Tatoe nani-ga atte-mo, kono shigoto-wa ashita-made-ni shiagenakucha. (I have to finish this work by tomorrow no matter what.)

Situation 1: At the office, Ms. Gray talks to Mr. Mita, who is hard at work.

グレイ： 報告書、間に合いそう？手伝おうか？

三田： じゃ、頼むよ。たとえ何があっても、この仕事はあしたまでに仕上げなくちゃ。

Gray: Hōkokusho, ma-ni ai-sō? Tetsudaō-ka?

Mita: Ja, tanomu-yo. Tatoe nani-ga atte-mo, kono shigoto-wa ashita-made-ni shiagenakucha.

Gray: Can you finish the report on time? Shall I help you?

Mita: Please do! I have to finish this work by tomorrow no matter what.

Today we will introduce two adverbs, たとえ and たとえば. たとえ means "even if" or "no matter what/how" and is used with expressions such as "verb or i-adjective in te-form)も" and "na-adjective or nounでも," which mean "even if" or "although." The sentence たとえXても/でもY expresses that the result, Y, will not change under any condition X, and たとえ emphasizes X. Examples: たとえ冗談(じょうだん)でも、人(ひと)を傷(きず)つける ようなことは言(い)ってはいけない (We shouldn't say things that will hurt people, even in jest); たとえどんなに家賃(やちん)が安 (やす)くても、こんな不便(ふ べん)なところには住(す)みたくない (I don't want to live in such an inconvenient place, even if the rent is cheap). X is often an extreme example, as in たとえみんなに 反対(はんたい)されても、私(わたし)は彼(かれ)と結婚(けっこん) したい (I want to marry him even if everybody is against it).

Situation 2: Mr. and Mrs. Shiba are talking about the New Year's holidays.

夫： 今度の正月は温泉にでも行ってみようか。

妻： わあ、うれしい。どこがいいかなあ。たとえば、箱根 なんてどう？

Otto: Kondo-no shōgatsu-wa onsen-ni-de-mo itte-miyō-ka?

Tsuma: Waa, ureshii. Doko-ga ii-kanā. Tatoeba, Hakone-nante dō?

Husband: How about we go to a hot spring over New Year's?

Wife: Oh, that would be great! Where would be good? For example, how about Hakone?

たとえば means "for example" and is used to offer just that. Example sentences: たとえばブロッコリーやパプリカなどの野菜 (やさい)はビタミンCが多(おお)い (Vegetables such as broccoli and peppers contain lots of vitamin C). However, when たとえば is used with としたら or とすると, it expresses a supposition. Example: たとえば子(こ)どもが大学院(だいがくいん)に行(い)く としたら、いくらお金(かね)がかかるのだろうか (How much would it cost to put my child through graduate school?).

Bonus Dialogue: Continued from Situation 1. Ms. Gray and Ms. Tamachi have helped Mr. Mita finish his report. (たとえ火の中[ひの なか]水の中[みずのなか] is an idiomatic expression).

三田： ありがとう。グレイさんと田町(たまち)さんのおかげで仕事(しごと)が終(お)わったよ。今度(こんど)、二人 (ふたり)が忙(いそが)しいときには、たとえ火の中 (ひのなか)水の中(みずのなか)、何(なん)でもする。

田町： まったく調子(ちょうし)のいいことを言(い)って。それ より、ごちそうしてよ。

三田： うん、いいよ。何(なに)がいいかな。

田町： そうね。がっつり食(た)べられるのがいいな。たとえば、焼き肉(やきにく)とか、ステーキとか。

三田： それはちょっと予算(よさん)が‥。そうだ、食べ放題 (ほうだい)の焼き肉屋(や)ができて、たとえどんなに 食べても、値段(ねだん)が変(か)わらないって。

グレイ： じゃ、そこに行(い)きましょう。おなかがすいて、３人分(さんにんぶん)ぐらい食べちゃうかも。

三田： まかせておいて。あっ、きょうは火曜日(かようび) だっけ？この店(みせ)、休(やす)みだ。

グレイ： じゃ、「まんぷくや」ね。あそこなら、たとえどんなに食べても安(やす)いし。

田町： あーあ、やっぱりこうなるのね。

Mita: Thank you. Ms. Gray, Ms. Tamachi, thanks to you I could finish this work. Next time you're busy, I'll do anything for you — come hell or high water.

Tamachi: You smooth talker. How about treating us to something?

Mita: Sure. What do you want to eat?

Tamachi: Hm, I want to eat lots. How about grilled meat or steak?

Mita: Oops, my budget won't stretch that far ... Oh, I just remembered, an all-you-can-eat grill just opened. They say the price is the same no matter how much you eat.

Gray: Let's go, then. I'm dying of hunger, and may have to eat three portions.

Mita: Leave it to me. Oh, it's Tuesday, right? It's closed today.

Gray: Then let's go to Manpukuya. That restaurant is cheap no matter how much you eat.

Tamachi: Oh well, just as I thought.