Start with a question:
天気が悪＿＿私は行きます。
A. いのに B. くても C. いから D. くて
The answer is B. くても. "Even if the weather is bad, I'm going" -- ても expresses concession: the condition doesn't affect the conclusion.
The Core Feeling of ても
ても means "even if," "even though," or "no matter." Its biggest difference from のに:
| ても | のに | |
|---|---|---|
| Describes | A hypothetical situation | Something that already happened |
| Feeling | No matter what, the conclusion stands | It already happened, and I'm unhappy |
| Emotion | Determination / resignation | Frustration / regret |
Conjugation Rules
| Word type | How to attach | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | て-form + も | 食べても, 行っても |
| い-adjective | Drop い + くても | 高くても, 寒くても |
| な-adjective | Stem + でも | 静かでも, 元気でも |
| Noun | Noun + でも | 雨でも, 日曜日でも |
Pattern: verbs and い-adjectives use ても/くても; な-adjectives and nouns use でも.
Typical Examples
Concession: Nothing Changes the Outcome
-
一億円くれても彼と結婚しない。 → Even if you gave me 100 million yen, I wouldn't marry him.
-
天気が悪くても私は行きます。 → Even if the weather is bad, I'm going.
-
日曜日でも会社に行かなければならない。 → Even on Sunday, I have to go to the office.
Question Word + ても = No Matter...
ても combined with question words means "no matter what/how":
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 何を食べてもおいしい。 | No matter what I eat, it's delicious. |
| いくら説明しても分からない。 | No matter how much I explain, they don't understand. |
| どこへ行っても人が多い。 | No matter where I go, it's crowded. |
Question word + ても is a high-frequency N4 test point.
Even Close Friends Have Limits
-
いくら親友でも言いにくいことが多少あります。 → Even with your best friend, there are some things that are hard to say.
-
子供でもわかる話だ。 → It's something even a child can understand.
ても vs のに vs けど
| Example | Feeling | |
|---|---|---|
| ても | 雨が降っても行く | Even if it rains, I'll go (hypothetical / determined) |
| のに | 雨が降ったのに行った | It rained yet they went (frustrated) |
| けど | 雨が降ったけど行った | It rained but they went (neutral) |
ても looks forward to hypotheticals; のに looks back at facts.
Negative Form: なくても
The negative form of ても is なくても -- "even without... still...":
-
薬を飲まなくても治る。 → It'll heal even without taking medicine.
-
辞書がなくても読める。 → I can read it even without a dictionary.
Self-Test
Q1. What does 「いくら練習しても上手にならない」 mean?
Show answer
"No matter how much I practice, I don't get better." The question word いくら + ても means "no matter how much."
Q2. Fill in: ＿＿高くても買いたい。
A. いくら B. どこ C. だれ
Show answer
A. いくら. "No matter how expensive, I want to buy it." いくら is a quantity/degree question word that pairs with ても to mean "no matter how much."
Q3. What's the difference between 「雨でも行きます」 and 「雨なのに行きます」?
Show answer
- 雨でも行きます → I'll go even if it rains (hypothetical concession -- it may or may not rain)
- 雨なのに行きます → It's raining yet I'm going (it's already raining, expressing surprise/frustration)
ても is hypothetical concession; のに is factual concession.
Summary
- ても = "even if... still..." -- the condition doesn't change the conclusion
- Conjugation: verb て-form + も / い-adj drop い + くても / な-adj and nouns + でも
- Question word + ても = "no matter..." (high-frequency test point)
- Negative form: なくても = "even without..."
- Distinguish from のに: ても is hypothetical, のに is factual