- Nuance Ninja
も Particles, も Problems, Part III
NikoAs you've likely realized by now, we won't always have the word "even" in our translations of sentences with ～ても and ～でも. In fact, you'll run into a wide variety of meanings and translations, depending on the situation.
For example, look at what happens when we attach でも to question words (and compare it to what happens when も attaches to question words):
何 → 何も → 何でも
なに → なにも → なんでも
what → nothing → anything; whatever
誰 → 誰も → 誰でも
だれ → だれも → だれでも
who → nobody → anyone; whoever
どこ → どこも → どこでも
where → nowhere → anywhere; wherever
いつ → いつも → いつでも
when → always → anytime; whenever
Some sentences, of course...
なんでも聞いて。
なんでも きいて。
Ask me anything.
そんなの誰でも知ってるよ。
そんな の だれでも しってる よ。
Everyone knows that (kind of thing).
Hopefully you noticed that そんな, an adjective, is becoming a noun thanks to the の coming after it, which we discussed in this lesson.
You may find it interesting that Japanese people often have trouble differentiating the usage of English words like "anyone" and "everyone."
A:
どこ行く？
どこ いく？
Where do you wanna go?
B:
どこでもいいよ。
どこでも いい よ。
Anywhere is fine (with me).
どこでも買えるよ。
どこでも かえる よ。
You can buy them anywhere.
いつでも連絡して。
いつでも れんらく して。
Call me anytime. // Contact me whenever (you want to).
What do you think? Making sense? It doesn't really matter much if not. I'll beat you over the head with this stuff.
Hey, let's take a...
🚙 Detour! 🚙
Since we're talking about question words, I'd also like to mention いくら (how much), which is a particularly useful word for shopping in Japan:
これはいくらですか？
これ は いくら です か？
How much is this?
Can you guess what happens when we put でも after いくら? That would give us…
いくら → いくらでも
how much → any amount; no matter how much
Let's say you're begging your friend to sell you something, perhaps a collectible that you're obsessed with. Your friend is reluctant to part with this item, though. Eventually you break down and say:
売ってくれよ。いくらでも払うから。
うって くれ よ。 いくらでも はらう から。
Sell it to me. I'll pay anything for it.
Ending a request with「～てくれ」makes it sound like a command. A more polite request would end with「～てくれる？」、「～てください」、etc.
By the way, we can also put question words before an adjective, noun, or verb with the ～ても ending, like so:
いくら安くても、ジャンクフードは買いません。
いくら やすくても、 ジャンクフード は かいません。
It doesn't matter how cheap it is, I don't buy junk food.
Cool, huh?
Or maybe the word I'm looking for is "confusing."
Meh, whatever. ^_^
Hey, let's take a...
🚙 Second Detour! 🚙
Once, long ago, I was at a party in Tokyo. If I remember correctly, it was a coworker's birthday party in 飯田橋 (いいだばし // Iidabashi).
I was still a student back then, and I met this coworker teaching at an English conversation cafe (where all you do is chat in English but not teach).
Anyway, I was speaking Japanese with her and some friends. I made a joke about something, which I probably half-mumbled, and she asked, "What?"
I proceeded to incorrectly say:
何もない。
なにも ない。
There's nothing.
She quickly corrected me, letting me know that it should be:
何でもない。
なんでも ない。
It's nothing. // Nothing. // Never mind.
Like most embarrassing mistakes, I never forgot it. *_*
Niko
