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JLPT N2Spoken and writtenGranting a point

としても・にしても・にしろ・にせよeven if; granting that

You grant a point and say it changes nothing. としても supposes it, and にしても mostly takes it as so; にしろ sounds firmer than にしても, and にせよ is mostly written.

としても

Plain form + としても

A noun or a な-adjective keeps だ: 本ほん当とうだとしても. 仮かりに or たとえ often opens the sentence.

にしても・にしろ・にせよ

Plain form/noun + にしても

A noun or a な-adjective goes straight on, with no だ: 冗じょう談だんにしても, 無む理りにしても.

としても or にしても?

Even supposing he is busy, he should at least be able to phone.

Maybe he is busy, maybe not. Suppose he is.

Granted he is busy, he should at least be able to phone.

You accept that he is busy. Even so.

としても supposes, and leaves open whether it is so. にしても mostly grants something you take to be so.

In everyday talk plain ても says either: 忙いそがしくても、電でん話わくらいはできるはずだ.

としても: even supposing

What you suppose may be unlikely, or plainly untrue. Where としたら (supposing) goes on to what would follow, としても goes on to what stays the same.

にしても: granted, but even so

It grants a fact (you were in a hurry) or a plan still open (a day trip). What follows is mostly your own verdict, and often a complaint. いくら in front makes it "however much".

にしろ and にせよ

にしろ is met in writing, in formal speech, and in everyday talk when someone is being firm. Both turn up in exam reading.

Two set phrases

いずれにしてもN2

"Either way", "in any case". Casually どっちにしても; in writing いずれにせよ.

それにしてもN2

"Even so", "still": you grant what was just said, and this is still more than you expected.

Close neighbours

Noun + としてもN3

After a bare noun, としても is usually として and も: "as … too".

Person + にしてもN2

After a person or a group, にしても can be "for … too": how it looks from where they stand.

Check yourself

1Which one fits?

たとえ給きゅう料りょうが二に倍ばいになる(  )、あの会かい社しゃには戻もどらない。

Choose an answer to see why.

2Which one fits?

うそ(  )、信しんじたい。

Choose an answer to see why.

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