conditional N3 common casualpolitewritten
いくら〜ても — no matter how (much) ~
いくら〜ても
Builds on 〜ても
Meaning
- no matter how much ~ / however ~ — stresses amount or repeated effort, with no change in the result
Key sentence
いくら考えても、答えが分からない。
No matter how much I think, I can't figure out the answer.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| いくら + Verb / adjective (て-form + も) | いくら + V-ても / A-くても | いくら呼んでも / いくら高くても |
Examples
いくら待っても、彼は来なかった。
No matter how long I waited, he didn't come.
いくらお金があっても、健康は買えない。
However much money you have, you can't buy health.
Easily confused with
どんなに〜ても いくら stresses quantity or repeated effort ('however much you ~'); どんなに stresses degree or manner ('however [hard/much]'). Often interchangeable, with いくら leaning toward amounts. 〜ても Bare 〜ても concedes a single case ('even if ~'). Adding いくら up front generalises it to 'no matter how much,' covering every degree.
See いくら〜ても in real sentences
Jengo shows いくら〜ても the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo