たところで
- 1Even if one does X, it is futile and the desired result will not follow.Ex. 1
- 2No matter how much one does X, the situation does not change (often with どんなに／いくら).Ex. 2
- 3Even if X happens, the outcome is only small or insignificant.
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Used to argue that an action is pointless or will not change the outcome. The main clause typically expresses a negative result or the speaker's judgment (ない, 無駄だ, だろう). It is more emphatic about futility than としても, and less casual than たって.
Do not follow たところで with a positive or desirable result; the main clause should express futility or a disappointing outcome.
Do not end the main clause with a command, request, or statement of intention.
Note that 動詞た形 + ところで can also mean "just when / right after X," so rely on context to tell the two apart.
- としたって / としたところでN1「としたって／としたところで」adds the hypothetical nuance of「とする」and, besides verbs, can also attach to adjectives and nouns. 「名詞＋としたって」can also mean 'even assuming someone's position.' In the sense of a futile verb action it is largely interchangeable with this pattern, with「としたって」being more colloquial.
- としてもN2「としても」attaches to the plain form and past tense of verbs, adjectives, and nouns, and simply expresses hypothetical concession; the following clause can express volition or judgment, without necessarily implying futility. 「たところで」attaches only to the verb ta-form, and its following clause is usually negative.
- にしたってN1「にしたって」is colloquial and attaches to nouns, adjectives, and the plain form of verbs; the following clause can express volition or blame, and it can also mean 'even someone.' 「たところで」attaches only to the verb ta-form, stressing that doing it is in vain, and its following clause is mostly negative. The two are similar only in their concessive meaning.
- たってN3「たって」is a colloquial general concession that attaches to verbs, adjectives, and nouns, and its following clause can take positive content such as volition; 「たところで」attaches only to the verb ta-form, and its following clause expresses futility or at most a limited result. They are interchangeable when expressing 'doing it is in vain.'
- ばそれまでだN1「ばそれまでだ」is placed at the end of the sentence, and its preceding item is a situation that, once it occurs, nullifies previous efforts; it attaches to verbs, adjectives, and nouns, and there is also the form「と言ってしまえばそれまでだ」. 「たところで」, by contrast, refers to the futility of the action performed itself.
としたって／としたところで and としても frame a hypothetical premise (としても can lead to any result), にしたって means "even for X," and たって is a casual equivalent of たところで. ばそれまでだ says that if X happens, everything is over, whereas たところで stresses that doing X is futile.
