873 - にしても～にしても
JLPT N3: にしても～にしても (whether [it's]... or...; from... to...)
Consider the following English sentences:
- From strawberries to melons, fruits in Japan are nice and sweet, aren’t they?
- You can take online lessons for anything nowadays, whether it’s English, or piano, or cooking.
- Whether you’re going by bicycle or going by motorcycle, be careful.
- Whether or not you will be attending, please contact us [me] by tomorrow.
In each of the above sentences, we are using phrases like "whether... or..." and "from... to..." to list examples that support some kind of statement.
For example, "strawberries" and "melons" are examples of "fruits in Japan are nice and sweet." "English," "piano," and "cooking" are examples of "You can take online lessons for anything nowadays." "Going by bicycle" and "going by motorcycle" are examples of when you should "be careful."
In Japanese, we can use the phrase にしても when listing examples that support a statement in this way:
- From strawberries to melons, fruits in Japan are nice and sweet, aren’t they?
→ strawberries にしても melons にしても, fruits in Japan are nice and sweet, aren’t they?
- You can take online lessons for anything nowadays, whether it’s English, or piano, or cooking.
→ You can take online lessons for anything nowadays, English にしても, piano にしても, cooking にしても.
- Whether you’re going by bicycle or going by motorcycle, be careful.
→ you’re going by bicycle にしても going by motorcycle にしても, be careful.
- Whether or not you will be attending, please contact us [me] by tomorrow.
→ you will be attending にしても, will not be attending にしても, please contact us [me] by tomorrow.
↑ That's the entirety of what we're studying in this lesson.
All that's left now is to look at sentences that are 100% Japanese...
🏙 Example City 🏙
In the examples below, note that にしても～にしても is used in one of two patterns:
V る ＋ にしても、＋ V る ＋ にしても...
NOUN ＋ にしても、＋ NOUN ＋ にしても...
In theory, I guess you could also have something like:
V る ＋ にしても、＋ NOUN ＋ にしても...
...but that would be less common.
Anyway...
イチゴにしてもメロンにしても、日本の果物はどれも甘くておいしいですね。
イチゴ にしても メロン にしても、 にほん の くだもの は どれも あまくて おいしい です ね。
From strawberries to melons, fruits in Japan are nice and sweet, aren’t they?
Literally: “strawberry + にしても + melon + にしても, + Japan + の + fruit + は + all / every (=which + も) + sweet (and) + tasty + です + ね.”
英語にしてもピアノにしても料理にしても、今はオンラインでレッスンが受けられる。
えいご にしても ピアノ にしても りょうり にしても、 いま は オンライン で レッスン が うけられる。
You can take online lessons for anything nowadays, whether it’s English, or piano, or cooking.
Literally: “English + にしても + piano + にしても + cooking + にしても, + now + は + online + で + lesson + が + can take / can receive.”
自転車で行くにしてもバイクで行くにしても、十分気を付けなさい。
じてんしゃ で いく にしても バイク で いく にしても、 じゅうぶん きをつけなさい。
Whether you’re going by bicycle or going by motorcycle, be careful.
Literally: “bicycle + で + go + にしても + (motor)bike / motorcycle + で + go + にしても, + plenty / enough + be careful (=[command]).”
出席するにしても欠席するにしても、明日までに連絡をください。
しゅっせき する にしても けっせき する にしても、 あした まで に れんらく を ください。
Whether or not you will be attending, please contact us [me] by tomorrow.
Literally: “attendance + do + にしても + absence + do + にしても, + tomorrow + until + に + contacting + を + please.”
↑ See that very last example? Rather than give a couple of examples among many possibilities, it is giving two contrasting options, "attending" or "not attending."
にしても～にしても can be used in this way, as well. It's different than something like the first sentence, for example, in which there are many other fruits that could have been listed aside from "strawberries" and "melons."
That's all for this one!
By the way, the patterns「にしろ～にしろ」and「にせよ～にせよ」are very similar to what we're seeing in this lesson. We'll cover each of those in N2 lessons.
Complete and Continue
Consider the following English sentences:
- From strawberries to melons, fruits in Japan are nice and sweet, aren’t they?
- You can take online lessons for anything nowadays, whether it’s English, or piano, or cooking.
- Whether you’re going by bicycle or going by motorcycle, be careful.
- Whether or not you will be attending, please contact us [me] by tomorrow.
In each of the above sentences, we are using phrases like "whether... or..." and "from... to..." to list examples that support some kind of statement.
For example, "strawberries" and "melons" are examples of "fruits in Japan are nice and sweet." "English," "piano," and "cooking" are examples of "You can take online lessons for anything nowadays." "Going by bicycle" and "going by motorcycle" are examples of when you should "be careful."
In Japanese, we can use the phrase にしても when listing examples that support a statement in this way:
- From strawberries to melons, fruits in Japan are nice and sweet, aren’t they?
→ strawberries にしても melons にしても, fruits in Japan are nice and sweet, aren’t they?
- You can take online lessons for anything nowadays, whether it’s English, or piano, or cooking.
→ You can take online lessons for anything nowadays, English にしても, piano にしても, cooking にしても.
- Whether you’re going by bicycle or going by motorcycle, be careful.
→ you’re going by bicycle にしても going by motorcycle にしても, be careful.
- Whether or not you will be attending, please contact us [me] by tomorrow.
→ you will be attending にしても, will not be attending にしても, please contact us [me] by tomorrow.
↑ That's the entirety of what we're studying in this lesson.
All that's left now is to look at sentences that are 100% Japanese...
🏙 Example City 🏙
In the examples below, note that にしても～にしても is used in one of two patterns:
V る ＋ にしても、＋ V る ＋ にしても...
NOUN ＋ にしても、＋ NOUN ＋ にしても...
In theory, I guess you could also have something like:
V る ＋ にしても、＋ NOUN ＋ にしても...
...but that would be less common.
Anyway...
イチゴにしてもメロンにしても、日本の果物はどれも甘くておいしいですね。
イチゴ にしても メロン にしても、 にほん の くだもの は どれも あまくて おいしい です ね。
From strawberries to melons, fruits in Japan are nice and sweet, aren’t they?
Literally: “strawberry + にしても + melon + にしても, + Japan + の + fruit + は + all / every (=which + も) + sweet (and) + tasty + です + ね.”
英語にしてもピアノにしても料理にしても、今はオンラインでレッスンが受けられる。
えいご にしても ピアノ にしても りょうり にしても、 いま は オンライン で レッスン が うけられる。
You can take online lessons for anything nowadays, whether it’s English, or piano, or cooking.
Literally: “English + にしても + piano + にしても + cooking + にしても, + now + は + online + で + lesson + が + can take / can receive.”
自転車で行くにしてもバイクで行くにしても、十分気を付けなさい。
じてんしゃ で いく にしても バイク で いく にしても、 じゅうぶん きをつけなさい。
Whether you’re going by bicycle or going by motorcycle, be careful.
Literally: “bicycle + で + go + にしても + (motor)bike / motorcycle + で + go + にしても, + plenty / enough + be careful (=[command]).”
出席するにしても欠席するにしても、明日までに連絡をください。
しゅっせき する にしても けっせき する にしても、 あした まで に れんらく を ください。
Whether or not you will be attending, please contact us [me] by tomorrow.
Literally: “attendance + do + にしても + absence + do + にしても, + tomorrow + until + に + contacting + を + please.”
↑ See that very last example? Rather than give a couple of examples among many possibilities, it is giving two contrasting options, "attending" or "not attending."
にしても～にしても can be used in this way, as well. It's different than something like the first sentence, for example, in which there are many other fruits that could have been listed aside from "strawberries" and "melons."
That's all for this one!
By the way, the patterns「にしろ～にしろ」and「にせよ～にせよ」are very similar to what we're seeing in this lesson. We'll cover each of those in N2 lessons.
0 comments