Learn Hardcore Chinese: Tā shuō jíshǐ kǎoshì hěn nán, yě bù xiǎng fàngqì. - He said that even if the exam is very hard, he doesn’t want to give up.

即使 (jíshǐ) introduces a hypothetical or difficult situation.
也 (yě) in this pattern means “still / even so”, showing that the result in the second part is unexpectedly unchanged.

In your sentence:

即使考试很难 – even if the exam is very difficult
也不想放弃 – (he) still doesn’t want to give up

So the whole structure emphasizes that the difficulty of the exam will not change his determination.

Why do we need 也 (yě) here? Can we just say: 他即使考试很难，不想放弃?

You can drop 也, and the sentence is still grammatically possible:

他即使考试很难，不想放弃。

However:

In the 即使……也…… pattern, 也 is strongly expected and very natural.
Without 也, the contrast sounds weaker and the sentence feels a bit flat or incomplete to native ears.
With 也, you clearly get the sense of “even so / still”, highlighting that the result goes against expectations.

So:

✅ 他即使考试很难，也不想放弃。 – most natural
◇ 他即使考试很难，不想放弃。 – understandable, but less idiomatic

Why is 很 (hěn) before 难 (nán)? Can I say 考试难 instead of 考试很难?

In modern Mandarin, when an adjective functions as a predicate (like “is difficult”), it usually takes a degree adverb such as 很, even when the degree is not really strong.

考试很难 literally: “the exam is very difficult”
But in many contexts, 很 here is almost like a neutral linker—it doesn’t always mean a strong “very.”

You can say 考试难, but:

考试难 sounds more emphatic or more written / formal.
In everyday spoken Mandarin, 考试很难 is much more common and feels more natural.

So in this sentence, 考试很难 is the smooth, conversational choice.

Why is there no subject before 也不想放弃? Should it be 他也不想放弃?

The subject 他 (he) is understood from the context and does not have to be repeated. Chinese often drops repeated subjects when it’s clear who is being talked about.

Full version: 他说即使考试很难，他也不想放弃。
Shortened version (your sentence): 他说即使考试很难，也不想放弃。

Both are correct. Differences:

With 他 repeated: slightly clearer and sometimes a bit more formal or explicit.
Without 他: feels more concise and natural in many everyday contexts, because 他 was just mentioned at the beginning (他说).

Why is 想 (xiǎng) used here instead of 要 (yào) or 会 (huì)?

These three words express different ideas:

想
- Basic meaning here: “want to / feel like / intend to”
- 不想放弃 = “doesn’t want to give up / doesn’t intend to give up.”
要
- Stronger, more like “must / going to / will (definitely)”.
- 不要放弃 = “don’t (you) give up!” (command)
- 他不要放弃 = “He doesn’t want to give it up” (can sound strong, or slightly like “refuses to give it up”).
会
- Often means “will (likely), will be able to, know how to”, not “want.”
- 他不会放弃 = “He will not give up” (a prediction, not about his current desire).

In this sentence, we’re talking about his attitude / desire, so 想 is the most appropriate choice.

How does 说 (shuō) work here? Why isn’t there a word like “that” after it, as in English “He said that …”?

In Chinese, 说 can directly take a full clause as its object. There is no separate word for English “that” in this structure.

他说即使考试很难，也不想放弃。
= “He said (that) even if the exam is very difficult, he doesn’t want to give up.”

You can also make the quotation more explicit:

他说：“即使考试很难，我也不想放弃。”
(direct quotation with quotation marks and 我 instead of 他)

But in standard indirect speech, you don’t need a word like “that”; the clause itself is the thing being “said.”

What’s the difference between 即使 (jíshǐ) and 虽然 (suīrán), 如果 (rúguǒ), or 就算 (jiùsuàn)? Could I replace 即使 with them?

They are related but not always interchangeable:

即使 (jíshǐ)
- Means “even if”.
- Highlights that even under a (possibly hypothetical) unfavorable condition, the result is unchanged.
- Pattern: 即使 A，也 B.
虽然 (suīrán)
- Means “although / though”.
- Usually pairs with 但是 / 可是 / 不过.
- Pattern: 虽然 A，但是 B.
- Focuses on a real fact, not a hypothetical situation.
如果 (rúguǒ)
- Means “if” (condition).
- Pattern: 如果 A，就 B.
- Neutral conditional, no “even” or “unexpected” feeling.
就算 (jiùsuàn)
- Very similar to 即使, also “even if.”
- More colloquial, very common in speech.
- You can often replace 即使 with 就算 without changing the meaning much.

In your sentence:

✅ 即使考试很难，也不想放弃。 – natural, standard.
✅ 就算考试很难，也不想放弃。 – natural, a bit more colloquial.
❌ 虽然考试很难，也不想放弃。 – sounds off; 虽然 typically pairs with 但是.
❌ 如果考试很难，也不想放弃。 – grammatically okay, but loses the “even if”/concessive nuance; it just sounds like a normal “if.”

Can we change the word order to 他说他也不想放弃，即使考试很难? Is that still correct?

Yes, that’s also grammatically correct:

他说他也不想放弃，即使考试很难。

Differences in feel:

即使考试很难，也不想放弃。
- Follows the fixed pattern 即使……也…….
- Sounds very natural and formulaic in a good way.
他也不想放弃，即使考试很难。
- Focuses first on the result (“he doesn’t want to give up”), then adds the even-if condition as an afterthought.
- Feels slightly more like adding emphasis: “…even if the exam is very hard, (still not).”

Both are fine. The 即使……也…… pattern in the original word order is the most common teaching pattern and very natural.

In English, we’d probably say “even if the exam will be difficult.” How does Chinese show tense here? Does 考试很难 mean present or future?

Chinese verbs and adjectives do not change form for tense like English does. 考试很难 is time-neutral by itself.

The time is usually understood from context or from time words:

这次考试会很难。 – “This exam will be difficult.”
那次考试很难。 – “That exam was difficult.”
考试一直很难。 – “The exam has always been difficult.”

In your sentence:

即使考试很难，也不想放弃。

The meaning (past, present, future) comes from the situation you’re talking about. Usually in a context of upcoming tests, listeners would naturally take it as future: “even if the exam is going to be difficult”.

What exactly does 放弃 (fàngqì) mean? Can it be used for objects, people, and plans?

放弃 means “to give up / to abandon (an intention, right, opportunity, plan, or person)” in a more abstract or figurative sense.

Common uses:

放弃考试 – give up on taking the exam / quit the exam
放弃机会 – give up an opportunity
放弃梦想 – give up a dream
放弃他 / 她 – give up on him/her (stop pursuing or caring)

Compare:

丢弃 (diūqì) – to throw away (physical objects)
抛弃 (pāoqì) – to abandon (often people or responsibilities, can sound harsh)

In your sentence, 不想放弃 probably means “doesn’t want to give up his efforts / his attempt / his goal related to the exam.” The object is understood from context.

Is 考试 (kǎoshì) here a noun (“exam”) or a verb (“to take an exam”)? How do I tell?

考试 can be both a noun and a verb:

Noun: 考试很难。 – The exam is very difficult.
Verb: 明天要考试。 – We have to take an exam tomorrow / There will be an exam tomorrow.

In your sentence:

即使考试很难 – here 考试 is a noun phrase, meaning “the exam”.
- You can think of it as: “Even if the exam is very difficult…”

Clues it’s a noun here:

It’s followed directly by 很难, like 东西很贵 (“the thing is expensive”), 天气很好 (“the weather is good”).
There is no explicit subject doing the action “to test” or “to take the test.”

So in this context, read 考试 as “the examination”, not “to take an exam.”