ことは

ことは Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Phrase

Essential Meaning: Speaking of X, X is indeed true. (However….) / X is indeed the case. (But…)

Construction: 

• Verb 1 informal +ことは + Verb 1
  • E.g. 話はなすことは話はなす [When it comes to speaking, it’s indeed true that X speaks. But…]
  • E.g. 話はなしたことは話はなした [When it comes to having eaten, it’s indeed true that X ate. But…]

• い-Adjective 1 informal +ことは + い-Adjective 1
  • E.g. 高たかいことは高たかい [When it comes to being expensive, it’s indeed true that X is expensive. But…]
  • E.g. 高たかかったことは高たかかった [When it comes to having been expensive, it’s indeed true that X was expensive. But…]

• な-Adjective Stem 1 + [な / だった] + ことは + な-Adjective Stem 1 + [だ / だった]
  • E.g. 静しずかなことは静しずかだ [When it comes to being quiet, it’s indeed true that X is quiet. But…]
  • E.g. 静しずかだったことは静しずかだった [When it comes to having been quiet, it’s indeed true that X was quiet. But…]

• Noun 1 + は + Noun 2 + だ
  • E.g. いい人ひとはいい人ひとだ [When it comes to being a good person, it’s indeed true that X is a good person. But…]

• Noun 1 + だったことは + Noun 1 + だった
  • E.g. いい人ひとだったことはいい人ひとだった [When it comes to having been a good person, it’s indeed true that X was a good person. But…]

Notes:

• ことは is a clunky, idiomatic grammatical structure that roughly translates to “Speaking of X, X is indeed the case. However, Y is also the case.” or “X is indeed the case. However, Y.” In other words, given that Proposition X is the case, the fact that Proposition Y is also the case is somehow surprising or noteworthy. Note that the ことは structure is typically paired with the disjunctive conjunction が.
  • E.g. 私わたしはテニスをすることはするが上手じょうずじゃない。[It is indeed true that I play tennis, but I am not any good.]

• When the main verb or adjective is in the past tense, the “interior” verb / adjective / noun can optionally take the nonpast tense. This is common in colloquial language. Also, the interior verb / adjective / noun typical takes an informal form even if the main verb is formal.
  • E.g. ボストンシンフォニーの切符きっぷは買かえたことは買かえましたが大変たいへん悪わるい席せきでした。[I indeed could buy tickets to the Boston Symphony, but the seats were really bad.] Note that the interior verb 買かえた [Could buy] is informal, while the main verb 買かえました [Could buy] is formal. This is acceptable.
  • E.g. ボストンシンフォニーの切符きっぷは買かえることは買かえましたが大変たいへん悪わるい席せきでした。[I indeed could buy tickets to the Boston Symphony, but the seats were really bad.] In this case, the interior 買かえる [Can buy] is both informal and in the nonpast tense, while the main 買かえました [Could buy] is past tense and formal. This is also acceptable, and slightly more colloquial than the preceding example.
  • E.g. 今日きょうの試験しけんは難むずかしかったことは難むずかしかったがよくできた。[Today’s test was indeed difficult, but I did well.] In this example, both the interior and main adjective match in both tense and formality.
  • E.g. 今日きょうの試験しけんは難むずかしいことは難むずかしかったがよくできた。[Today’s test was indeed difficult, but I did well.] In this example, the interior adjective is nonpast, while the main adjective is in the past tense. This is marginally more colloquial than the preceding example.

• In addition to が, this structure may be followed by other disjunctive conjunctions such as けれど or しかし.
  • E.g. あの人ひとはいい人ひとだったけれど頑固がんこだった。[That person is indeed a good person, but he is stubborn.]

Example Sentences:

ジョーンズさんは日本語にほんごを話はなすことは話はなしますが、簡単かんたんなことしか言いえません。[Mr. Jones indeed speaks Japanese, but he can say nothing but simple things.]

この店みせは安やすいことは安やすいですが、ものがよくありません。[This store is indeed cheap, but the merchandise isn’t very good.]

私わたしのアパートは駅えきに近ちかくて便利べんりなことは便利べんりですが、家賃やちんがとても高たかいです。[This apartment is close to the station, and it is indeed cheap, but the rent is really expensive.]

その女おんなの子こが好すきだったことは好すきでしたが、結婚けっこんはしなかったんです。[I did indeed like that girl, but I didn’t marry her.]

WILD Examples:

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