それでも (sore demo) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Still

それでも (sore demo) means even so, nevertheless, but, still, even then.

それでも is translated in different ways depending on the sentence and context.
It is formed by the pronoun それ and the particle でも.

We can find it at the beginning of a sentence or between two sentences.

In this post we are going to analyse それでも and also それでもいい, a very colloquially used structure in Japanese.

How それでも is formed

それ meaning that belongs to the こそあど series, the series of Japanese adjectives, pronouns and demonstrative adverbs and でも is an adverbial particle meaning even that.

We can also find それでも at the beginning of the sentence:

From a French film whose original title is "Un beau matin"(2022). Here is the literal translation.

How and when to use それでも

それでも is used in Japanese to express a situation of contrast or contradiction. It is usually used to communicate that something happens or remains in the same condition despite our intentions, factors, or efforts to change the situation.

Meaning ⇨ I know that I have very little chance of succeeding in what I do, yet I don't give up and do the action anyway.

Meaning ⇨ I got lost, I looked carefully at the map and so I should have found the right way now and yet I still don't understand.

A synonym for それでも can be represented by the structure そうであっても, even so.

Meaning ⇨ I knew Ako was busy, so I didn't expect her to help me, but she did.

それでもいい expressing "it's fine", "it's ok"

それでも combined with the Adjective いい fine, good, forms a new expression used in a colloquial context particularly.

It meansthat's fine too. It expresses the idea that, despite what is being expressed, the situation is still acceptable.

Informal way:

A more polite way to ask:

...

Other examples of それでも

Title of a popular Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sōichirō Yamamoto:

"I told him not to come, but he came anyway."

There now follows a 'challenge' in terms of kanji, terms and structure.

A line from a song by one of the most beloved Japanese artists, Misora Hibari. The title of the song is 愛燦燦 (Aisansan) Brilliant love.

燦燦 (sansan) indicates something bright, radiant and is often used to describe a bright light or something luminous. The title thus reflects the image of a love that shines.