Posted inN2 Grammar

Mastering the Many Faces of だって: An Essential JLPT N2 Grammar Pattern

Posted inN2 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

Highly context-dependent. Can mean “even,” “too,” “as well,” “they say,” “because (informal excuse),” or “but (contradiction).”

🎯 Primary Function

Used primarily in informal contexts to add emphasis, report informal information, give casual reasons, or contradict a previous statement.

📋 Grammar Structure

[Noun / い-adjective(plain form) / な-adjective(plain form だ) / Verb(plain form)] + だって *Note: For Nouns and Na-adjectives, だ is usually attached before だって, especially in the ‘reporting’ and ‘reason’ usages, acting as a casual copula. In the ‘even’ usage, it can directly follow a noun or Na-adjective stem.

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Generally not used in formal settings. Considered too casual.

😊 Informal Situations

Very common in casual conversations among friends, family, or close acquaintances.

✍️ Written Language

Less common in formal or standard written Japanese. May appear in dialogue in novels, manga, or informal social media.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Highly frequent in everyday spoken Japanese.

💡 Common Applications

Adding emphasis or surprise (meaning “even,” “too”)
Highlights something unexpected or contrary to a perceived norm.
Example: こんな簡単なこと、子供だってできるよ。 Konna kantan na koto, kodomo datte dekiru yo. Even a simple thing like this, a child can do.
Reporting hearsay or informal information (meaning “they say,” “I heard”)
A casual way to report something someone said or heard. Less formal than 〜そうです or 〜と言っていました.
Example: 田中さん、明日会社休むんだって。 Tanaka-san, ashita kaisha yasumu n datte. They say Mr./Ms. Tanaka is taking tomorrow off work.
Giving an informal reason or excuse (meaning “because,” “I mean…”)
Provides a reason or justification, often with a nuance of complaint or insistence. Often followed by 〜んだもん/〜んだもの (especially by women/children) or 〜んだ.
Example: 「どうして行かないの？」「だって、面白そうじゃないんだもん。」 “Dou shite ikanai no?” “Datte, omoshirosou ja nai n da mon.” “Why aren’t you going?” “Because, it doesn’t look interesting.”
📊
Frequency
High in informal conversations.
🎚️
Difficulty
Intermediate to Advanced (due to multiple meanings and context-dependent usage, considered N2 level).
Example Sentences
そんなこと、私だって知ってるよ。
Even I know something like that.
雨が降ってきたんだって。
They say it started raining.
「手伝ってよ！」「だって今忙しいんだもん！」
“Help me!” “But I’m busy right now!”
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Highly Informal
だって is almost exclusively used in casual, informal contexts. Using it in formal situations is inappropriate.
Example: Incorrect: 社長に「だって、予算が足りません。」と言う (Saying “But, the budget is insufficient.” to the company president using だって).
Multiple Meanings
The specific meaning of だって is determined by the context of the conversation.
Example: Compare 「彼だってできる」 (Even he can do it) and 「彼はできるんだって」 (They say he can do it).

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using だって in formal situations.
✅ Use more formal alternatives like 〜ても, 〜そうです, 〜からです, 〜しかし/でも.
だって is too casual for polite or formal speech/writing.
❌ Confusing the different meanings of だって.
✅ Pay close attention to the surrounding sentence and conversation context.
Its function changes significantly depending on how it’s used (reporting vs. reason vs. emphasis).

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Very low politeness. Strictly informal.
Social Situations: Used among close friends, family, colleagues of equal or lower status in casual settings.
Regional Variations: Widely used across Japan in informal speech, though specific intonation or slight variations might exist regionally.

🔍 Subtle Differences

だって vs 〜ても (‘even if’)
だって means ‘even [that thing]’ is true/possible, focusing on an unexpected item. 〜ても means ‘even if [condition], [result]’.
When to use: Use だって when highlighting an unexpected element. Use 〜ても for hypothetical conditional statements.
だって (reporting) vs 〜そうです / 〜と言っていました
だって is very informal hearsay. 〜そうです is general hearsay (can be formal/informal depending on context). 〜と言っていました is directly reporting what someone said.
When to use: Use だって in casual talk about what you heard. Use 〜そうです when reporting information generally. Use 〜と言っていました for a more direct quote or report.
だって (reason) vs 〜から
だって gives an informal, often slightly childish or insisting reason/excuse, usually followed by んだもん/んだもの or んだ. 〜から is a standard way to give a reason (can be formal/informal).
When to use: Use だって for a casual, emotional excuse/reason. Use 〜から for neutral or standard reasons.

📝 Conjugation Notes

Connects directly to the plain form of verbs and i-adjectives. For nouns and na-adjectives, だ is typically inserted before だって, especially for reporting/reason usages (e.g., 晴れだって, 暇だって). For the ‘even’ usage, ‘Noun + だって’ or ‘Na-adjective stem + だって’ is sometimes possible, but ‘Noun + だ + だって’ or ‘Na-adjective stem + だ + だって’ is safer and more common, especially with the nuance of ‘even if it’s [Noun/Na-adjective]’. Stick to plain form + だって for consistency.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Pronounced smoothly as part of the preceding word. The ‘a’ sound in だって is short.

🧠 Memory Tips

Associate だって with informal speech and remember its multiple roles: ‘Even’, ‘Hearsay’, ‘Excuse’, ‘But!’. Think of a child making an excuse (‘だって～！’) or someone spreading gossip (‘～だって！’).

Practice Exercises
Choose the correct meaning of だって in the following sentence: 「彼だって、そんなミスをするんだ。」
Because he…
They say he…
Even he…
But he…
Which situation is NOT appropriate for using だって?
Talking to your boss.
Chatting with a friend.
Writing dialogue in a novel.
Sending a casual text message.
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