「シェイディー先生、日本語の質問をしてもいいですか？」
= Shady Sensei, nihongo no shitsumon wo shitemo ii desu ka?
= Shady Sensei, may I ask you a Japanese question?
「してもいいけど、簡単なのにしてね。」
= Shitemo iikedo, kantan nanoni shitene.
= Yes you can, but make it an easy one, OK?
Hi everyone!
Today’s guest teacher is シェイディー先生 ( = Shady Sensei) from Edinburgh. He is a handsome 12 years old gentleman feline.
We are so lucky to have all these cute guest teachers!
*******
Nice to meet you, everyone! I am シェイディ( = Shady)
My brother sent me an application to be a guest teacher here. He will be surprised to see how much Japanese I speak.
OK, today we will study how to use V + ても ( = temo)
How to use
1) Asking for permission
Basic pattern
*V+ても/なくても + いい？= V + temo/nakutemo + ii? (casual)
*V+ても/なくても + いいですか？= V + temo/nakutemo + ii desu ka? (polite)
*V+ても/なくても + いいでしょうか？= V + temo/nakutemo + iide shouka? (more polite)
*V+ても/なくても + かまいませんか？ = V + temo/nakutemo + kamaimasen ka? (more polite)
*V+ても/なくても + よろしいでしょうか？ = V + temo/nakutemo + yoroshii deshou ka? (very polite)
Note :
After the letter ん ( = n)
you say でも ( = demo) instead of ても( = temo)
Ex. 読む ( = yomu) to read
読んでも ( = yondemo)
Ex.飲む ( = nomu) to drink
飲んでも ( = nondemo)
Ex. これ食べてもいいですか？
= Kore tabete mo ii desu ka?
= May I eat this?
Ex. もう帰ってもいい？
= Mou kaette mo ii?
= Can I go home now?
Ex. また遊びに来てもいい？
= Mata asobini kite mo ii?
= Can I come over again?
Ex. ちょっと質問してもいいですか？
= Chotto shitsumon shite mo ii desuka?
= May I ask you a question?
Ex. ここに駐車してもいいですか？
= Koko ni chuusha shite mo ii desu ka?
= Can I park here?
Ex. 入ってもいいですか？
= Haitte mo ii desuka?
= Can I come in?
(polite)
Ex. お邪魔してもよろしいでしょうか？
= Ojama shite mo yoroshii deshouka?
= May I come in? / Would you mind if I came in?
Ex. この本、借りてもいい？
= Kono hon, karite mo ii?
= Can I borrow this book?
Note : You can also say
Ex. この本、貸してもらってもいい？
= Konohon, kashite moratte moii?
= Do you mind if I borrow this book?
Note:
～てもいい ( = temoii) and ～てもらってもいい ( = temoratte moii)
While ～てもいい ( = temoii) is just asking permission for what you do, ～てもらってもいい ( = temoratte moii) literally means “Would you allow me to do something” and it has a connotation of “Would you mind me doing something” and sounds more polite.
*negative sentence : Will it be OK if ~ don’t ~?
Ex. これ、食べなくてもいいですか？
= Kore, tabenakukute mo ii desu ka?
= Is it OK if I don’t eat this? / You don’t mind if I don’t eat this?
Ex. 今日は熱があるから学校に行かなくてもいい？
= Kyou wa netsu ga aru kara gakkou ni ikanakute mo ii?
= I have a fever today so is it OK if I don’t go to school today?
Ex. マギー先生、今日は忙しいから宿題をしなくてもいいですか？
= Maggie sensei, kyou wa isogashii kara shukudai wo shinakutemo ii desu ka?
= Maggie Sensei, I am busy today so is it OK if I don’t do my homework?
From Maggie Sensei
いいえ、どんなに忙しくても宿題はしなくてはいけません。!niconico!
= Iie, donnani isogashikutemo shukudai wa shinakute wa ikemasen.
= No, no matter how busy you are, you have to do your homework.
(Literally: No, no matter how busy you are, you can not do your homework.)
2) Giving someone permission:
Ex. わからない言葉があったら辞書を使ってもいいですよ。
= Wakaranai kotoba ga attara jisho wo tsukatte mo ii desuyo.
= If there is a word that you don’t understand, you can use a dictionary.
Ex. クーラーをつけてもいいよ。
= Kuuraa wo tsuketemo iiyo.
= You can turn on the air conditioner.
Ex. すぐ返してくれるんだったら１万円貸してあげてもいいよ。
= Sugu kaeshite kurerun dattara ichimanen kashite agete mo iiyo.
= I could give lend you 10,000 yen if you return it soon.
Ex. お父さんが帰って来たらケーキを食べてもいいですよ。
= Otousan ga kaette kitara keiki wo tabete mo ii desuyo.
= If your dad comes back home, you can eat the cake.
★negative sentences:
*Giving someone permission not to do something:
Ex. そんなことはしなくてもいいです。
= Sonna koto wa shinakute mo ii desu.
= You don’t need to do such a thing.
Ex. 明日は来なくてもいいです。
= Ashita wa konakute mo ii desu.
= You don’t have to come tomorrow.
You can also say this when you tell people not to do something
（ Blaming someone who does/did something)
Ex. そんなことはしなくてもいいです。
= Sonna koto wa shinakute mo ii desu.
= You don’t need to do such a thing. (In other words: “Don’t do that!” )
Ex. もう来なくてもいいよ。
= Mou konakute mo iiyo.
= You don’t have to come here anymore.
(The implication is that the speaker does not want the listener to come here anymore.)
3) Asking for a favor:
もらっても ( = morattemo) / (polite) 頂いても ( = itadaitemo)
Asking someone to do some favor:
Ex. こちらでお待ち頂いてもいいでしょうか？（Polite)
= Kochira de omachi itadaitemo iide shouka?
= Could you wait here? / Would you mind waiting here?
Ex. ここに名前を書いてもらってもいい？
= Koko ni namae wo kaite moratte mo ii?
(= Can I have you write your name here?)
= Can you write your name here? / Could I have you write your name here?
Ex. 窓を閉めてもらってもいいですか？
= Mado wo shimete moratte mo ii desu ka?
= Can you close the windows? / Do you mind closing the windows?
Note:
Though we hear this usage a lot in conversation (especially among young people), this expression may offend some people because it sounds a bit condescending.
The literal meaning of (someone に ( = ni) ) something を ( = wo) Vてもらう ( = temorau) is “to have someone do something”)
So it would be safer to say:
お待ち頂けますでしょうか？
= Omachi itadakemasu deshouka?
= Could you wait?
名前を書いてくれる？
= Namae wo kaite kureru?
= Can you write your name?
窓を閉めてくれますか？
= Mado wo shimete kuremasu ka?
= Could you close the window?
4) even if, although, whether ~ or not:
Ex. おだてても何もでないよ。
= Odatete mo nani mo denai yo,
= (literal meaning Even if you flatter me, I won’t give you anything.)
= Flattery will get you nowhere.
Ex. 中古のコンピューターを売って下さい。壊れていてもかまいません。
= Chuuko no konpyuutaa wo utte kudasai. Kowareteite mo kamaimasen.
= Please sell me your used computer. I don’t care whether it’s broken or not.
Ex. 今の彼に何を言っても無駄だ。
= Ima no kare ni nani wo itte mo mudada.
= There is no use in telling him anything. / Don’t waste your breath on him.
Ex. そんな高い機械を買っても使わない。
= Sonna takai kikai wo katte mo tsukawanai.
= Even if I bought such an expensive machine, I would not use it.
Ex. 雨が降っても明日はテニスに行く。
= Amega futtemo ashita wa tenisu ni iku.
= Even if it rains, I will go play tennis tomorrow.
Ex. たとえ親に反対されても彼と結婚します。
= Tatoe oya ni hantai saretemo kare to kekkon shimasu.
= Even if my parents are against it, I will marry him.
Ex. いつも喧嘩していてもあの二人は仲がいい。
= Itsumo kenka shite ite mo ano futari wa naka ga ii.
= Although they fight all the time, they are very close.
Ex. 今頃行っても銀行はもう閉まっているよ。
= Imagoro itte mo ginkou wa mou shimatte iruyo
= Even if you go now, the bank is already closed. (It is too late.)
Ex. 羊を数えても寝られない。
= Hitsuji wo kazoete mo nerarenai.
= I can’t fall asleep even if I count sheep.
5) Accepting some deals and giving people conditions:
Ex. 出かけてもいいけど十時までには帰ってきなさい。
= Dekakete mo iikedo juuji made niwa kaette kinasai.
= You can go out but be back by 10:00.
6) whatever /whenever/whichever ~/ No matter how ~ :
Ex. たとえ何があっても僕はマギーの味方だよ。
= Tatoe nani ga atte mo boku wa Maggie no mikata dayo.
= Whatever happens, I am on your side, Maggie.
(You use たとえ ( = tatoe) for hypothetical sentence.)
Ex. どんなに疲れていても毎日、マギー先生のサイトで勉強をします。
= Donnani tsukarete itemo mainichi, Maggie Sensei no saito de benkyou wo shimasu.
= No matter how tired I am, I will study on Maggie Sensei’s site every day.
Ex. どう考えてもこの政策はおかしい。
= Dou kangaete mo kono seisaku wa okashii.
= No matter how much I think about it, there is something wrong with this policy.
Ex. どんなにあやまっても彼は許してくれなかった。
= Donnani ayamatte mo kare wa yurushite kurenakatta.
= No matter how much I apologized, he didn’t forgive me.
Ex. どんなに働いてもお金が貯まらない時期があった。
= Donnani hataraitemo okane ga tamaranai jiki ga atta.
= There was a time when no matter how hard I worked, I couldn’t save any money.
Ex. 彼女は誰が見ても主婦だ。
= Kanojo wa darega mite mo shufu da.
= She is obviously a housewife. (as anyone can see)
Ex. 何をやっても妻に怒られる。
= Nani wo yatte mo tsuma ni okorareru.
= No matter what I do, I make my wife angry.
Ex. 何回聞いてもあの店の名前が覚えられない。
= Nankai kiite mo ano mise no namaega oboerarenai.
= No matter how many times I asked, I can’t remember the name of the place (store, restaurant, bar, etc.).
Note: Go check this lesson to learn more about this usage.
Wh-ever/No matter wh/how: ても/でも ( = temo/demo)
7) VてもV ても= V temo V temo
emphasizing the verbs
Ex. 食べても食べてもお腹が減る。
= Tabete mo tabete mo onaka ga heru.
= No matter how much I eat, I get hungry
Ex. 仕事をやってもやっても終わらない。
= Shigoto wo yatte mo yatte mo owaranai.
= No matter how much I work, I can’t get my work done.
Ex. 寝ても覚めても彼女のことばかり考えている。
= Netemo samete mo kanojo no koto bakari kangaete iru.
= I can’t help but think about her whether being awake or asleep.
Ex. この魚は煮ても焼いても美味しいです。
= Kono sakana wa nitemo yaitemo oishii desu.
= This fish is delicious whether you boil it or grill it.
Note: There is an expression to describe a person who is really hard to deal with
↓
煮ても焼いても食えない
= nitemo yaite mo kuenai.
= (The literal meaning is you can’t eat this person even if you cook or grill.)
8) といっても= to ittemo = even though ~ / although
V / N / Adjective (i-adjective ～い ( = i) / na-adjecitve ～な ( = na)
+ と言っても／といっても(=toittemo)
(This 言っても (= ittemo) literally means “even though I/we say ~ but the subject doesn’t have to say anything.
＊Aといっても ( = to ittemo) ~
although A + / Even though A (emphasizing A) + something people don’t expect / haven’t expected / something doesn’t follow the rules, something contradicted
Ex. ハワイといっても寒い日もある。
= Hawai to ittemo samui hi mo aru.
= Even in Hawaii, there are cold days.
(You might think Hawaii is warm but there are cold days.)
Ex. 寒いといっても雪がふるほどではない。
= Samui to itte mo yuki ga furu hodo dewa nai.
= It is cold but it is not cold enough to snow.
(It is cold but not that cold)
Ex. 日本語を勉強したことがあるといってもたった半月です。
= Nihongo wo benkyou shita koto ga aru to itte mo tatta hantsuki desu.
= I did study Japanese in the past but it’s only for a half month.
(You may think I speak Japanese very well if you hear I have studied Japanese in past but it is only for a half year.)
Ex. 日本人だといってもずっとアメリカに住んでいたので漢字が読めません。
= Nihonjin dato ittemo zutto amerika ni sunde ita node kanji ga yomemasen.
= I AM Japanese but since I used to live in the U.S. for a long time, I can’t read kanji.
(You may expect I can write kanji because I am Japanese, but actually, I can’t because I lived in the US.)
Ex. 彼女がいるといっても北極に住んでいるのでなかなか会えない。
= Kanojo ga iru to ittemo Hokkyoku ni sunde iru node nakanaka aenai.
= Although I have a girlfriend, she lives in the North Pole so I can’t see her so often.
Note :
You can also use ても( = temo) with adjectives.
*i-adjecitive : 大きい ( = ookii) big →大きくても ( = ookiku temo )
*i-adjecitve negative form: 大きくなくても ( = ookiku nakutemo)
*na-adjecitve: 上手な = jouzuna = skillful →上手でも ( = jouzu demo)
*na-adjective negative form: 上手で（は*）なくても ( = jouzu de(wa) nakutemo) / 上手じゃなくても ( = jouzu ja nakutemo)
↓
Adjective + ても ( = temo): even, even if, even though
Ex.「マギーのケーキ、小さくてもいい？」
= Maggie no keiki, chiisakute mo ii?
= Do you mind if your cake is small, Maggie?
「お腹があまりすいていないから小さくてもいいよ。/ 大きくなくてもいいよ。」
= Onaka ga amari suite inai kara chiisakute mo iiyo./ ookiku nakutemo iiyo.
= I am not so hungry so I don’t mind having a small piece. / I don’t mind even if it’s not a big piece.
*For the usage of noun + でも(=demo)
Please check my Noun+ で（も）いい vs がいい (noun+de(mo) ii vs ga ii) lesson.
OK, that’s all for my lesson today.
Feel free to practice here in the comment section. I will check your Japanese.
*****
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
フレンチブルドッグといってもフランス語が話せるわけではありません。
= Furenchi burudoggu to ittemo furansugo ga hanaseru wake dewa arimasen.
= Even though I am a French Bulldog, it doesn’t mean I can speak French.
(You may think I can speak French because I am a “French” bulldog, but the fact is I can’t.)
シェイディー先生、ありがとう！
= Shady Sensei arigatou!
= Thank you, Shady sensei!
またここに教えてに来てね。
= Mata koko ni oshieni kite ne.
= Please come back here and teach.
À bientôt! = またね～！= Matane~ ! = See you!!!
***
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I appreciate your support! サポートありがとう！
96 Comments
Hey Maggie Sensei,
I was in the midst of translating Yotsuba! and came across this sentence
“いつものこ事だから心配しなくても…”
The translation seems to be “This always happens, you don’t have to worry.” My question is, does it still directly translate to “even if you don’t worry,” or is the “いい” after implied and is this form common?
Thank you.
Hello Norbu
It is pretty common to leave the sentence unfinished when you avoid straightforward expression or when it is something obvious.
The whole sentence should be
いつものことだから心配しなくても（いいよ)
So you are right. They omitted the last part, いい (いいよ） and the translation is correct.
Hi! You are so great at explaining. I just have one question: Can I say “Even if I want to” with the same pattern of “temo”?
Hi Solaine,
Yes, you can use Vたくても form
Even if I want to go 行きたくても
Even if I want to eat 食べたくても
Hi Maggie sensei,
Sorry for bothering… again! (￣ ￣|||)
I really don’t know the grammar about this one and I couldn’t find an explanation in your lesson:【あの事故と結ばれでもしたんだろう】I suppose the でも here should be “even though” so I tried to translate it as: “I guess it was even though it was linked to that accident” but it makes no sense.
I found on a website the same construction for another sentence 英語の勉強でもするか which they have translate as “I might as well study English.” and the explanation is “でも here works to make your words less direct. It’s like “I think I will study something, let’s see…ok, English.” Also it’s not a question to someone. You say it to yourself.”
Is there some kind of construction based on 〜でもする/〜でもした where it is not conditional form?
How would you translate this 【あの事故と結ばれでもしたんだろう】?
Thank you a lot Maggie-sensei!
Hello again Gaspatcher
Your questions are always welcome. 😊
I guess I didn’t cover the usage in this lesson.
I don’t know the context of your example sentence (事故と結ばれる. Not 事故で？) but you use でも when you guess or imagine why something happened/why someone did/will do something or possible outcome.
So you bring up some possible cause/ outcome/results that you can think of with でも
When you use it with a verb,
verb masu-stem / noun* + でも＋したんだろう/したのかもしれない/したのだろうか..
You are not 100% sure but it could be ~ or something.
Another example, you have friends. They are usually very close but you can sense there is something wrong between them.
So you are not sure why exactly they are not talking to each other but you assume they got fight or something. In this case you use でも
喧嘩(けんか）でもしたんだろう。
Maybe they got fight or something.
Thank you Maggie-sensei!
Aaah, it’s not the て-form verb +も but really the word でも (“but”) attached to the masu-stem verb?
So for example 遊びでも (masu-stem+でも) and 遊んでも (て-form verb+も) mean different things?
So in my case, I would have said 遊びでもしたんだろう (maybe they played or something) and not 遊んでもしたんだろう?
I think I got confused with ても/でも for conditional form and でも for “but”.
For my sentence, I don’t know exactly the origin, I retranscripted from ear so I’m not sure it’s correct. Maybe it’s 事故で actually if it makes more sense. The context is really “Maybe it was linked to that accident” when someone saw some event occurring before him.
Thank you Maggie-sensei!
おはよう、Gaspatcher
Ah, OK. If the context is
“Maybe it was linked to that accident” then 事故と is correct.
(If two people get connected to each other through the accident, 事故で ☺️）
And yes, for this usage you say 遊びでも not 遊んでも (遊んでも is different form. Ex. 遊んでもいいですか？ = to ask for the permission, etc.)
~でもしたんだろう
I added this in my previous comment but you can use a noun with でも so when you use a verb する, it will be easier to think
noun (遊び・喧嘩） + でも＋ したんだろう
And with a verb
verb masu stem (including auxiliary verb)
So I wouldn’t go too far here but
食べ＋でもしたんだろう
食べ＋られ(passive)/させられ(passive causative) ＋でもしたんだろう
Ok thank you as always Maggie-sensei! ♡
どういたしまして、Gaspatcher! ❤️
I feel like when I see ても I’m still often confused about its usage. Like recently I saw:
空腹のせいで部活で負けられても困りますから。
Which should express the idea “(I gave you the meal) because I wouldn’t like it if games were lost in club due to an empty stomach. ” But I have no idea how ても is supposed to fit in here. Could you possibly clue me in here?
Hi Matt
Actually you can rephrase the sentence
空腹のせいで部活で負けられては困りますから。
If you(they) lose the game/match in the club activity, I would be in trouble.
And emphasize “losing the game” you change は to も
So it would be easier to think it is a function of も to emphasize the meaning.
Ah, okay, thank you! That makes sense! I didn’t know that ては could have the は change to も like the other uses of は.
(^^)v
This was a great explanation, but how do you decline it? So if someone says 食べていい？or 食べてもいいですか？ and I want to tell them that they may not eat, how do I say that. I have seen some people say that you would say 食べてはいけない but that seems too harsh because you are telling them that they must not eat. So how would I say, “you may not eat” or “please do not eat” or just simply “no” in response to てもいい? Thanks!
Hello Sean
You may not eat/Please do not eat.
You can say
食べないでください。
If you are talking to family/close friends
だめ！ /だめです No, you may not!
For example, if you meant to say “Not yet” you can say
いえ、まだです。
まだ食べないでください。
Or give a reason first and say no.
（Reason ので）食べないでください。
Hi Maggie Sensei! Thank you so much for this. I just have a question about this sentence from a manga.
‘別にやってもいいけど’
(A character says this after being suggested to that she join a game her friends are playing)
It translates to something like ‘I don’t mind playing’, but I don’t really understand the grammar here, like using 別に and でもいい in the same sentence. Could you possible please explain this a bit further? What would the literal translation be? Sorry if this is a dumb question.
Thank you so much!
Hello Ash ☆彡
Right the meaning is “I don’t mind playing it. ”
別に means “not really”/ “not specially” but it conveys the feelings such as “I don’t care whether I do play it or not. /It is not a big deal./ Whatever..”
Hello Maggie Sensei..
With this grammar point of ても
Can you use it like this: 子供の時、父にピアノを習わせられました。 病気でもピアノのクラスに行かなければなりませんでした。
What I want to say is “I had to go to piano class even if I was sick!” The context is sort of like being forced to go to piano class and trying to emphasize that I still had to do classes regardless of my health.
Hello, Jen
Yes, it works. :)
Hello Maggie sensei!
I came across this sentence and got the meaning all wrong. 初めて会ったひとに聞きたくても聞けないことは何ですか。
Mi first impression was something like “what would you not ask a person you just met”, but apparently it’s completely the opposite. Could you explain how to use this pattern: 聞きたくても聞けない？Thank you very much!
Hello Carolina,
OK, here is the pattern
Vたくても Vない(negative potential form)= Even if ~ wants to do ~ , ~ can’t.
聞きたくても聞けない = Even if you want to ask (Even if you are so curious to know), you can’t ask (because it is not polite).
Another example with this pattern.
When someone asks you to go somewhere with them. You really want to go but you can’t, you say
行きたくても行けない
(Or 行きたいけど行けない)
Thank you, Maggie sensei!! It’s clear for me now.
Good!よかった！ ☺️
Hi Maggie,
It’s me again :D
This sentence has stumped me because I can’t quite work out the meaning of the ~ても form here:
死んでもいないうちにしおしおしたって損なだけだろ.
Does 死んでもいない mean “(I’m) not even dead” or “Even if (I’m) not dead”, or something else…?
I think it means “(I’m) not even dead”, but thought I’d double-check.
Many thanks,
Peter.
Hello Peter,
Good for you that you keep studying!
Yes, 死んでもいない means “not even dead yet”
Hi Maggie,
Sorry to bring up an old question again.
Can we change ~でもいない and use ~でもない in the same way?
And is the word とんでもない (No way!) related to this pattern?
Many thanks as always,
Peter.
Hi Peter,
とんでもない is an expression but it is originally from 途でもない and 途 means “the principle of the thing/reason” →not rational So it would fit the pattern, “Not even rational” →No way!
Hi Maggie-sensei,
I come across this phrase ～なくとも. How is it different from ～なくても? I googled and found answers that they are similar but the former is more or writing. In that case, can we replace V+ても with V+とも? i.e. 質問しとも
Hello Chang
なくとも and なくても mean the same and they are interchangeable.
And you are right. なくとも is more literal.
You don’t use affirmative form (dictionary form) + とも
X 質問しとも
レッスンはありがとうございます！
先生、二つの問題があるから、質問してもいいですか？
例文:
1.’今日の会議は四時で解散するから、先に飯を食ってもいいよ。’
その”も”を外したらこの文章が不正解になりますか？
2.任務はたくさんあるので、手伝ってもらってもいいんでしょうか？
“ん”をつけている理屈のはわかりませんがこれも正しい文章ですか？
こんにちは、はる
1. 「も」がなくても通じます。会話では「〜てもいい」が「〜ていい」ということもよくあります。
2. この例文の場合は、「いいでしょうか？」の方が自然です。
「てもいいですか？」→ちょっと驚きを表したり、疑いの気持ちがあるときは「てもいいんですか？」 の形を使います。
‘ん’の使い方は知りませんでした。
先生に聞いて良かったです。
先生、いつもありがとうございます！
どういたしまして、はる。
参考までに「ん」の使い方の説明をしたレッスンはこちらです。Click here
結婚= kekkon* (not kekon?)
Part 4)
Ex. たとえ親に反対されても彼と結婚します。
= Tatoe oya ni hantai saretemo kare to *kekkon* shimasu.
= Even if my parents are against it, I will marry him.
Thank you for spotting the typo. I will fix it right away. :)
Maggie 先生<3
As always… I'm so grateful for your amazing lessons ^^ Thanks for working so hard.
I have a little question about ~nakute mo ii (～なくてもいい)
For NOUNS or な-ADJ., can you say:
"NOUN+*dewa*+nakute mo ii"or must it be:
"NOUN+ ja +nakute mo ii" ???
ex.) 今日 では なくてもいい。
or
ex.) 今日 じゃ なくてもいい。
This is confusing to me because when making a NEG. sentence like: "It's not a cat.", we can say "ねこ じゃない" or "ねこ ではない" or "ねこ ではありません"。
Hi Ali,
First, I just added the negative form information.
I see your confusion.
じゃ is a casual contraction of では but 今日でなくてもいい is much more common in conversation.
Unless you want to show the contrast.
Ex. 今日やらないといけませんか？
= Do we have to do it today?
You can simply say,
今日でなくてもいい・今日じゃなくてもいい。
(You don’t have to do it today.)
But when you emphasize the word “today” (implying there is other conditions)
今日ではなくてもいいです。(でも明日は絶対にやってください。）
Hello Maggie Sensei,
I was having trouble with this line in a song:
その腕で抱き締めてもくれやしない
My best guess would be, “Those arms would never embrace me.”
However, literally it would be “Even if those arms embraced me, doing that favor is really not.”
The first part seems to me to imply that the embracing happens, which then the second part would negate in my interpretation, which doesn’t really make any sense.
Is my interpretation completely wrong, or is that kind of conditional okay in Japanese?
Thank you!
＠Smoothie Made of Fruit
The subject is not “arms” because there is a particle で (with)
You don’t even embrace me with those arms.
Okay, thanks. I didn’t think the subject was the arms, I just was rewording it so it sounded better in English.
How did you get the “don’t even” out of that construction? What in the grammar tipped you off to use those words and give that meaning?
Thanks!
〜てくれない don’t do something for me
~てもくれない/てもくれやしない by adding “も” you can emphasize the meaning don’t even do something
Oh, okay, I get it now. Thank you, Maggie Sensei!
You’re very welcome! :)
I actually have one more question, about a couple of lines (from this song, btw: http://vocaloidlyrics.wikia.com/wiki/%E5%8F%8D%E8%8A%BB%E3%81%AE%E5%8D%B0%E8%B1%A1_(Hansuu_no_Inshou) ), if you don’t mind. I really don’t know what to make of them.
本当は噛み締めてなんかいやしない
明日の日付も今日も飲み込んじまえ
咀嚼の時間も 緊急停車にも気付きはしない
“I really didn’t understand it, but tomorrow and today, I understood completely. When I understood, I hadn’t realized (that I understood it(?)) when we came to an emergency stop” is my best guess at what these mean.
I’m really confused about what they’re talking about here, especially because all words for understand also mean “chew,” which really confused me.
Thank you again for your help, sorry to bother you again!
I understood completely. When I understood, I hadn’t realized (that I understood it(?)) when we came to an emergency stop” is my best guess at what these mean.
→ ??? I am confused with your question.
Anyway I don’t do the translation here. (If I do, I have to do for everybody) ごめんね。
What I could tell you is it’s all metaphor and you have to interpret the lyrics yourself.
Sorry if my question was confusing. I guess what I was asking was if my interpretation was correct, and if there is any special meaning to the fact that “chew” is used so many times (I understand if it’s just a metaphor; I was just thinking that maybe there is some cultural/grammatical significance to this that I wasn’t grasping).
I understand completely that you can’t translate; I wasn’t looking for a translation.
Thanks.
Yes,噛みしめる is a metaphor.
You often use it “to think/reflect well on what someone says or what you read” “digest””to feel something with your heart”, etc.
So as 飲み込む = swallow
Okay, thanks Maggie Sensei!
You’re very welcome! :)
Hello!
I’ve been using and reading your lessons since I began to study further the Japanese language. There’s something I need to ask and hopefully you could answer this.
There’s a grammar 必要がある so from what I can understand based on the pattern itself it’s “there is a need to VERB” or “need to VERB”. Then I remembered having a previous lesson with なければならない and なければいけない which have similar meanings.
From what I learned, なければならない is used when you have to do something even if you don’t want to, and なければいけない is used to express that you have to do something no matter what. So now, what does 必要がある mean?
Furthermore, if turned negative it becomes 必要はない translating to “There is no need” or “You don’t need to~” depending on the context. Then there’s なくてもいい which from what I learned from my language class was “You don’t need to~”. I also wanted to know the difference between the two.
I hope you could provide me some insight and better explanation about these. I really wanted to learn more about Japanese and even grammar books like Genki doesn’t cover much of this.
Thank you in advance.
@Anna
Hi Anna
OK, let’s compare the following sentences.
1) 勉強しなければならない must to study / have to study
2) 勉強しなければいけない have to study / have got to study
They could be interchangeable but in my opinion
2) involves speaker’s will or opinions. It is more conversational.
3) 勉強する必要がある
You use 必要がある when you have some object (or goal).
For example in order to pass the exam, I need to study this and that.
As for the negative sentences,
勉強しなくてもいい don’t have to study. (It involves speaker’s opinion)
勉強する必要はない no need to study (for certain object.)
So when you want to say
I have to go home. you say もう帰らなくてはいけない
If you say もう帰らなければならない・もう帰る必要がある。 sounds too formal and unnatural.
Hi Sensei!
I’ve been studying some sentence patterns with ~にしても。。
so, does
マギーのケーキ、小さくてもいい？
roughly equate to
マギーのケーキ、小さくにしてもいいですか？
Thanks
@daniel
Hi Daniel
They are little different.
小さくてもいい？ = Is small one OK? / Is it OK if it is small?
小さくしてもいい？= Can I make it small/ Is it OK to make it small?
いっぺんに聞かれても困るな。
I got this sentence from Doraemon. Nobita is asking a lot of questions so Doraemon says this to him.
いっぺんに (all at once)
聞かれても (guessing it’s ask in this sentence and it’s in te-form passive. If Doraemon is the passive subject then he’s the one being asked all at once.)
困るな (guessing Doraemon is just saying な at the end of the sentence and it’s not conjugated as 困るな.)
I don’t understand what role ても plays in this sentence. My Japanese friend can’t explain it to me. I understand that the basic idea is that Doraemon doesn’t want Nobita to ask so many questions at once because it’s bothering him. But I kind of wish I could break it down to a rough translation to understand how everything is interacting.
＠Zack
It roughly means,
Even if you ask me all the questions at once, I can’t answer them right away.
So the function of this ても is “even if”
困る means ”to be in trouble”/ “to be puzzled”/ It is annoying” (depending on the context.)
The other point of this sentence is 聞かれる is a passive form. As I explained in my passive form lesson, passive form sometimes shows negative connotation.
So Doraemon was not happy to be asked many questions all at once.
Thank you very much! I think what my problem is is that I try to translate directly into English a lot of the time. So I would have translated this to something like, “Even if you are asking me (all the questions) at once, I will be bothered.” Which just sounds kind of weird because the second part isn’t something unexpected.
@Zack
You’re welcome. Yes, the direct translation is “I will be bothered” but as you said, it is not natural.
A lot of time, you don’t translate 困る with its literal meaning, “to be bothered”
You just have to translate the sentence depending on the context.
It is difficult/hard for me to do ~ = (there is no way that)I can do ~ / I can’t do ~ / I don’t want to do that. /I won’t do ~ .
Hi, I came across your website because I am trying to understand the different usages of “ても”. I have noticed that you’ve already covered ”てもいい”. Also, I noticed on the comment you mentioned ”ても” can mean “even if” depending on the context. Can you give another example for that? One more thing, I am checking out these lyrics to a song…and I have noticed the usage of ”ても”; however, I don’t think its context. How is this ”ても” used in these lyrics? It’s below. Thanks.
どんなに笑っても
ここに君はいない
この笑顔 この涙も意味ない
どんな遠くても
ねぇ 迎えにきて
電話じゃ ものたりない
@TekAnn
This is how it works
どんなに〜ても
No matter how ~ it is/you do/did
どんなに笑っても
No matter how much I laugh/smile
どんなに遠くても
No matter how far it is
So the も particle in ~てもいいですか? for example, トイレへ行ってもいいですか？,also have a meaning of “too/as well,etc.”
Thanks in advance!
@Newbie
No it is different. When も is used with て, the meaning changes. (For the details, please check this lesson.)
Hi sensei,
I am always bothered by this question: does the “も” particle here also suggests a meaning of “as well” or “too” in English? Or is it just one of those words that is a little difficult to translate? If not, can you briefly explain why it is used here?
By the way, I’ve seen some native Japanese speaker say 例文も添えていただけるとありがたいです。But isn’t there “no reference” to another subject, so it should just be 例文を…? And is 例文も一緒に添えていただけるとありがたいです correct as well?
Sorry for the long post! !gejigeji! !gejigeji!
@Newbie
Hi Newbie,
First I have a lesson on some usage of も. Check this lesson.
One of the main meaning of も is “as well”/ “also, / ~,too”
例文を添えてください。= Please give me example sentences.
Let’s say the Japanese person asks a meaning of one word.
例文も添えてください。= (Please explain how to use the word) And give me some example sentences also.
どんなに勉強してもレッスンは絶えないな。
まずいつも通り:
“Kore, tabenakukte mo ii desu ka?”
“tabenakute”
“ayamatte”
“Donnani ayamatta mo …”
ちょっと説明してもらってもかまいませんか。
1. “Kanojo wa darega mite mo shufu datta.
a) housewife. (as anyone can see)” Why “datta” if she still “is” a houswife?
She is obviously an (
2. “何をやっても妻に怒られる。
No matter what I do, I make my wife angry.” I’m having problems with 怒る, it’s intransitiv or transitiv, so it’s a bit confusing:
彼は怒っている- He is angry.
彼を怒らせる – I make him angry.
彼に怒らせられる- I am made angry by him.
彼を怒っている – I scold him. or: I am angry at him. (?)
彼に怒られる – I am scolded by him. or: I am angered by him. (??) but your translation is: i make him angry (but why, isn’t it passive??? 絶望した~)
3. I read the following sentence: スズメバチを見つけても、手などを動かして蜂を遠くへ行かせようとしてください。
I don’t quite understand the “temo” here. “Even if, no matter what, whatever” etc. make no real sense to me, as it is a general advice, isn’t it?
よろしくお願いします
@Zetsuboumanadeshi
Thank you always for spotting the typo. I fixed them.
1. Oh that was my mistake. I changed it to the present tense to avoid the confusion.
But if you see her in past and describe how she was, you can say 主婦だった = She was a housewife…
2. We tend to use passive form in Japanese but sometimes the direct translation is not natural in English.
（私は）マギーに怒られた＞マギーは私を怒った
The nuance is different but it won’t sound natural to say
I was reprimanded by Maggie.
It is more natural to translate in English,
Maggie got mad at me.
3. I would use たら in that sentence.
スズメバチを見つけたら = If / When you see ~
It depends on the context but ても there means “Even if”
Hi! I love your site^_^
Sorry to bother, but what about adjectives? May we use them too?
Example: oshiire ga chiisakute mo ii desuka?
Thanks!!
＠Mikage
Hi Mikage,
Yes you can use ても with adjectives.
I will add that information in the lesson.
oshiire ga chiisakute mo ii desuka? →OK!!
Hi Maggie-Sensei! :k:
Just to make sure I have understood, does this sentence make sense?
地図を持っても持たなくても迷子になる。
What I intend to say: “If I take a map or not, I’ll [still] get lost.”
Thanks for your awesome lessons, they are very helpful!
@H
Hi H!
地図を持っても持たなくても迷子になる。
→It will be more natural to say 地図を持っていても（持って）いなくても迷子になる
Whether you(I) have a map or not, you(I) get lost.
ありがとう先生! !JYANE! !DANCING!
@H
どういたしまして！ boucingheart!
こんにちは！元気なの？そちらの天気はいかがなの？ここはすごく暑く死ぬって思うんだよ。気温は３８度…地獄に住んでいるでしょうか。
すみません。I was carried away lol
とにかく、レッスンは便利で教えてくれてありがとう！レッスンが作ってもいつもとっても面白くて便利でわかりやすいだなぁ。
もっと書いて練習してもいい？
今日から一緒に友達と韓国語を学ぶつもりだけど日本語の勉強は断念じゃない。
それだけ。笑 !heartsippai! !heartsippai! !heartsippai!
@ocd
こんにちは！ocd! 日本は今、梅雨ですよ。３８度は暑いですね。体に気をつけて楽しい夏を過ごしてください。
日本語がんばって練習してくれたのね。
じゃあお手伝いしましょう！
元気なの？→元気？／元気ですか？
（You use なの when you haven’t heard from someone for a long time and worry about that person whether they are doing all right.)
そちらの天気はいかがなの？→いかがですか？ is more natural
ここはすごく暑く死ぬって思うんだよ→ここはすごく暑くて死にそうです。
地獄に住んでいるでしょうか。→地獄に住んでいるみたいです。
とにかく、レッスンは便利で教えてくれてありがとう！→It will be better to separate into two sentences to make it sounds more natural. とにかく、このレッスンは便利です。教えてくれてありがとう。
レッスンが作ってもいつもとっても面白くて便利でわかりやすいだなぁ。→?? 作ってくれるレッスンはいつもとっても面白くて便利でわかりやすいなあ。
断念じゃない。→断念しません。→やめません。／あきらめません。
ocdはずいぶん、長くて複雑な文章が書ける様になりましたね。
もちろん、これからもここでいつでも練習してください。
直してくれてありがとう！
To not be mistaken, from here on I’ll use English.
There are so many grammar points in Japanese that I messed up all of them lol.
About that sentence, I wanted to say: Whatever lesson you make, it’s always very interesting, useful and easy to understand. But the corrected sentence looks much better.
BTW, about this 死にそう, if I want to say: I’m going to melt; or I’m gonna to fall asleep; do I make it the same way as 死にそう?
@ocd
どういたしまして！
大丈夫！I can guarantee that your Japanese has been improving since you left a comment for the first time.
Whatever lesson you make, it’s always very interesting, useful and easy to understand.
Ah, OK, →マギー先生がレッスンを作るといつも面白いし、役に立つし、わかりやすいです。
Awww you are so sweet! ありがとう！
Sure, you can use そう
I’m going to melt 溶けそう・(casual) 溶けちゃいそう
or I’m gonna to fall asleep; 寝そう ・(casual) 寝ちゃいそう
Thanks for your kind words! !heartsippai! !heartsippai! But ahead still a lot of work.
Thanks for helping !formingheart3!
hi maggie sensei, this is a very helpful lesson of yours. i’ve been wondering what’s the perfect way of requesting someone to take my photo. i came up with this sentence:
Shashin wo totte moratte ii desu ka?
i patterned it based on what you just taught us. im not sure if i got it right because i’m not really good in understanding/composing japanese sentences. please help. !cryingboy!
@bimbolera
Hello bimbolera,
Shashin wo totte moratte ii desu ka?
As long as you know what I wrote in the remarks,you can say that.
(→Though we hear this usage a lot in conversation (especially among young people), this expression may offend some people because it sounds a bit condescending.)
I will show you some ways to ask that question in Japanese.
写真を撮って頂いてもよろしいでしょうか？ (Very polite)
= Shashin wo totte itadaite mo yoroshii deshouka?
写真を撮って頂けますか？ (polite)
= Shashin wo totte itadakemasu ka?
写真を撮ってくれますか？(standard)
=Shashin wo totte kuremasu ka?
写真を撮ってもらえますか？ (conversational but polite enough )
= Shashin wo totte moraemasuka?
写真、撮ってくれる？ (Very casual)
= Shashin, totte kureru?
arigatou gozaimasu maggie-sensei! !heartsippai! i adore your blog. i’ve been following it on bloglovin’. looking forward to more of your lessons. yoku gambattane! :k:
@bimbolera
Douitashimashite! !niconico!
More lessons are coming!! Minna no tame ni ganbarima~~su!! :l:
Hello
What this would be in japanese
“I thought you/this thing you said meant A”, “i thought you were talking about A”, “i thought this was about A”?
@sam
Hi sam,
Aのことを言っているのだと思いました。
(casual) Aのことを言っているんだと思った。
or
Aのことだと思いました。
(casual) Aのことだと思った。
As usual, a very useful lesson, thanks!
@reid
Happy to hear that!! !JYANE! boucingheart!
Ex. 入ってもいいですか？
= Haitte mo ii
[ddesuka?]
Ex. 何回聞いても彼の[missing]
[店の]名前が覚えられない。
= Nankai kiite mo ano mise no namaega oboerarenai.
= No matter how many times I asked, I can’t remember the name of the place.
Ex. 日本語を勉強したことがあるといってもたった[半月] :rrrr:[半年] です。
= Nihongo wo benkyou shita koto ga aru to itte mo tatta [hantsuki]
[hannen] desu.
= I did study Japanese in past but it’s only for a [half year].
btw arigatou gozaimasu 有り難う 御座います :-D
@zoheb
Thank you!!!!!!! Fixed them. boucingheart!
Good evening Sensei! ^^ Thank you for this post. It’s so useful! And you’re a very great teacher.^^
I have a question. I would like to say to a boy: “Your smile is so cute.” Could you please tell me that if this sentence correct? -> 笑顔はめっちゃ可愛いです! Thank you for your help in advance. ありがとうございます ^^
@Fando
Hello Fando!
笑顔は→笑顔が is better.
(I think you know but めっちゃ is very casual)
Why is が better in this case? What’s the difference?
@reid
You use は when you shows the contrast. If you tell someone 笑顔はかわいい, it implies “Your smile IS cute (but maybe not her face or something)
Oh, thanks for the quick reply! Sometimes I get a bit confused about the use of は and が, is there a lesson about that in this site? If not, could you make one in the future?
@reid
You’re welcome!
It’s already on the request lessons. :)
I couldn’t find it, maybe it was the way I searched for it
, sorry for bothering so much, but could you link the lesson here?
@reid
Oh sorry.. “It’s on the request list” means I haven’t made the lesson yet but I will in future.
Actually that will be my final goal…
It is going to be a very tough lesson for me to make. There is even a book on the difference between が and は
Oh, I see. I didn’t know it was such an extensive topic. Thank you again.