# HSK 4 Grammar: 即使……，也…… | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-4-concessive-clauses-g089 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-4-g089 HSK levels: 4 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:37.688Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how 即使……，也…… expresses a possible or difficult condition that does not change the main result. Grammar [HSK 4 · Sentence types › Complex sentences › Concessive clauses](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-4#hsk-4-g089) # Using 即使……，也…… to Concede a Condition 即使……，也…… presents a condition as possible, difficult, or contrary to expectation, then says what still holds in that situation. Learn where to place each part, how to distinguish it from ordinary cause and result, and how to choose natural contexts. 即使 Condition clause ，（主语）也 Main-clause predicate Example sentence 即使火车晚点，我们也会准时到达会议地点。 Jíshǐ huǒchē wǎndiǎn, wǒmen yě huì zhǔnshí dàodá huìyì dìdiǎn. Even if the train is late, we will still arrive at the meeting place on time. A late train is conceded as a possibility; the expected arrival plan remains. **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Meaning: the result still holds 即使……，也…… is a concessive compound-sentence pattern. The first clause names a possible circumstance, obstacle, or fact that might normally be expected to affect what happens next. The second clause states that the main result, plan, judgment, or possibility still holds despite it. The outline places this pattern under HSK 4 compound sentences, specifically concessive sentences. This lesson explains that listed scope; it does not establish which examination version is currently administered at any test centre. 即使火车晚点，我们也会准时到达会议地点。 Jíshǐ huǒchē wǎndiǎn, wǒmen yě huì zhǔnshí dàodá huìyì dìdiǎn. Even if the train is late, we will still arrive at the meeting place on time. A late train is conceded as a possibility; the expected arrival plan remains. In this example, a late train is a possible obstacle. The speakers still expect to reach the meeting place on time. The relationship is not “the train is late, therefore we arrive on time.” Instead, the second clause remains true even if the first condition occurs. ## Formation and placement 即使 Condition clause ，（主语）也 Main-clause predicate 即使 introduces the conceded condition. In the main clause, put an expressed subject before 也: 我们也会…… or 学校也会……; omit it only when clear. The subjects can differ. The condition subject may also precede 即使, as in 她即使今天很累，也坚持练习一个小时. The common full pattern presents the condition before the main point. 即使明天下雨，学校也会照常开放。 Jíshǐ míngtiān xiàyǔ, xuéxiào yě huì zhàocháng kāifàng. Even if it rains tomorrow, the school will still open as usual. The sentence emphasizes that rain does not change the stated plan. 也 belongs with the main clause. It signals that the main point still applies under the condition; it does not mean “also” as an additional item in a list in this pattern. ## When this pattern is useful Use the pattern when you want to acknowledge a circumstance while emphasizing a plan, continuing action, judgment, or available choice. The condition may be real or hypothetical; the sentence presents it as a circumstance that does not overturn the main point. The pattern often sounds natural when the speaker is reassuring someone, explaining a decision, or stressing persistence. - Plans that remain in place despite a possible event: a school will open as usual even if it rains. - Actions that continue despite difficulty: someone keeps practicing even when tired. - Options that remain available after a problem: a learner can ask the teacher to explain again after not understanding the first time. 即使今天很累，她也坚持练习一个小时。 Jíshǐ jīntiān hěn lèi, tā yě jiānchí liànxí yí ge xiǎoshí. Even if she is very tired today, she still persists in practising for an hour. Today’s tiredness is conceded for the argument; 即使 alone does not establish whether she is actually tired. 一个小时 gives the practice duration, not necessarily an extra hour. 即使第一次没听懂，也可以请老师再解释一遍。 Jíshǐ dì yī cì méi tīng dǒng, yě kěyǐ qǐng lǎoshī zài jiěshì yí biàn. Even if you do not understand the first time, you can still ask the teacher to explain it once more. The sentence presents asking again as an available option despite initial difficulty. 即使这件衣服有点贵，我也打算买下来。 Jíshǐ zhè jiàn yīfu yǒudiǎn guì, wǒ yě dǎsuàn mǎi xiàlái. Even if this item of clothing is a little expensive, I still intend to buy it. The sentence reports an intention that holds despite the price; it does not guarantee the purchase. This pattern marks the speaker’s intended relationship between the clauses; it does not itself prove that the outcome is certain in the real world. For example, a person may plan to buy something even if it is expensive, but the sentence reports the intention, not a guarantee that the purchase will happen. ## A useful contrast and common choices Compare a concessive sentence with a direct cause-and-result sentence. If rain is presented as the reason a school closes, the closure follows from that condition. With 即使……，也……, the point is that the school remains open despite the rain. Ask yourself: does the second clause remain true in spite of the first clause, or does the first clause explain why the second happens? Choose the concessive pattern only for the first relationship. - Use a possible obstacle in the first clause and the outcome that remains in the second. - Place the main subject before 也 when it is expressed: 我们也会……, not 也我们会……. - Use the sentence as a statement when reporting a plan or judgment. The pattern can appear in a question if the whole sentence is asked as a question, but the supplied outline lists the pattern itself, not a separate question form. - Do not read 即使 as proof that the condition will occur. It introduces a conceded or imagined circumstance. ## Frequently asked questions **Does the condition have to be hypothetical?** Not necessarily: the speaker may imagine the condition or concede something already known. However, 即使 itself does not assert the condition as a fact. In the tiredness example, context must tell us whether the tiredness is real or being considered hypothetically. **Can I use the pattern in a question?** The clauses can be placed within a question when the speaker wants to ask about the whole situation. The outline specifies the concessive pattern, not a separate question subform, so learn the paired statement form first. **Does 即使……，也…… guarantee the result?** No. It expresses how the speaker connects the condition and main point. A plan or intention in the main clause remains a plan or intention, not a promise that it will certainly happen. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 397](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=397) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)