Even, but because: 〜だって
Noun + だって / だって、〜もん
Noun + だって: “even X, X too” (だれだって = everyone). だって at the start: “but…, because…”, a casual justification, often with 〜もん.
In short
だって has two main uses in casual speech. After a noun, it means “even” or “too” (子どもだって知っている, “even a child knows that”): a more expressive でも or も. At the start of a sentence, it introduces a justification: “but…, well, because…” (だって、時間がなかったんだもん). The tone is casual, sometimes childish.
- そんなこと、子どもだって知っているよ。そんなこと、こどもだってしっているよ。Even a child knows that.
- だれだって間違えることはある。だれだってまちがえることはある。Anyone can make mistakes.
- 「どうして宿題をしなかったの？」「だって、時間がなかったんだもん。」「どうしてしゅくだいをしなかったの？」「だって、じかんがなかったんだもん。」“Why didn't you do your homework?” “But I didn't have time!”
The basics
だって goes either after a noun or at the start of a sentence, and these two positions give two different meanings.
After a noun: “even X”, “X too”. You're insisting: if even X does it, then all the more so the others. At the start of a sentence: “but…, because…”, to defend yourself when you're being told off.
Even a child knows that.
- noun
- verb
- particle
- 私だって行きたいよ。わたしだっていきたいよ。I want to go too, you know!
“Even”, “too”: Noun + だって
It's a spoken equivalent of でも or も, with more feeling. After a question word, it gives “anyone, any time, anything”.
| Form | Equivalent | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 子どもだって | 子どもでも | even a child |
| 私だって | 私も | me too (I'll have you know) |
| だれだって | だれでも | anyone, everyone |
| いつだって | いつでも | any time, always |
| 何だって | 何でも | anything, everything |
- 母はいつだって私の味方だった。はははいつだってわたしのみかただった。My mother was always on my side.
- 京都なら、何だっておいしい。きょうとなら、なんだっておいしい。In Kyoto, everything tastes good.
“But…, because…”: だって at the start
At the start of a reply, だって announces an excuse, often in response to a reproach. The sentence typically ends with 〜もん, 〜もの or 〜んだ, which give a sulky, almost childish tone (you'll see もん again in the lesson on 〜もの).
- 「なんで食べないの？」「だって、おなかいっぱいなんだもん。」「なんでたべないの？」「だって、おなかいっぱいなんだもん。」“Why aren't you eating?” “Because I'm full!”
- 「また遅刻？」「だって、電車が止まったんだよ。」「またちこく？」「だって、でんしゃがとまったんだよ。」“Late again?” “But the train stopped!”
A third だって: hearsay
Don't confuse these two uses with the hearsay だって, which comes from だ + って: 明日は雨だって (“I hear it'll rain tomorrow”). There, だって comes at the end of the sentence, after a noun. And in every case, it's casual speech: with a superior, say でも, も, or explain with 〜ので.
- 明日は雨だって。あしたはあめだって。I hear it's going to rain tomorrow.
Common mistakes
- Answering a superior with だって to justify yourself: it sounds like a sulking child. Explain with 〜ので instead.
- Mixing up だって “even” (after a noun, mid-sentence) and だって “I hear” (at the end of a sentence).
- Leaving out the もん or んだ ending after a sentence-initial だって: the justification sounds incomplete.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N3 point is on the Keihan Line (Media and communication) of the Kyoto lines.