connective N1 uncommon casualwritten
〜たら〜たで — even if/when ~ turns out, that brings its own issue
〜たら〜たで ・ たらたで
Builds on た形
Meaning
- even once/if ~ turns out that way, that brings its own issue (and it's fine in its way) — whichever way it goes, there's a catch; resigned tone
Key sentence
お金は、ないと困るが、あったらあったで悩みが増える。
Not having money is a problem, but if you have it, then having it just brings more worries.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb / adjective in た-form, repeated across たら … たで | V／adj たら + 同語のた形 + で |
Examples
子供が大きくなったらなったで、心配は尽きない。
Once the kids grow up, then with them grown up the worries still never end.
試験が終わったら終わったで、今度は結果が気になる。
Once the exam is over, then with it over I start fretting about the results.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Resigned acceptance — neither option is trouble-free. A 〜ば〜で variant exists (あればあったで).
See 〜たら〜たで in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜たら〜たで 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. Editorial confidence: medium.