Japanese from zero · N1 Lesson 18
Whatever the price
〜ようが/〜ようと ・ 〜ようと〜まいと ・ 〜いかんにかかわらず/〜によらず ・ 〜であれ
In this lesson, you will learn to say that something holds whatever happens with 〜ようが and 〜ようと, that it holds whether or not something happens with 〜ようと〜まいと, that it holds however something turns out with 〜いかんに関わらず and 〜によらず, and that it holds whoever or whatever is involved with 〜であれ. It is early October: after three rounds of price talks, Lisa reads the American buyer's terms out to Mori and Ai.
By the end you will be able to say
円が 上がろうが 下がろうが、価格は 変わりません。Whether the yen rises or falls, the price stays the same.
注文が 来ようと 来るまいと、工場は 同じ 数を 作ります。Whether orders come or not, the factory makes the same number.
売れ行きいかんに関わらず、契約は 三年です。However sales go, the contract is for three years.
相手が だれであれ、無理な 条件は 無理です。Whoever the other side is, an impossible condition is impossible.
冷凍であれ 常温であれ、全部 この 条件の 対象です。Frozen or room temperature, everything falls under these terms.
The grammar in this lesson
- 〜ようが / 〜ようと — no matter what; whether A or B — A verb's volitional form + が or と says that whatever happens, the rest of the sentence stays true.
- 〜ようと〜まいと / 〜ようが〜まいが — whether or not — The volitional form + と, then the same verb + まい + と (or が … が), says 'whether or not', and the rest holds either way.
- 〜いかんに関わらず / 〜によらず — regardless of — Noun (+ の) + いかんに関わらず, いかんによらず or いかんを問わず says the result does not change however the noun turns out; noun + によらず says 'regardless of'.
- 〜であれ — whoever (whatever) it is; whether A or B — Noun + であれ says 'even if it is', and A であれ B であれ says 'whether A or B': either way, the rest holds.