# even



## Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I was wondering how I can correctly express "even" as in

It would be improper to even mention the thing.

-- Asian edes huomauttaminen olisi epäasiallainen. (?)

Have you even tried?

-- Olitko edes yrittänyt? (?)


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## Finland

Hello!

Olisi epäasiallista edes huomauttaa asiasta.

Oletko edes yrittänyt? (Olitko edes yrittänyt = Had you even tried)

HTH
S


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## akana

Would _jopa_ work in these contexts? I know _edes_ and _jopa_ are sometimes used in different contexts, but I have never been able to pin it down very well.


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## Finland

Hello!

Edes is used in mostly in "optative" sentences: Anna edes kymmenen euroa, Voisit edes sanoa kiitos, Jäisit edes hetkeksi juttelemaan etc. In negative sentences, it means more or less the same as "even" in English: Eikö sinulla ole edes jääkaappia, En ole edes uinut koko kesänä etc.

Jopa is mainly used to denote "even" in affirmative sentences: Olen käynyt jopa oopperassa, Hän osaa jopa kiinaa etc.

"Oletko jopa yrittänyt" is not entirely impossible, albeit rather improbable. Whereas "Oletko edes yrittänyt" translates naturally as "Have you even tried" (and feels somehow negative, in a way that the speaker doubts whether the other one has tried at all), "Oletko jopa yrittänyt" could be uttered in a situation where the speaker knows the other one has made an attempt and asks, more encouragingly, "Oh wow, you've even tried (too bad that it still didn't work)". This difference is a bit difficult to explain, but hopefully this shed a little more light on the issue.

HTH
S


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## liisahp

It's a matter of tone of voice etc, but to my ear the phrase "Oletko jopa yrittänyt" would sound sarcastic, "Oh wow, so you actually managed to try".


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