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HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 6 min read

不...也... and 再...也... for “Even If” and “No Matter How”

Use 不...也... for “even without …” and 再...也... for “no matter how …,” with the result staying the same.

Pattern

不 + verb … 也 + result; 再 + adjective/verb … 也 + result

Both are short “even if” sentences: the first part names a condition, and 也 says the result stays the same anyway. 不...也... means “even if … doesn’t …”; 再...也... means “no matter how (much) ….”

天气再冷，他也坚持跑步。

When to use 不...也... and 再...也... for “Even If” and “No Matter How”

不...也... is a compressed “even if” sentence: “even if A doesn’t happen, B is still true.” It usually has no comma, and the subject of each part comes before 不 or 也.

你不说我也知道。

Even if you don’t tell me, I know.

你不来我也去。

Even if you don’t come, I’m still going.

这道题不看答案我也会做。

I can do this question even without looking at the answer.

再忙也要吃早饭。

No matter how busy you are, you should eat breakfast.

Common traps

  • Keep 也: 你不说我也知道 means “I know anyway,” and without 也 the “even if” meaning is lost.
  • In 再...也..., 再 is followed directly by the adjective or verb: 再忙, not 再很忙.
  • 也 comes after the subject of the second part: 天气再冷，他也坚持跑步, not 也他坚持跑步.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

这道题不看答案我 会做

I can do this question even without looking at the answer
Fill in the missing piece, then press Enter

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