たとえ〜ても — Even If

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use たとえ〜ても (tatoe ~te mo) to say "even if" in Japanese, expressing a strong hypothetical concession — something that won't change your action or opinion no matter what.

たとえ〜ても is a fixed grammar pattern that means "even if" or "no matter how much". It shows that the speaker's main point (the result) stays the same, regardless of the hypothetical situation in the 〜ても part.

• たとえ (tatoe) = "even if" / "supposing that"
• 〜ても (te mo) = the "even if" verb/adjective ending

Together, they create a strong contrast: "Even if X happens, Y will still be true."

1. The Pattern

Full sentence structure:

たとえ + [Verb/い-adj/な-adj/Noun] + ても/でも + [Main result clause]

2. Key Point: The result clause is often a strong statement

The second part usually contains:

• A决心 (kesshin) — decision, will决心
• A否定 (hitei) — negative, refusal否定
• A変わらない事実 (kawaranai jijitsu) — unchanging fact変事実

Example 1: Verb

たとえ雨が降っても、試合は行います。
Tatoe ame ga futte mo, shiai wa okonaimasu.
Even if it rains, we will hold the match.雨降試合行

Example 2: い-adjective

たとえ値段が高くても、この指輪を買いたい。
Tatoe nedan ga takakute mo, kono yubiwa o kaitai.
Even if the price is high, I want to buy this ring.値段高指輪買

Example 3: な-adjective

たとえ不便でも、田舎で暮らしたい。
Tatoe fuben demo, inaka de kurashitai.
Even if it's inconvenient, I want to live in the countryside.不便田舎暮

Example 4: Noun

たとえ学生でも、このルールを守らなければならない。
Tatoe gakusei demo, kono ruuru o mamoranakereba naranai.
Even if you are a student, you must follow this rule.学生守

❌ Forgetting たとえ and just using 〜ても

• 雨が降っても、行く。 (This is fine, but it's weaker — just "even if it rains, I'll go")雨降行
• たとえ雨が降っても、行く。 (Stronger: "Even if it rains — no matter what — I'll go")雨降行

❌ Using たとえ with a past/factual situation

• たとえ昨日雨が降っても… (Wrong — たとえ is only for hypothetical/unreal situations)昨日雨降
• Correct: たとえ明日雨が降っても… (hypothetical future)明日雨降

Fill in the blanks with the correct form.

1. たとえ試験に__________、あきらめない。
   (fail → 落ちる ochiru)
   Answer: 落ちても (ochite mo)試験落

   試験落

2. たとえ仕事が__________、残業はしない。
   (busy → 忙しい isogashii)
   Answer: 忙しくても (isogashikute mo)仕事残業忙

   仕事残業忙

3. たとえ__________、彼を信じる。
   (he lies → 嘘をつく uso o tsuku)
   Answer: 嘘をついても (uso o tsuite mo)彼信嘘

   彼信嘘

You now know:

• たとえ〜ても = "even if" for strong hypothetical concessions
• The pattern: たとえ + [て-form/で-form] + [result]
• It's used for unreal, hypothetical situations — not past facts

Next step: Practice using たとえ〜ても in your own sentences. Try making three sentences about things you would do "even if" something difficult happened. Then move on to the related pattern 〜てもかまわない (it's okay even if...).