～。それでも～。 — Even so / Nevertheless

ChatGPT said:

Form	Structure	Meaning	Structure example
Connecting two sentences	Clause A。それでも、Clause B。	“Even so…”, “Nevertheless…” – expresses a contrast in which B still happens despite A being an obstacle.	雨が降っていた。それでも、試合は行われた。
Used independently	それでも？ / それでも～。	Used to emphasize ‘Even so…?’	遅れるよ。それでもいい？

Expresses concession + contrast: Even if A is an obstacle, difficulty, or something that makes B unlikely, the result B still occurs.
Emotional nuance: Often carries shades of persistence, surprise, disappointment, or praise (for still doing B in spite of A).
Natural renderings: ‘Even so…’, ‘Nevertheless…’, ‘All the same…’, ‘Even then…’.
Different from それが・それで・そこで: それでも emphasizes a strong contrast between the expectation (from A) and the reality (B).

彼は何度も失敗した。 それでも、諦めなかった。
He failed many times. Even so, he didn't give up.
雨は強く降っていた。 それでも、観客は帰らなかった。
It was raining heavily. Even so, the audience didn't leave.
注意した。 それでも、彼は同じミスをした。
I warned him. Even so, he made the same mistake.
この仕事は大変だよ。 それでもやるの？
This job is tough. Even so, will you do it?
全力を出した。 それでも、勝てなかった。
I gave it my all. Even so, I couldn't win.

Position: Stands at the beginning of clause B after clause A ends with a period or comma.
The two clauses must be in opposition: A makes us think B will not happen, but in reality B still happens.
Nuance: Carries emotion—surprise, disappointment, admiration, persistence.
Register: Used in both conversation and writing; neutral formality.

Pattern	Meaning	Key difference	Example
それでも	Even so… still…	Emphasizes that B occurs despite A.	雨だ。それでも行く。
それにしても	Even so… (strong exclamatory tone)	Emphasizes surprise or complaint.	暑いね。それにしても今年は異常だ。
けれど／でも	But…	Colloquial, simple; does not emphasize overcoming an obstacle.	行きたい。でも忙しい。
それが	However, actually…	Used when reality is contrary to expectations; slightly hesitant.	行くと言った。それが行けなくなった。

Often used in narratives, emotional statements, and expressing resolve.
Often pairs with emphatic phrases such as それでもなお (even so, still…), それでもやっぱり.
Can be translated flexibly: ‘Nevertheless’, ‘Even so’, ‘Even then…’, ‘All the same…’.
Appears frequently in JLPT N3–N2 reading and listening sections.

Confusing it with それで: それで = 'therefore…', whereas それでも = 'even so…'.
Lack of contrast: Incorrect if clauses A and B are not opposed, or if A does not hinder B.
Overly formal writing: Not suitable for academic papers/reports → use しかしながら instead.
Omitting the comma after それでも in writing: it should be written as ‘それでも、…’.