Learn Hardcore Japanese: ame ga hutte mo, basu de kaerimasu. - Even if it rains, I’ll go home by bus.

ても attaches to the て-form of a verb (or adjective) to express a concessive conditional—“even if…” or “even though…”. It indicates that, regardless of the condition in the first clause, the outcome in the second clause still holds.
Structure:
• Verb (or adjective) in て-form + も
Examples:

雪が降っても… (Even if it snows…)
安くても… (Even if it’s cheap…)

How do you form the て-form of 降る?

降る is a regular -ru verb. To make the て-form:

Drop the final る.
Add て.
So:
降る → 降っ + て = 降って

Why is が used after 雨 instead of は?

が marks the subject performing the action. Here, 雨 (rain) is the subject of the intransitive verb 降る (to fall).
• Using は would topicalize or contrast “rain,” as in “As for rain…,” which alters the nuance.
• With が, you’re simply stating the neutral fact “rain falls.”

Why is バスで used to express “by bus” in バスで帰ります?

The particle で marks the means or method of an action.
• バスで帰ります = “I return by bus.”
• に marks direction or destination (e.g. バス停に行く), not means. Saying バスに帰ります would be ungrammatical because you aren’t going into the bus—you’re using the bus as transport.

Why is the subject “I” missing in the second clause?

Japanese often omits subjects when they’re clear from context. Since the speaker already implied “I” (or “we”) as the one talking about returning home, there’s no need to restate it.

Could you replace 雨が降っても with 雨が降ったら? What’s the difference?

Both express a conditional “if it rains,” but:
• 降っても = “Even if it rains, …” (conveys that your plan won’t change).
• 降ったら = “If it rains, …” (a neutral “if–then” statement; the result may depend on the rain).
In this sentence, ても emphasizes that rain won’t stop you from taking the bus home.