Expressing "even if…" with "jiusuan"

就算 (jiùsuàn) is an informal way of saying "even if", and is used to introduce a hypothetical statement. However, unlike 即使 , 哪怕 and 就是, 就算 has more of a feeling that the speaker doesn't believe that the hypothetical statement is reasonable or has much chance of being realized.

Structure

就算 + [hypothetical statement] + 也 + [action].

Examples

• 就算 你 说 的 都 是 真的，我们 也 没 办法 证明。Even if what you say is true, we still don't have any way to prove it.
• 就算 员工 会 抱怨，公司也 要 实行 这个 新 政策。Even if the staff would complaint about it, the company are still going to carry out the new policy.
• 就算你 是 美国 总统，我也 不能 破例。I can't make an exception for you even if you were the president of the United States.
• 就算你 的 汉语 水平 达到 了 高级，也 还是 会 有 发音 问题。Even if your Chinese reached a very high level, you would still have trouble with pronunciation.
• 就算你 顺利 通过 了 面试，也 不一定 能 被 录用。Even if you pass the interview successfully, we can't say you are definitely going to be hired.

See also

• Expressing "even if…" with "jishi"
• Expressing "even if…" with "napa"
• Expressing "even if…" with "jiushi"

Sources & further reading

HSK5