Ch 31 · Lesson 17Mandarin · Chapter 31 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
哪怕 and 尽管: even at the extreme, and despite
，: the emphatic even if. is a formal although, and before a verb it means feel free: .
The short version
，。Nǎpà zhǐyǒu yí kuài qián, wǒ yě yào huángěi nǐ.
Why?Hide
(nǎpà) means 'even if', with feeling. It suits promises and vows, often with an extreme or a tiny amount, and takes (yě) like (jíshǐ): (nǎpà nǐ mà wǒ), (wǒ yě bù zǒu), shout at me if you like, I'm not leaving.
。Yǒu wèntí jǐnguǎn wèn wǒ.
Why?Hide
(jǐnguǎn) concedes a fact like (suīrán), a little more formally: (jǐnguǎn hěn lěng), (tā háishi qù pǎobù le), despite the cold, he went running. Straight before a verb, with nothing conceded, it means 'feel free to'.
哪怕 (nǎpà): even at the extreme
(nǎpà) is the emphatic "even if". It suits promises and vows, often with an extreme or a tiny amount, and it takes the same (yě):
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Nǎpà zhǐyǒu yí kuài qián, wǒ yě yào huángěi nǐ. | Even if it's only one yuan, I'll pay you back |
，。 | Nǎpà nǐ mà wǒ, wǒ yě bù zǒu. | Shout at me if you like, I'm not leaving |
，。 | Nǎpà zài máng, tā yě měitiān gěi māma dǎ diànhuà. | However busy, he rings his mum every day |
In the last row, (zài) + an adjective means "however": (nǎpà zài máng), however busy he is.
尽管 (jǐnguǎn): although, or feel free
(jǐnguǎn) concedes a fact, like (suīrán), and sounds a little more formal: "despite", "although". It takes (háishi), (dànshì), or in writing (réngrán):
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Jǐnguǎn tiānqì hěn lěng, tā háishi qù pǎobù le. | Despite the cold, he still went running |
，。 | Jǐnguǎn hěn máng, tā háishi měitiān zuòfàn. | Busy as he is, he cooks every day |
。 | Yǒu wèntí jǐnguǎn wèn wǒ. | Any questions, just ask me |
The last row is (jǐnguǎn)'s other job: straight before a verb, with no concession anywhere, it means "feel free to". Where sits among the written connectives is on formal connectives.
Plain "even": 连 (lián)…都 (dōu) and 甚至 (shènzhì)
When English "even" picks out one surprising thing, with no clause to concede, Mandarin uses (lián)… (dōu), or the adverb (shènzhì):
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Lián lǎoshī dōu xiào le. | Even the teacher laughed |
，。 | Tā hěn máng, shènzhì méi shíjiān chīfàn. | He's so busy he doesn't even have time to eat |
The whole (lián) construction is on 连…都 emphasis.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
，。 | ，。 | (jíshǐ) takes (yě), not (jiù) |
，。 | ，。 | yesterday's rain is a fact: (suīrán) |
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