The 〜ても family is N4’s quiet workhorse. It powers concession (“even if I’m busy, I’ll come”), permission (“even if it’s late, you can call”), and the entire negotiation register of polite Japanese. The reason most learners fumble it is simple: it conjugates differently for verbs, adjectives, and nouns — and the noun version (でも) collides with the conjunction でも (“but”).
1. The Conjugation Table
| Part of speech | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verbs | V-te + も | 食べても太らない |
| い-adjectives | drop い + くても | 高くても買う |
| な-adjectives | + でも | 静かでも集中できない |
| Nouns | + でも | 雨でも出かける |
| Negative | V-なくても | 行かなくてもいい |
2. The でも Twin Trap
- Sentence-initial でも = “but”: 「でも、私は行きたい。」
- Post-noun でも = “even if”: 「子供でも分かる。」
Position decides meaning. A でも at the start of a clause or sentence is the conjunction. A でも attached to a noun or な-adjective is the concessive particle.
3. Permission: 〜てもいい
Adding いい turns the “even if” into permission: 「ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか」(May I take a photo here?). For a more polite request: 〜てもよろしいですか.
4. Negative Permission: 〜なくてもいい
「来なくてもいいです」 = you don’t have to come. The negative te-form is one of the most useful softeners in Japanese conversation, and 〜なくてもいい is its flagship usage.
5. The Concessive vs Conditional Distinction
〜ても means “even if”; 〜たら means “if/when”. They are not synonyms. 雨が降ったら帰る = if it rains, I’ll go home. 雨が降っても帰らない = even if it rains, I won’t go home.
6. The 5-Sentence Drill
- 高くても買います。
- 子供でも分かるよ。
- 明日来なくてもいいです。
- 雨が降っても試合は行います。
- 分からなくても、聞いてもいいです。
Drill Concession Grammar With Kanjijo
Free on iOS. Full N5 → N1 grammar with explicit contrast lessons (〜ても vs 〜のに vs でも), exclusive mnemonics for every kanji and JLPT vocab word, three widget formats, OCR scanning and SRS reinforcement.
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Frequently Asked Questions
‘Even if’ or ‘even though’.
Verbs te-form + も; い-adj くても; な-adj/noun でも.
Position in the sentence: sentence-initial = ‘but’; post-noun = ‘even if’.
Three-way contrast lessons with SRS trap examples.