就算 / 即便 + clause, 也 + clause
Reach for this when you want to lock in an outcome against a hypothetical worst case — 'even if X, still Y.' 就算 is the spoken-friendly twin; 即便 leans written. Either way, the second clause must carry 也 to seal the concession. Use it for warnings ('even if you're careful, don't go close'), promises ('even if it rains, I'll come'), or refusals ('even if you ask, I won't tell you'). The shape signals: this conclusion isn't budging.
Structure
就算 / 即便 [HYPOTHETICAL], 也 [OUTCOME]
jiùsuàn / jíbiàn ... yě ...
How to Think About It
Both halves are clauses, and the 也 is the structural bolt holding them together. 就算 / 即便 announces an imagined extreme; 也 commits the second clause to standing firm anyway. The subject of the second clause usually carries the 也 right after it: '我也...', '他也...', '问题也...'. Without 也, the sentence loses its concessive grip — it stops sounding like 'even if' and starts sounding like a plain 'if.'
Examples
就算不下水, 也不要走太近。
Jiùsuàn bú xiàshuǐ, yě bú yào zǒu tài jìn.
Even if you're not going in the water, don't walk too close.
就算你不来, 我也会去。
Jiùsuàn nǐ bù lái, wǒ yě huì qù.
Even if you don't come, I'll still go.
即便他不同意, 我也要这么做。
Jíbiàn tā bù tóngyì, wǒ yě yào zhème zuò.
Even if he doesn't agree, I'm still going to do it this way.
Common Mistake
Learners write 就算 as if it pairs with 但是, because English 'even if' feels like a setup for 'but.' In Chinese 就算 demands 也, not 但是. Pairing 就算 with 但是 sounds like the speaker switched grammatical lanes mid-sentence.
就算下雨, 但是我去。
就算下雨, 我也去。
Don't Confuse With
如果 ... 就 ...
Neutral conditional — 'if X, then Y.' No concession. 就算/即便 specifically says 'even in the worst case, the outcome holds.' Pick by whether you're conceding or just predicting.
虽然 ... 但是 ...
Concession for FACTS that are already true. 就算/即便 is for hypotheticals you're refusing to be derailed by. 虽然下雨了 = 'although it's raining (right now)'; 就算下雨 = 'even if it rains.'
哪怕 ... 也 ...
Same shape, but 哪怕 leans toward extreme minimal cases ('even just one minute,' 'even a penny'). 就算/即便 covers any worst-case hypothetical.
Practice
___ 你忙, 也要吃饭。
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就算
就算他生气, 我 ___ 要说实话。
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也
Put in order: [就算 / 也 / 没钱 / 我 / 要 / 去 / 学]
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就算没钱, 我也要去学。
Translate to Chinese: 'Even if you don't like it, you still have to try.'
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就算你不喜欢, 你也要试一下。
Write one sentence about a decision you'd hold to under any circumstance, using 就算 ..., 也 ....
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Example answer: 就算很难, 我也不会放弃中文。 (Even if it's hard, I won't give up on Chinese.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: