Unlike in English, “even if” statements in Japanese take a completely different construction from regular “if” statements. Just like in “if” statements, particles are what make “even if” statements in Japanese.
ても, とも
ても is the standard conjunctive particle for “even if”.
- このジャケットは濡れても保温性を失わない -> This jacket won’t lose its insulating property even if/when it gets wet
Note that many ても statements in Japanese, especially ても良い, won’t be translated in English using “even if”:
- これ食べても良い？ -> It is OK even if I eat this? Can I eat this?
とも can be used the same way with ても, but it is literary and requires different preceding words and forms.
- それはしなくても良い
- それはせずとも良い
- It is OK even if you don’t that. You don’t have to do that
- この電話は壊れても売れる
- この電話は壊れようとも売れる
- This phone can be sold even when it is broken
たって, ところで, が
たって, ところで, が are only used as “it is meaningless, it doesn’t matter, even if …”. たって is colloquial, が is literary and somewhat dismissive.
- 今更後悔したってもう遅い -> It is too late even if you regret now
しても
ても is often used as ～にしても, ～としても = “even if assuming”. (に/と+連用形 of する+ても). しても has much higher contrast of “A even if B” than regular ても/とも sentences, and not used as “it is OK if …”
- 私は最後の一人になったとしても戦い続ける -> I will fight on even if I become the last one left
- 今日は牛乳は買わなくても良い -> I don’t have to buy milk today
今日は牛乳は買わないとしても良い
たとえ, 仮に
たとえ and 仮に are a lot more hypothetical than もし. However, as long as ても is used, you can use もし. The below examples are both perfectly correct, even though the one with たとえ is more hypothetical than the one with もし, as implying “I don’t believe he is telling the truth”.
- たとえ彼の言っている事が本当だとしても、信じる人はいないだろう
- もし彼の言っている事が本当だとしても、信じる人はいないだろう
- Even if what he is saying is true, nobody would believe it