Noun ですら
~desura
JLPT N1 Very formal, literary
Formation
Noun + ですら
Means 'even', 'as much as', used for emphasis in formal contexts.
When to use
Formal emphasis "even" - written/formal register, used for a striking example.
Explanation
「Noun + ですら」emphasizes 'even' in a formal or literary tone. It can carry nuance similar to さえ or すら but is used more in writing or formal speech.
Example sentences
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He doesn’t even read the textbook, despite having a test tomorrow.
Ashita shiken ga aru noni, kare wa tekisuto desura yomanai.
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Even an expert can’t solve this problem.
Kono mondai wa senmonka desura tokenai.
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She ended up crying, even during the final speech.
Kanojo wa saigo no supiichi desura naite shimatta.
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He studies every day, but can’t even remember basic kanji.
Kare wa mainichi benkyou shite iru ga, kihon no kanji desura oboerarenai.
Emphasis (Even)
- ~まで〜madeN4Indicates extent, 'until', 'up to', 'as far as', 'even'.
- ~さえ~saeN3Emphasizes a specific item or action; 'even', 'if only'…
- ~てまで〜te madeN2Express the extent someone goes in order to achieve…
- Noun にすら〜ni suraN1Expresses the concept of 'even'; 'even in', 'even as'…
- ~まで~て〜made 〜teN2Express doing something until a certain time or condition…
- Noun たりとも~ない~tari tomo ~naiN1Used to show a strong negative: 'not even ~', 'not a…
- Noun にもまして〜ni mo mashiteN1This expresses 'Even more than; exceeding'.
Corpus examples (12)
彼は英語ですら解さない。ましてドイツ語など分かるはずがない。
He knows no English, not to mention German.
日本では流暢に日本語を話す白人ですら,日本人として扱ってもらえなかったものです。
In Japan, even the whites who spoke Japanese fluently were not dealt with as Japanese.
パリが1789年の革命以前ですら頻繁な暴動の拠点であったという見解には十分な根拠がある。
There are good grounds for the view that Paris was the scene of frequent riots even before the revolution of 1789.
海外で育つ日本人の子供の場合、日本語が完璧にできる場合ですら、帰国後日本の学校に適応するのに大変苦労することが時々ある。
Japanese children brought up overseas sometimes face great difficulty in adjusting themselves to Japanese schools after returning, even though they have a perfect command of Japanese.
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Even this cable cost me 6000 yen.
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You're not even a student here.
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Even the mightiest of empires comes to an end.
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Even these words will someday disappear.
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If he can do it well, so much more can we.
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Even a worm will turn.
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Even I was defeated.
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He's being emotional and not even thinking straight anymore.