Breakdown of sakana wa takakute mo oishii desu.
はwa
topic particle
ですdesu
to be
高いtakai
expensive
魚sakana
fish
おいしいoishii
delicious
〜くて も〜kute mo
conditional form (even if)
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Questions & Answers about sakana wa takakute mo oishii desu.
Why is 魚 marked with は instead of が here?
The particle は marks the topic of the sentence (“as for fish”), setting 魚 as the thing we’re talking about in general. If you used が, it would emphasize 魚 as the new or specific subject, which isn’t the focus here.
What does 高くても mean?
高くても is the conditional form of the i-adjective 高い (“expensive”). It literally means “even if (it’s) expensive.” The sentence says: “Even if fish is expensive, it’s delicious.”
How do you form 高くても from 高い?
For i-adjectives, the pattern is:
- Drop the final い from 高い → 高
- Add くて → 高くて
- Then add も → 高くても
What’s the difference between 高くて and 高くても?
- 高くて is just the て-form, used to connect ideas (“expensive and…”).
- 高くても (= て
- も) expresses “even if”, showing a condition or contrast.
Why isn’t there a word for “but” in the Japanese sentence?
The conditional ても already carries a contrastive sense (“even if…still…”), so you don’t need an explicit “but.” It’s built into the grammar:
• “Even if it’s expensive, it’s delicious.”
Could I say 魚は高いけどおいしいです instead?
Yes. けど (or けれど) means “but,” so:
• 魚は高いけどおいしいです
• “Fish is expensive, but it’s delicious.”
The nuance differs slightly:
- 高くても emphasizes the concession (“even under that condition”),
- けど simply links two contrasting statements.
Why is おいしい followed by です?
です is the polite ending for adjectives (copula). In casual speech you can drop です:
• 魚は高くてもおいしい (informal)
Can I replace ても with も and write 魚は高くもおいしいです?
No. も after an adjective without て doesn’t form the “even if” meaning. You need 高くても (て + も) to express that conditional sense.