# さえ



## Steven2

あの学生は漢字は言うまでもなく、平仮名、片仮名さえ知らない。
What does さえmean here?


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## Ume

さえ means "even."

・・・さえ知らない＝ _Someone_ doesn't even know ...


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## Steven2

How about さえ in 結果さえよければいいというわけではない?


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## Ume

Steven2 said:


> How about さえ in 結果さえよければいいというわけではない?


 
Here, I think that 結果さえ means "only 結果."


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## Biel Isern

It is had to translate or to explain the meaning. 
Let's turn it into afirmative:
結果さえよければいい　As long as we obtain good results we'll be fine or as long as the results are good is fine
Then let's see in the negative sentence:
結果さえよければいいというわけではない Even if we obtain good results is not fine. Is not fine just to obtain good results. 
Well I don't know how to translate it, but hopefully you can get the newance


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## Aoyama

> ・・・さえ知らない＝ [_Someone_] doesn't even know ...


right.
Often, もis used to reinforce the negation : ...さえ*も*知らない...


> 結果さえよければ


 If at least the result(s) is (are) good ...


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## Ume

ニューセンチュリー和英辞典　さえ
http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%81%95%E3%81%88&dtype=3&stype=1&dname=2ss
プログレッシブ和英中辞典　さえ
http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=さえ&dtype=3&stype=1&dname=2na&pagenum=1&index=01639500

いろんな「さえ」が見られますよ！(^_^)


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## Dheara

さえ changes it's meaning depending on what comes before or after it.
Anyway, 
さえ is an emphatic particle, meanig "even", but, for example:
(ただ）～さえVBば ＝if (you) only do (this)~; (you) only need to do this 
(ただ）～さえVBばいい＝It's OK/enough if you only do this

a. これさえ読んでしまえば…＝If you finish reading only this...
b. これを読みさえしてしまえば…（the most commonly used!)＝ If you finish only reading this
c. これを読んでさえしまえば…　＝ If you finish only reading this...
d. これを読んでしまいさえすれば…= If you only finish reading this...


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## Steven2

これを読んでしまいさえすれば
しまい is negative,but your translation doesn't convey this negation,right?


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## Aoyama

> a. これさえ読んでしまえば…＝If you finish reading only this...
> b. これを読みさえしてしまえば…（the most commonly used!)＝ If you finish only reading this
> c. これを読んでさえしまえば…　＝ If you finish only reading this...
> d. これを読んでしまいさえすれば…= If you only finish reading this...


these are interesting examples, but the key word (verb) here is しまう, literally "end up (with)", but having many "idiosyncratical" meanings in Japanese, sometimes "being able to manage, to do something".
I am not sure that examples a,b,c,d really have different meanings (to be argued, maybe), the meaning being :
. if you manage to read at least this ...



> しまい is negative


 no, it is not. Not to be confused with し*な*い.


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## Steven2

Thank you for correcting my mistake.


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## Dheara

Well, I translated from my native language to English...
there were also a few examples without しまう given by my teacher, but on the previous page in my notebook:

これさえ読めば…。if you read only this (than you don't need to read the whole book).
これを読みさえすれば…。if you read only this...

この薬を飲みさえすれば、元気になる！If you only drink this medicine, than you'll get well。

Anyway, 「～さえ＋VBば～」 is a conditional grammatical structure


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## Aoyama

Your translation is pertinent (in Romanian or in English).
In fact, one may explain this also this way :
これさえ読めば…。You just have to read this/reading this will be enough (than you don't need to read the whole book).
これを読みさえすれば…。if you read only this../just by reading this 
この薬を飲みさえすれば、元気になる！If you only drink this medicine,/just [by] drinking ... [than] you'll get well/will make you get better。


> Anyway, 「～さえ＋VBば～」 is a conditional grammatical structure


true, with an added condition (as you said) "just", "only". Just by doing that, if you just do that, if only you do/would ...


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