Learn Hardcore Chinese: Jíshǐ wàimiàn xiàyǔ, wǒmen yě dǎsuàn qù túshūguǎn. - Even if it rains outside, we still plan to go to the library.

即使 (jíshǐ) means even if / even though. It introduces a situation that is (1) true or assumed to be true, but (2) does not change the result stated in the main clause.

In this sentence:

即使外面下雨 – even if it rains outside
我们也打算去图书馆 – we still plan to go to the library

Difference from similar words:

虽然 (suīrán = although)
- Common pattern: 虽然 … 但是 …
- Emphasizes a contrast, but more neutral:
  - 虽然外面下雨，我们还是打算去图书馆。
- 即使 feels stronger/more hypothetical, like even if rather than simple although.
如果 (rúguǒ = if)
- Used for conditions that may or may not happen.
- Pattern: 如果 … 就 …
- 即使 implies that even if the condition happens, the result won’t change, while 如果 just sets up a normal condition.

So 即使 highlights that the rain will not stop the plan.

Why do we need 也 in 我们也打算去图书馆? What does it do, and can I omit it?

也 (yě) usually means also / too, but in the pattern 即使 … 也 …, it plays a special role:

It marks the result clause and gives the meaning of still / even so.
Here, 也 is better understood as still:
- 我们也打算去图书馆 ≈ we still plan to go to the library.

In the structure:

即使 A，(主语) 也 B。
- 即使外面下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。
- Even if it rains outside, we still plan to go to the library.

Can you omit 也?

Grammatically, 即使外面下雨，我们打算去图书馆 is possible, but it:
- Sounds less natural.
- Loses the explicit “even so / still” feeling.
In everyday speech and writing, 即使 … 也 … is a set pattern, and learners should keep the 也.

Is 即使……也…… a fixed grammar pattern? Can I change the order of 也?

Yes, 即使……也…… is a very common fixed pattern in Mandarin:

即使 A，(主语) 也 B。
Meaning: Even if A, (subject) still B.

In your sentence:

即使外面下雨， – even if it rains outside,
我们也打算去图书馆。 – we still plan to go to the library.

About the position of 也:

Normally it goes directly before the main verb or verbal phrase:
- 我们也打算去图书馆。
- 他也会来。
- 他们也不想走。
You cannot freely move it:
- ✗ 也我们打算去图书馆 – incorrect
- ✗ 我们打算也去图书馆 – would change meaning to we plan to also go to the library (in addition to somewhere else), not “still go (despite…).”

So in this structure, put 也 right before the main verb phrase expressing the result.

Why is it 外面下雨 and not 在外面下雨 or something like 雨在外面下?

外面下雨 is the most natural, concise way to say it is raining outside.

外面 – outside (location)
下雨 – to rain (verb phrase: to fall rain)

So 外面下雨 literally is outside rains → it is raining outside.

Alternatives:

外面在下雨。
- Adds 在 to emphasize an ongoing action (“is raining right now”).
- More explicitly progressive: outside is raining.
雨在外面下。
- Grammatically possible but sounds odd in everyday speech.
- Focuses on 雨 as a concrete subject (“the rain falls outside”), which Mandarin usually doesn’t need for weather verbs.
在外面下雨 (without a subject)
- Needs some context, e.g. as part of a larger sentence. On its own it’s incomplete.

For simple “it’s raining outside”, 外面下雨 or 外面在下雨 are the natural choices; here 外面下雨 is perfectly fine and slightly more neutral/compact.

In English we say “it is raining” with a dummy subject “it”. Why is there no subject in 下雨?

Mandarin does not use a dummy subject like English “it” for weather.

下雨 literally is “to fall rain”, and functions as a complete verb phrase meaning “to rain”.
You simply say:
- 下雨了。 – It has started raining.
- 今天下雨。 – It rains today.
- 外面下雨。 – It’s raining outside.

No need for a pronoun like 它 or 它在下雨. Those would sound unnatural in normal speech.

Could I say 外面在下雨 instead of 外面下雨? What is the difference?

Yes, you can say 外面在下雨. Both are grammatical:

外面下雨。
- Neutral, states the fact: it’s raining outside.
- Can describe either a current situation or a more general fact depending on context.
外面在下雨。
- With 在, it clearly emphasizes the ongoing action: it is (right now) raining outside.
- Feels a bit more vivid/immediate.

In your sentence with 即使, both are possible:

即使外面下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。
即使外面在下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。

The second one might highlight the idea of it actually raining at that moment, but the overall meaning is the same: the rain does not change the plan.

Could I use 了 in the rain clause, like 即使外面下了雨? Does that change the meaning?

You can, but it changes the nuance.

即使外面下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。
- General/hypothetical: even if it rains outside (now or in the future).
即使外面下了雨，我们也打算去图书馆。
- With 了, it suggests the rain is already a completed event:
  - even if it has rained outside / even if it ended up raining.
- You might use this when talking about a future possibility that will be considered as “having happened”:
  - 即使外面下了雨，我们也打算去图书馆。
    → Even if it ends up raining (by then), we still plan to go.

For most learner contexts where you just mean “even if it rains”, 不用加了 – keep 下雨 without 了.

What is the nuance of 打算 here? How is it different from 想 or 要?

打算 (dǎsuàn) literally means to plan / to intend. It often implies:

You have considered it.
It’s more than a passing wish.

Comparisons:

我们打算去图书馆。
- We plan / intend to go to the library. (There is a plan in mind.)
我们想去图书馆。
- We want to go to the library. (Focus on desire, not necessarily a concrete plan.)
我们要去图书馆。
- We are going to / will go to the library. (Sounds more firm/decided; often a near-future arrangement.)

In your sentence, 打算 is appropriate because:

You are talking about a plan that continues even if it rains:
- 即使外面下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。
- Even if it rains outside, we still plan to go.

There is no tense marker like “will” or “is going to” in Chinese. How do we know this sentence refers to the future?

Mandarin usually relies on context and certain verbs/words to indicate time, not on verb conjugations.

Here, we infer future because of:

打算 – to plan/intend
- Planning is naturally about the future.
The whole “even if it rains” context:
- It implies a situation that may happen and a decision about what we will do in that case.

So:

即使外面下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。
- Literally: Even if outside rains, we also plan go library.
- Interpreted: Even if it rains outside, we still plan to go to the library (then).

If you wanted to emphasize the future even more, you could add a time word:

明天即使外面下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。
- Even if it rains outside tomorrow, we still plan to go to the library.

Can we drop 外面 and just say 即使下雨，我们也打算去图书馆? Is that natural?

Yes, that is completely natural.

即使下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。
- Even if it rains, we still plan to go to the library.

外面 just specifies where it is raining (outside). In most contexts, that’s obvious and can be omitted. The structure and meaning of 即使……也…… remain the same.

So both are fine:

即使外面下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。
即使下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。

The second one is more general and is very common in everyday speech.

Do we always need a comma between 即使-clause and the main clause?

In written Chinese, it is standard to separate the subordinate clause and the main clause with a comma:

即使外面下雨，我们也打算去图书馆。

This comma:

Marks the boundary between:
- The condition / concessive clause: 即使外面下雨
- The result clause: 我们也打算去图书馆

In spoken Chinese, there is naturally a small pause there, which the comma represents.

So while the comma is a matter of writing conventions, for correct standard writing it is good practice to include it.

Is there any special pronunciation or tone change in 我们也打算去图书馆 that I should pay attention to?

A couple of small points:

也打算
- 也 is 3rd tone (yě), 打 is 3rd tone (dǎ).
- In natural speech, 3rd tone + 3rd tone often makes the first one sound more like a 2nd tone:
  - Pronounced close to yé dǎsuàn.
- Don’t overthink it; focus on smoothness, not robotic full 3rd tones.
图书馆 (túshūguǎn)
- Tones: 2–1–3.
- Again, the final 馆 in 3rd tone may be slightly “half-3rd” in fast speech.

Word-by-word tones:

即使 jí² shǐ³
外面 wài⁴ miàn⁴
下雨 xià⁴ yǔ³
我们 wǒ³ men
也 yě³
打算 dǎ³ suàn⁴
去 qù⁴
图书馆 tú² shū¹ guǎn³

Listening to natives and imitating their rhythm will help these sandhi effects feel natural.