何でも details
anything, anyone, anywhere, any time — a question word plus でも takes in the whole set + write
nandemo kaku
anything, anyone, anywhere, any time — a question word plus でも takes in the whole set
meaning: write anything at all
彼は好き嫌いがなくて、何でも食べる。
kare wa sukikirai ga nakute, nandemo taberu.
He isn't fussy and eats anything at all. neutral
場所はどこでもいいよ。任せる。
basho wa dokodemo ii yo. makaseru.
Anywhere's fine by me — your call. casual
- alternant
- alternant
- alternant
- alternant
- alternant
- alternant
Examples
any at all — the speaker refuses to narrow the choice, and the predicate holds for every member of the set
彼は好き嫌いがなくて、何でも食べる。
kare wa sukikirai ga nakute, nandemotaberu.
He isn't fussy and eats anything at all. neutral
場所はどこでもいいよ。任せる。
basho wa dokodemo ii yo. makaseru.
Anywhere's fine by me — your call. casual
この資料は、誰でも自由に使えます。
kono shiryou wa, daredemo jiyuu ni tsukaemasu.
Anyone is free to use these materials. neutral
ご不明な点がございましたら、いつでもお問い合わせください。
go fumei na ten ga gozaimashitara, itsudemo o toiawase kudasai.
If anything is unclear, please get in touch at any time. formal
Formation
何でも{V}attaches to dictionary formいつでも{V}attaches to dictionary formどこでも{V}attaches to dictionary form誰でも{V}attaches to dictionary form
Variant notes
- いつでも — any time at all — いつでも声をかけてください。
- どこでも — anywhere at all — この券は全国どこでも使えます。
- 誰でも — anyone at all — 誰でも参加できます。
- どちらでも — either one, whichever — お支払いはどちらでも結構です。
- いくらでも — as much or as many as you like — おかわりはいくらでもどうぞ。
- 何度でも — however many times it takes — 分かるまで何度でも聞いてください。
Notes
彼は来月辞めるらしい means "from what I hear".
Related patterns
Similar
ても needs a whole clause to concede (誰が読んでも分かる); a question word plus でも packs that same concession into one word and leaves a noun phrase you can mark with が or を — 誰でも分かる, 何でも食べる.
Opposite
- 誰も〜ないpolarity
誰でも and bare 誰も split the same set by what follows — でも sweeps it with a positive predicate (誰でも分かる, everyone does), while an unmarked or に-marked 誰も wants a negative one (誰も分からない, nobody does).
Lookalikes
One kana decides how much of the set you get — か opens a single member and refuses to name it (誰か来た, somebody came), でも takes in every member at once (誰でも来られる, anybody may come).