connective N4 common casualpolitewritten
それでも — even so
それでも
Meaning
- even so / nevertheless / still — concedes the previous statement, then states something that holds in spite of it
Key sentence
大雨だった。それでも試合は行われた。
It was pouring. Even so, the match went ahead.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sentence-initial | [fact]。それでも [contrary outcome]。 | 失敗した。それでも諦めない |
Examples
みんなに反対された。それでも彼は挑戦した。
Everyone was against it. He took on the challenge anyway.
給料は安い。それでもこの仕事が好きだ。
The pay is low. Still, I love this job.
When you can't use it
- それでも sets up a *contrast* with the prior statement, the opposite of それで's cause→result. Swapping them reverses the logic (それで試合は中止した = 'so it was called off'; それでも試合は行われた = 'it went ahead anyway').
Easily confused with
See それでも in real sentences
Jengo shows それでも the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.