Meaning
「もともと」 means that something has remained unchanged from the way it was before. Therefore, 「〜てもともとだ」 expresses the idea that even if the result of doing something does not differ much from the previous state, it does not matter. It is used when the chance of success is low — even if you fail, you are no worse off than before.
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| Verb (て-form) | もともとだ |
| い-adjective (...く) | もともとだ |
| な-adjective | で もともとだ |
| Noun | で もともとだ |
Examples
-
あのチームは県内でトップの実力を持っているので負けてもともとだ。とにかく全力で試合をしよう。
That team has the top strength in the prefecture, so there is nothing to lose even if we lose. Let us just play with everything we have. -
失敗してもともとだと思った実験が成功したおかげで、無事発表することが出来た。
Thanks to the success of an experiment I thought would not matter even if it failed, I was able to make my presentation without a problem. -
初心者なんだから失敗してもともとだと思って、気楽に投資をはじめてみたらいいよ。
You are a beginner, so think of it as having nothing to lose even if you fail, and try starting to invest in a relaxed way. -
駄目でもともとだと思いながらも、昨日私は、親に留学を希望していることを話した。
Even though I did not have high hopes, yesterday I told my parents that I want to study abroad.
Summary
- 「〜てもともとだ」 means "even if..., there is nothing to lose; it does not matter even if it fails"
- Attaches to verbs in て-form, い-adjectives, な-adjectives, and nouns