Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 10: 16/20

とも

Even if, No matter

少なくとも is a very common example of this construction which is also used in spoken Japanese.

Structure Legend

Structure

Verb[おう] + とも
Verb[なく + とも
[な]Adjective + であろう + とも
[い]Adjective[く](1) + とも

(1) [い]Adjective[かろう]

Details

  • Register

    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

About とも

とも is a particle that can be used either as a sentence-ending particle, conjunction particle, or adverbial particle. Despite this, the meanings are often interchangeable, and it depends mostly on what type of word they are grouped with as to which type of particle it is. Common interpretations of とも in almost any situation are 'even if (A)', or 'no matter if (A)', and it will basically always simply highlight that 'in spite of (A), still (B)'.
As a conjunction particle, とも will be paired with any words that are followed by the auxiliary verbs う, or よう, or after い-Adjectives in their conjunctive form.
  • (おや)(なん)()おうとも(わたし)(かれ)結婚(けっこん)するつもりだ。
    No matter what my parents say, I intend on marrying him.
  • (さかな)がどんなに(あば)ようとも、この(いと)絶対(ぜったい)()れません。
    No matter how violent the fish thrashes around, this line will never break.
  • 人生(じんせい)がいくら(つら)とも(あきら)めてはいけない。
    No matter how hard life is, you must not give up.
  • いくら下手(へた)であろうとも毎日(まいにち)練習(れんしゅう)をしていればそのうち上手(じょうず)になれる。
    No matter how bad you are at it, if you practice every day, you will eventually get good at it.
The adverbial particle usage only appears after い-Adjectives in their conjunctive form, and a select number of adverbs. It is recommended not to use this structure after adverbs unless you have already seen it used this way in native material.

Examples

  • 生徒(せいと)授業(じゅぎょう)出席(しゅっせき)しなくとも教師(きょうし)はきちんと授業(じゅぎょう)(すす)めていくべきだ。

    Even if students do not attend, the teacher should proceed with the lesson.

  • どんなことになろうとも国家(こっか)破産(はさん)するのはまずありえない。

    No matter what, it is impossible for a country to go bankrupt.

  • どんなタバコ()であろうとも(あか)ちゃんができたら()わけにはいかない。

    No matter how much you like cigarettes, if you get pregnant you can't smoke.

  • ため(いき)()ようとも仕事(しごと)はやり()げなければなりません。

    Even if you sigh, you must get some work done.

  • 頂点(ちょうてん)には(とど)かなくとも()けるところまで()ってみよう。

    Even if we don't reach the summit, let's try to go as far as we can.

  • 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

    There are no Offline resources listed for 「とも」.

    You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

  • Track Resources!

    Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.

とも – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (1 in total)

  • dokidokiwakuwaku

    dokidokiwakuwaku

    About 1 year ago

    Can someone explain the difference in usage between this form and つつも? Thank you!

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

Join the Discussion