Even with 〜だって

Grammar: Emphasis

Usage Notes

Noun ＋ だって is spoken and casual. In writing and polite speech, でも carries “even” and も carries “too”. だって sounds stronger than でも, and in conversation it often has an edge. 私(わたし)だって is the classic comeback of someone who feels left out or underestimated.

だって replaces は, が, and を. Other particles stay in front of it, as in 子供(こども)にだって, 電車(でんしゃ)でだって, and 今(いま)からだって.

Formation

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1. Noun ＋ だって (even)
   • 先生(せんせい)だって間違(まちが)えることはある
   • "Even teachers make mistakes sometimes."
2. Noun ＋ だって (too)
   • 私(わたし)だって行(い)きたい
   • "I want to go too!"
3. Noun ＋ particle ＋ だって
   • 子供(こども)にだってできる
   • "Even a kid could do it."
   • Note: に, で, と, から, and まで stay in front of だって.
4. Time word ＋ だって
   • 今(いま)だって好(す)きだよ
   • "I love you even now."
5. Noun ＋ だって ＋ noun ＋ だって
   • 犬(いぬ)だって猫(ねこ)だって好(す)きだよ
   • "I like dogs and cats alike."

Saying “Even” with だって

After a noun, だって picks out the least likely member of a group. If even that one fits, everyone else does too.

As he performs one trick after another, Kaito says he’s unbeatable at magic. Aoko says he can’t win against Kaitou Kid, the magic-using thief her police father has yet to apprehend. Kaito disregards the claim and continues disrupting class with his tricks.

青子(あおこ):

「なによ、かっこつけちゃって…　勝(か)てっこないじゃない……」

“What's with all that showing off? There's no way he can win.”

「お父(とう)さんだって、手(て)を焼(や)いてるんだから」

“Even Dad is having a hard time of it.”

View Full Example

Kaito has been showing off in class, claiming nobody can beat him at magic. Aoko knows someone he can’t beat. Kaitou Kid is a magician thief, and her father, a police inspector, has never caught him. お父(とう)さんだって means “even Dad”. 手(て)を焼(や)く means having your hands full with someone. If a professional is struggling, a high school show-off has no chance.

Saying “Too” with だって

だって can also mean “too”, like も with more push behind it. It often answers someone who left the speaker out or doubted them.

Mina buys a can of coffee, even though she’s bad at bitter drinks. When her friends question her, she says she’s grown up a bit and should be able to drink it.

サナエ:

「どのへんが大人(おとな)になったのよ。」

“What part of you has grown up?”

ミナ:

「私(わたし)だっていろいろ成長(せいちょう)してるの！」

“I've grown in lots of ways!”

View Full Example

Mina has bought a can of coffee even though she can’t handle bitter drinks. She says she’s grown up enough to drink it now, and Sanae asks which part of her grew up. 私(わたし)だって works like an insistent も. Other people grow up, and Mina has too. It’s the “me too” of someone tired of being underestimated.

私(わたし)も成長(せいちょう)してる would only add Mina to the list. 私(わたし)だって argues the point.

Raising the Stakes with だって

With a time or an amount, だって stretches it further than anyone would expect.

During a group study session, Chino finds Syaro a much better teacher than Cocoa.

シャロ:

「うれしいっ」

“I'm so happy!”

「チノちゃんみたいな妹(いもうと)がいたら毎日(まいにち)だって教(おし)えるのに」

“If I had a little sister like Chino, I'd teach her (homework material) every day.”

View Full Example

Chino has decided that Syaro is a much better tutor than Cocoa, and Syaro is thrilled. With a little sister like Chino, she says, she’d teach 毎日(まいにち)だって, “even every day”. Teaching once in a while would be easy. Syaro would happily do it every day.

今(いま)だって, “even now”, works the same way. 今(いま)だって好(す)きだよ is “I still love you, even now”.

Keeping the Particle Before だって

だって takes the place of は, が, and を. Other particles stay, and だって follows them.

• 子供(こども)にだってできる。

• Even a kid could do it.

• 今(いま)からだって間(ま)に合(あ)うよ。
• You can still make it, even starting now.

Listing Two with 〜だって〜だって

Two nouns with だって each mean “both alike”. The speaker treats them the same.

• 犬(いぬ)だって猫(ねこ)だって好(す)きだよ。

• I like dogs and cats alike.

• 男(おとこ)だって女(おんな)だって関係(かんけい)ない。
• Man or woman, it doesn’t matter.

Telling “Even” from a Quote

At the end of a sentence, Noun ＋ だって is usually something else. A sentence ending in だ, quoted with って, reports what someone said. Quoting and reporting with と and って covers that use.

• 先生(せんせい)だって知(し)らないよ。

• Even the teacher doesn’t know.

• 犯人(はんにん)は先生(せんせい)だって。
• They say the culprit is the teacher.

When more of the sentence follows だって, it means “even”. When the sentence stops there, it’s usually a quote.

Comparing だって with も and でも

も and でも cover the same ground in a neutral tone.

• 私(わたし)も行(い)きたい。

• I want to go too.

• 私(わたし)だって行(い)きたい。
• I want to go too!

The も line just adds the speaker. The だって line pushes back, as if someone planned to leave the speaker behind.

• 子供(こども)でもわかる。

• Even a child can understand it.

• 子供(こども)だってわかる。
• Even a kid gets it.

Both mean “even”. でも works in writing and in polite speech. だって is casual and louder.

Further Reading

• だって, Bunpro (bunpro.jp)
• だって, デジタル大辞泉 via Weblio (www.weblio.jp)

Related Grammar

• That said with だって
  • At the start of a sentence, だって gives a reason or an excuse. The spelling is the same, but the job is different.
• Anyone and always with 誰だって and いつだって
  • After a question word, だって means "any" instead of "even".
• Even if with 〜たって
  • After a verb or adjective, たって and だって mean "even if". With a noun the two meet, as in 雨(あめ)だって行(い)く, "I'll go even if it rains".
• Marking the topic with は and も
  • も adds "too" without the push. 私(わたし)も行(い)きたい is a plain "me too".
• Offering an example with 〜でも
  • This でも means "or something", as in お茶(ちゃ)でも飲(の)もう. だって can't replace it.
• Quoting and reporting with と and って
  • At the end of a sentence, Noun ＋ だって is usually a quote, "they say it's ...".
• Grammar in the Kansai dialect
  • Kansai speech uses かて, as in 子供(こども)かて.