asking for ても

  • yousefb

    yousefb

    What about the example below? I think you can use “despite” in it but it does not accept のに

    image804×136 13.8 KB

Got questions about ても? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

Join the Discussion