Breakdown of Во всяком случае, он так сказал.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
сказать
to tell, to say
так
so, like this
во всяком случае
at any rate, anyhow
Questions & Answers about Во всяком случае, он так сказал.
This lesson is about 'в случае' (in case of). How does 'во всяком случае' fit into that?
While в случае introduces a specific condition (like 'in case of rain') and is followed by the Genitive case, во всяком случае is a fixed parenthetical phrase meaning 'at any rate' or 'in any case'. It doesn't trigger a condition or change the case of the words after it; it just sets the tone for the sentence as a whole.
Could I use 'в любом случае' here instead of 'во всяком случае'?
They are very similar, but have a slight difference in nuance. В любом случае literally means 'in absolutely any scenario' or 'no matter what happens'. Во всяком случае is often used more like 'at least' or 'at any rate', which fits perfectly here to imply 'Well, at least that is what he said (even if it might not be true)'.
Why is it 'так сказал' instead of 'сказал это'? The English translation says 'that is what he said'.
Russian frequently uses the adverb так (so, this way) with verbs of speaking, thinking, or doing where English prefers a pronoun like 'that' or 'it'. Saying он так сказал (literally 'he so said' or 'he said it that way') sounds much more natural and idiomatic in Russian than trying to translate 'that is what' word-for-word.
Why is there a comma after 'случае'?
In Russian, introductory and parenthetical phrases are almost always set off by commas. Because во всяком случае acts as an introductory phrase here framing the speaker's thought, the comma is grammatically required.
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