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JLPT N4Conjunctions

それでも— Even so / Nevertheless / Still

A sentence-initial conjunction meaning 'even so / despite that.' It signals that, despite the situation just mentioned, the following result or feeling still holds or runs counter to expectation.

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Pro lessonUNIT 57 · CONJUNCTIONS

Structure · 形

[Context]. それでも + [contrasting action/feeling]

Examples · 例文

  • 雨が降っている。それでも彼は来た。

    Ame ga futte iru. Soredemo kare wa kita.

    It's raining. Even so, he came.

    それでも = despite that (the rain)

  • 失敗した。それでも、諦めない。

    Shippai shita. Soredemo, akiramenai.

    I failed. Even so, I won't give up.

    persistence despite adversity

  • 値段が高い。それでも買いたい。

    Nedan ga takai. Soredemo kaitai.

    The price is high. Even so, I want to buy it.

    desire persists despite the obstacle

Usage notes · 注意

  • それでも vs でも: both mean 'but / even so.' それでも is more emphatic, explicitly pointing back at the stated situation (それ = that); でも is more casual and general.
  • Register ladder: しかし (formal 'but'), でも (casual 'but'), それでも ('even so, despite that'), とはいえ ('that said,' more literary).

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones それでも is tested against.

vsでも

でも is a broad, casual 'but.' それでも specifically means 'even after accepting that fact, still…,' referring concretely to the prior statement.

vsのに

のに joins two clauses in one sentence with a tone of complaint/surprise ('even though'). それでも starts a new sentence and states the contrasting result more neutrally.

More conjunctions

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