connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
いくら〜でも — no matter how much / いくらでも any amount
いくら〜でも ・ いくらでも
Builds on て形
Meaning
① いくら〜でも — no matter how much: no matter how much / even if ~ (to any degree) — the でも-allomorph concessive, used after nouns and na-adjectives
② いくらでも — any amount: as much as you like / any amount / however many — fused いくらでも meaning an unlimited quantity
Two related uses share the surface. With a clause, いくら〜でも is the concessive 'no matter how much' — でも is just the form 〜ても takes after nouns and na-adjectives (子供でも, 便利でも). Fused as いくらでも it instead answers 'how much?' with 'any amount, without limit'. Context and whether a clause follows tell them apart.
Key sentence
① いくら〜でも — no matter how much
いくら子供でも、それは許されない。
No matter that he's a child, that can't be allowed.
② いくらでも — any amount
時間ならいくらでもある。
If it's time you need, I have all the time in the world.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| いくら + N/na-adj + でも; or fused いくらでも | いくら + Nでも / いくらでも | いくら有名でも / いくらでもどうぞ |
Examples
① いくら〜でも — no matter how much
いくら便利でも、高すぎる。
However convenient it is, it's too expensive.
いくらお金持ちでも、幸せとは限らない。
No matter how rich you are, that doesn't mean you're happy.
② いくらでも — any amount
好きなだけ、いくらでも食べていいよ。
Eat as much as you like, however much.
代わりはいくらでもいる。
There are any number of replacements.
Easily confused with
See いくら〜でも in real sentences
Jengo shows いくら〜でも the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo