ても始まらない|てもはじまらない

JLPT N3approx.Casual
Meaning

Expresses that doing or being a certain way will not help or change the situation: “It’s no use ~.” It can lead into a suggestion to do something more constructive.

Formation
Verb (te-form)+も始まらない後悔しても始まらない、焦っても始まらない
i-adj. くて+も始まらない
na-adj. で+も始まらない
Noun で+も始まらない
Colloquial variantVerb (ta-form)+って始まらない言ったって始まらない
Examples
There’s no use regretting it now. Let’s try harder next time.
Panicking here won’t get us anywhere, so let’s calm down and think it through.
Usage

Conversational in tone, it is used when regretting or panicking will solve nothing, often before a more constructive suggestion. It is close to ても仕方がない, but emphasizes that nothing productive will come of the action or state.

Watch out

Note that 始まらない does not literally mean “will not start” in this expression.

Do not replace 始まらない with 始めない; the expression uses 始まる.

Easily confused with
  • たところでN1たところで attaches to the た-form of a verb and introduces a following clause stating that the result will not change or will at best be limited, with a register that leans written. ても始まらない, by contrast, serves as the predicate that ends the sentence, leans colloquial, and is often used to advise someone to stop regretting or panicking.
  • ばそれまでだN1ばそれまでだ uses ば/なら to attach to verbs, adjectives, or nouns and says that once a certain situation occurs, all previous efforts are wasted—or that a certain remark makes the topic difficult to develop further—with a neutral register. It cannot be interchanged with ても始まらない.
  • 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 is a hypothetical concession that can attach to verbs, adjectives, or nouns and can also indicate a person's stance, with the result stated separately in the following clause. ても始まらない attaches only to verbs and itself means 'it's no use.'
  • にしたってN1にしたって is a concessive connective that can attach to verbs, adjectives, nouns, and more, and its following clause can freely express judgment, volition, or dissatisfaction. ても始まらない is a fixed expression that attaches only to verbs with the fixed meaning 'it's no use,' so the two cannot be interchanged.

ても始まらない judges an action or state unproductive; たところで and としたって / としたところで frame an “even if” condition, while にしたって can mean “even for” or “even if.” ばそれまでだ instead means that if something happens, that is the end of it.

Grammar · JLPT grammar levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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