Grammar › Compulsion & Restraint
てまで — “to the extent of even doing…”
Names an extreme action taken in pursuit of a goal, implying it may have gone too far
Te-form + まで says that, in pursuit of something, the subject went so far as to take an extreme, often surprising or ethically questionable, action — “(going) so far as to even do X.” It frequently carries a note of the speaker's surprise or mild disapproval at how far someone went.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Te-form + まで | 学校を休んでまで、コンサートに行った — He even skipped school to go to the concert |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 借金をしてまで、新しい車を買う必要はない。 | しゃっきんをしてまで、あたらしいくるまをかうひつようはない。 shakkinwoshitemade、atarashiikurumawokauhitsuyouhanai。 | There's no need to go into debt just to buy a new car. |
| 嘘をついてまで、彼をかばう必要があったのか。 | うそをついてまで、かれをかばうひつようがあったのか。 usowotsuitemade、karewokabauhitsuyougaattanoka。 | Was it really necessary to lie just to cover for him? |
| 徹夜してまで、仕上げなければならない仕事だった。 | てつやしてまで、しあげなければならないしごとだった。 tetsuyashitemade、shiagenakerebanaranaishigotodatta。 | It was work that had to be finished even if it meant staying up all night. |
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Watch out
てまで usually flags that the lengths gone to feel excessive or questionable — it's a poor fit for describing an ordinary, proportionate effort; for straightforward hard work, plain 頑張って is more natural.