「いくら働いても仕事が終わらないの…」
= Ikura hataraite mo shigoto ga owaranai no…
= No matter how much I work, I can’t get my work done…
みなさん、こんにちは！ ( = minasan, konnichiwa!) Hi everyone!
I’m your guest teacher, Taquito. 
よろしく！ = Yoroshiku! = Nice to meet you!
We studied before how to use ても ( = temo).
Shady Sensei explained a little there but in this lesson, I will focus on the usage of Wh-ever/ No matter how much + ても ( = temo).
By using ても ( = temo)/ でも ( = demo) with interrogative words such as
★何 ( = nani) / いくら ( = ikura) / どんなに ( = donnani) / 誰 ( = dare) / いつ (= itsu) / どこ ( = doko) / どの ( = dono)
you can express,
→ no matter (regardless) what / how much / how / who / when / where / which,…
→ whatever, however, whoever, whenever, whichever ~
Let’s see the basic patterns of ても ( = temo) / でも ( = demo)
★ verb te form Vて ( = te) + も ( = mo)
Ex. 食べる = たべる ＝ taberu = to eat
→食べても = たべても = tabetemo
★ i-adjective (delete い ( = i ) →くて ( = kute) + も ( = mo)
Ex: 大きい= おおきい＝ookii (delete い ( = i ) 大き＝おおき= ooki →+ くて ( = kute) + も ( = mo)
→大きくても = おおきくても ( = ookikutemo)
★ na-adjective+ で ( = de) + も ( = mo)
Ex. きれい(な）= kirei (na) = beautiful
→きれいでも= kirei demo
★ noun + で ( = de) + も ( = mo)
Ex. 犬 = いぬ = inu = a dog
→犬でも＝ inu demo
*******
And here are the basic patterns with each relative pronoun.
★ 何 ( = nani) / いくら ( = ikura) / どんなに ( = donnani) / 誰 ( = dare) / いつ (= itsu) / どこ ( = doko) / どの ( = dono) ~ + ても ( = temo) / でも ( = demo)
no matter how much (many) / what / who / when / where.
☆ 何 ( = nani) ＋ (particle) + V て / で ( = te / de) + も ( = mo)
☆ 何 ( = nan) + counter + V て / で ( = te / de) + も( = mo)
***
☆ 誰 ( = dare) ＋ (particle) + V て/で ( = te / de) + も ( = mo)
☆ 誰が ( = dare ga) + noun + で ( = de) + も ( = mo)
***
☆ いつ ( = itsu) ＋ (particle) + V て / で ( = te / de) + も ( = mo)
***
☆どこ ( = doko) ＋ (particle)+ V て / で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo)
☆どこ ( = doko) ＋ (particle)+ noun + で ( = de)+ も ( = mo)
***
☆ いくら ( = ikura) +(noun+ particle) + V て / で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
☆いくら ( = ikura) + (noun+ particle) + adjectiveて / で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
***
☆ どんなに（= donnani) +(noun+ particle) +V て / で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
☆ どんなに（= donnani) + adjective て / で ( = te / de) + も( = mo)
☆ どんな ( = donna) + noun ＋ (particle) +V て / で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo)
***
☆ どれだけ ( = doredake) + (noun+ particle) + V て / で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo)
☆ どれだけ ( = doredake) + (noun+ particle) + adjective て / で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
***
☆どの ( = dono) + noun +( verb +) て/で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
*************
★How to use:
☆ 何 ( = nani) ＋ (particle) + V て / で ( = te / de) + も( = mo)
☆何を ( = nani wo ) + V て / で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo)
Ex. 歯が痛くて何を食べても美味しくない。
= Ha ga itakute nani wo tabete mo oishiku nai.
= Whatever I eat, it doesn’t taste good because I have a toothache.
Ex. 彼といる時は何をやっても楽しい。
= Kare to iru toki wa nani wo yatte mo tanoshii.
= It is fun to do anything whenever I am with him.
☆ 何が～ても ( = Nani ga ~ temo)
Ex. 私達は、何があっても別れません。
= Watashitachi wa, nani ga atte mo wakaremasen.
= No matter what happens, we will never break up.
Ex. 何が起きても心配しないで。
= Nani ga okite mo shinpai shinaide.
= Whatever happens, do not worry.
☆ 何に～ても ( = nan ni ~ temo)
Ex. 彼女は何に対しても前向きだ。
= Kanojo wa nan ni taishite mo maemuki da.
= She is up for anything. (She is always positive and looking forward to doing anything.)
☆ 何 ( = nan) + counter + V て / で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
Ex. あの店の名前は長くて何回聞いても名前が覚えられない。
= Ano mise no namae wa nagakute nankai kiite mo namae ga oboerarenai.
= The name of the store (restaurant, bar) is too long. I can’t remember the name no matter how many times I hear.
Ex. 何度聞いても同じことしか答えられないです。
= Nando kiitemo onaji koto shika kotaerarenai desu.
= I can only give you the same answer no matter how many times you ask.
Ex. ３時から４時の間は、何個ケーキを食べても５００円です。
= Sanji kara yoji no aida wa, nanko keiki wo tabete mo gohyaku-en desu.
= No matter how many pieces of cake you eat, it costs 500 yen (in total) between three and four.
*************
☆ 誰 ( = dare) ＋ (particle) + V て / で ( = te / de) + も ( = mo)
* 誰に ( = dareni ) + V て / で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo)
Ex. 彼女は誰に対しても優しい
= Kanojo wa dare ni taishite mo yasashii.
= She is sweet to everybody. (no matter who you are.)
Ex. 誰に聞いても何も教えてくれない。
= Dare ni kiite mo nanimo oshiete kurenai.
= No matter who I ask, nobody tells me anything.
* 誰が ( = dare ga) + V て / で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo)
Ex 誰が (それを）やっても同じことだ。
= Dare ga (sore wo) yatte mo onaji koto da.
= It is the same thing no matter who does it.
Ex. 彼は、誰が言っても聞いてくれない
= kare wa dare ga itte mo kiite kurenai.
= No matter who asks him, he doesn’t listen to anybody.
* 誰が ( = dare ga) + noun + で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo)
Ex. 誰が親でも同じことをしただろう。
= Dare ga oya demo onaji koto wo shita darou.
= No matter who the parent is, they would do the same thing
* 誰を ( = dare wo) + V て / で ( = te / de) + も ( = mo)
Ex. 君が誰を好きでも構わない。
= Kimi ga dare wo suki demo kamawanai.
= I don’t care who you like.
*************
★ いつ ( = itsu) ＋ V て / で ( = te / de) + も ( = mo)
Ex. この店はいつ来ても満席だ。
= Kono mise wa itsu kite mo manseki da.
= Whenever I come, this place is full.
Ex. 彼女はいつ会ってもきれいにお化粧をしている。
= Kanojo wa itsu atte mo kirei ni okeshou wo shiteiru.
= Whenever I see her, she always wears make-up perfectly.
Ex. いつ電話をかけても誰も出ない。
= Itsu denwa wo kakete mo dare mo denai.
= Whenever I call them, nobody answers the phone.
*************
★ どこ ( = doko) ＋ (particle) + V て / で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
* どこに ( = doko ni) ＋ V て / で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo)
Ex. お盆はどこに行っても込んでいる。
= Obon wa doko ni itte mo konde iru.
= Wherever you go, it is crowded everywhere during the obon holidays.
Ex. どこにいても彼のことを考えてしまう。
= Doko ni itemo kare no koto wo kangaete shimau.
= Wherever I am, I can’t help thinking about him.
*どこで ( = dokode)＋ V て / で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo)
Ex. このスマホはどこで買っても同じ値段です。
= Kono sumaho wa doko de katte mo onaji nedan desu.
= This smartphone costs the same wherever you buy it.
or = This smartphone costs the same no matter where you buy it.
*************
★ いくら ( = ikura) + (noun+ particle) + V て / で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo): no matter how much/many
Ex. 息子は、いくら勉強しろといっても聞かない。
= Musuko wa, ikura benkyou shiro to itte mo kikanai.
= No matter how many times I tell my son to study, he never listens to me.
Ex. いくら考えても答えがわからない。
= Ikura kangaetetemo kotae ga wakaranai.
= No matter how much I think, I can’t get the answer.
Ex. いくら寝ても眠い。
= Ikura netemo nemui.
= No matter how much I sleep, I feel sleepy.
★ いくら ( = ikura)+ (noun+ particle) + Adjective て / で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
Ex. いくら安くても質が悪ければお金の無駄だ。
= Ikura yasuku temo shitsu wa warukereba okane no muda da.
= No matter how cheap it is, if the quality is bad, it is a waste of money.
Ex. いくら子供が可愛くてもあんなに甘やかしてはいけない。
= Ikura kodomo ga kawaiku temo anna ni amayakashite wa ikenai.
= No matter how much they love their child (how cute their child is) they shouldn’t spoil the child so much.*
(* The subject of this sentence changes depending on the context.)
*************
★どんなに（ = donnani) + ( noun+ particle) + V て / で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo) : no matter how
Ex. どんなにがんばっても彼にはかなわない。
= Donna ni ganbatte mo kare niwa kanawanai.
= No matter how much I try, I can’t beat him. ( I am nowhere near his level.)
Ex. どんなに彼女が好きでも彼女にその気がなければどうしようもない。
= Donna ni kanojo ga suki demo kanojo ni sono ki ga nakereba doushiyou mo nai.
= No matter how much I love her, I can’t do anything if she doesn’t have feelings for me.
Ex. どんなに遠く離れていても私達の心は離れない。
= Donna ni tooku hanarete ite mo watashitachi no kokoro wa hanarenai.
= No matter how far we are, our heart won’t break apart.
Ex. どんなにお金を持っていても愛がなければ心は満たされない。
= Donna ni okane wo motte ite mo ai ga nakereba kokoro wa mitasarenai.
= No matter how much money you have, if there is no love, your heart won’t be filled.
★ どんなに（ = donnani) + ( noun+ particle ) + Adjectiveて / で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
Ex. どんなに仕事がつまらなくてもボーナスをもらうまでがんばってみたら？
= Donnani shigoto ga tsumaranakute mo boonasu wo morau made ganbatte mitara?
= No matter how boring the work is, why don’t you put up with it until you get your bonus?
Ex. どんなに寂しくても絶対に泣かない。
= Donna ni samishikute mo zettai ni nakanai.
= No matter how lonely I get, I will never cry.
Ex. 父はどんなに疲れていても遊んでくれた。
= Chichi wa donna ni tsukarete ite mo asonde kureta.
= My father used to play with me no matter how tired he was.
Note: いくら ( = ikura) / どんなに ( = donnani ) ~ て / で ( = te / de)+ も ( = mo) are very similar.
Most of the time, they are interchangeable.
They both emphasize the amount or degrees of one’s action.
However, there are some cases that there is a light nuance difference between them.
* いくら ( = ikura)
→No matter how many times you do something, it doesn’t affect the result. Focusing on the number of doing something.
* どんなに ( = donnani)
→No matter how you do something, it doesn’t affect the result. Emphasizing the ways of doing something/variety of methods.
Ex. A: 彼は彼女とどうやって知り合ったか、いくら聞いても教えてくれない。
= Kare wa kanojo to douyatte shiriatta ka, ikura kiite mo oshiete kurenai.
= He doesn’t tell me how he got to know her no matter how many times I ask him.
Ex. B: 彼は彼女とどうやって知り合ったか、どんなに聞いても教えてくれない。
= Kare wa kanojo to douyatte shiriatta ka, donnani kiite mo oshiete kurenai.
= He doesn’t tell me how he met her no matter how many times I ask.
*************
One more expression that is similar to どんなに ( = donnani ) and いくら ( = ikura) is どれだけ ( = dore dake)
★ どれだけ ( = doredake) + (noun+ particle) + V て / で ( = te / de) + も ( = mo) : no matter how much
どれだけ ( = doredake) also focuses on amount or degree of actions.
Ex. ビールならどれだけ飲んでも酔わない。
= Biiru nara doredake nondemo yowanai.
= I don’t get drunk no matter how much I drink.
Ex. ここのラーメンは美味しくてどれだけでも食べられる。
=Koko no no raamen wa oishikute doredake demo taberareru.
= The ramen of this place is so good that I can’t get enough of it!
Ex. どれだけ食べても太らないからいいね。
= Doredake tabetemo futoranai kara iine.
= I envy you because no matter how much you eat, you never gain weight.
★ どれだけ ( = doredake) + (noun+ particle) + adjectiveて/で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
Ex. 今がどれだけきれいでも、１０年後はわからない。
= Ima ga doredake kirei demo, juunengo wa wakaranai.
= No matter how beautiful she is now, who knows what she’ll like in 10 years.
Ex. 人にどれだけ愛されていても、自分を愛していない人は幸せになれない。
= Hito ni doredake aisarete itemo, jibun wo aishite inai hito wa shiawase ni narenai.
= No matter how much you are loved, you can’t be happy if you don’t love yourself.
Note: All these example sentences with いくら ( = ikura), どんなに ( = donnani), and どれだけ ( = doredake) can be interchangeable.
*************
★どの ( = dono) + noun +( verb +) て/で ( = te / de)+ も( = mo)
Ex. どのチェーン店へ行ってもこのクーポンがもらえます。
= Dono cheenten e itte mo kono kuupon ga moraemasu.
= Regardless of which chain store you go to, you get this coupon.
Ex. どのような生き方でもいいから自分に自信を持とう。
= Donoyouna ikikata demo ii kara jibun ni jishin wo motou.
= It doesn’t matter how you live, you should have confidence in yourself.
Ex. どの学校にいっても日本語の俗語を教えてくれない。
= Dono gakkou ni itte mo nihongo no zokugo wo oshiete kurenai.
= No matter which school you go to, they won’t teach you Japanese slang.
マギー先生より = Maggie sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
ありがとう、Taquito先生！
= Arigatou, Taquito Sensei!
= Thank you, Taquito Sensei!
素敵なタイプライターでお仕事してるね。
= Sutekina taipuraitaa de oshigoto shiterune.
= You work with a cool typewriter, don’t you?
私は、何を食べても太ってたわ。
=Watashi wa nani wo tabete mo futotteta wa.
= I used to gain weight no matter what I ate.
***
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11 Comments
Hello! A saying I’ve heard recently that I don’t fully understand is いくらなんでも. Would you mind elaborating on that a little? Thank you!
Hello Kato,
いくらなんでも means “Whatever circumstances might be” and you say that to emphasize your feelings of disbelief (usually negative)
For example, A did something mean to B. B got angry and did something horrible to A in revenge.
You what happened between A and B and B’s feelings. Still, you think B is going too far, then you say to B,
いくらなんでもひどすぎる。
いくらなんでもやりすぎだ。
You are going too far.
Fantastically detailed post – I came to find out about どんな…ても and found all of these other really useful expressions. Many thanks!
Hi Peter,
I’m happy to hear that! :)
I have problems to fully understand どんなに used in this particular expression with ても because I relate どんな with “way, method, manner” because of the よう abbreviated in the expression, but the english equivalent requieres “how much” which I think it is not implied in どんなに. Could it be that どんなに is implying the manner in which you do somehting, “it doesn’t matter how you do it” instead of “how much you do it”?
If you could help me get a better understanding of this I would appreaciate it.
Thanks for the lesson.
@Austt
Right. どんな solely means “what kind of” but
どんなに+Verb/Adjective+ても／でも〜= No matter how much you do / how +adjective it/Subject is ~
素晴らしいレッセンですね！でもの使い方と意味がちょっと難しいと思っています。マーギー先生の説明は本当に詳しくて、ありがとうございます！ boucingheart!
@チャン
コメントありがとう、チャン！使い方、ぜひ、練習してくださいね。
Hello Sensei! I’m glad the site is healthy again! :-D
I have a question
Through the lesson, the sentence “誰に聞いても何も教えてくれない。” is translated as “No matter who I ask, nobody tells me anything.”
Could it also mean “No matter who you ask, noone will tell you” ? As a warning or in a sarcastic manner.
Thanks you for the awesome lesson! :) :-P
Thank you so much, I love all your lessons! They are so fun and easy to understand, so many great examples. Everytime my textbook confuses me I come to your site & things start to make sense. Thank you!
@Kathy
Hi Kathy,
Thank you so much for your nice comment!
Kathyのメッセージを読(よ）んでとってもうれしかったです！ありがとう！