connective N2 uncommon casualwritten
まだしも — ~ would be one thing (acceptable), but
まだしも
Meaning
- ~ would be one thing (and tolerable), but ~ / if it were just ~, fine, but — grants that a lesser case would be passable, throwing the unacceptable case into relief
Key sentence
子供ならまだしも、大人がそんなことを言うとは。
If it were a child it'd be one thing, but for an adult to say such a thing…
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The tolerable case, usually marked with なら / だけ | [tolerable case]ならまだしも、[worse case] / 〜だけならまだしも | 一回ならまだしも / 安ければまだしも |
When: Spoken or written; concedes a lesser case as just-acceptable in order to stress that the actual case is not.
Examples
一回ならまだしも、毎回遅刻するのは困る。
Once would be one thing, but being late every time is a problem.
安ければまだしも、高いうえに品質も悪い。
If it were cheap that'd be one thing, but it's expensive and poor quality on top of that.
Notes
- Most often appears as 〜ならまだしも 'if it were ~, fine, but'. The conceded case is the *milder* one; the clause after it is always the worse, complaint-worthy situation.
See まだしも in real sentences
Jengo shows まだしも the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.