“Even” can be used as either an adjective or an adverb, but keep in mind the meanings are different. As an adjective, “even” has several meanings including “uniform”, “flat”, “fair” or “equal”, among others. Here we will discuss the meanings and uses of “even” as an adverb. When used as an adverb in English, “even” expresses surprise or can be used to emphasize difference when making comparisons.
Grammatical Rules
1. “Even” is generally found before the verb which it modifies.
| |
My son loves to learn. He even studies on weekends and holidays.
|
| |
Even working 12 hour days, I wasn’t able to finish the project on time.
|
2. When it is found at the beginning of a clause, “even” refers to the subject.
| |
Even I know better than to try to change his mind.
|
| |
Even the best athletes can have bad days.
|
3. We can place “even” before other words we want to emphasize.
| |
I love their music, even the later albums which didn’t receive good reviews.
|
| |
He loves food. He’ll eat anything, even our mother’s cooking!
|
4. “Even” is used in the negative to express extremes in the the negative.
| |
I can’t even imagine what you must have thought when he told you the news.
|
| |
She’s very clumsy. She can’t even walk without tripping.
|
5. “Even” is used in comparisons for stress. The use of “even” is meant to add emphasis to the difference(s) between the objects being compared. In the case of comparisons, “even” is found before the adjective or adverb.
| |
My brother is very tall. He is even taller than my father.
|
| |
I know I talk a lot, but Andrew talks even more than me.
|
6. “Even”, when used with other words such as “though”, “if”, “so” or “when”, functions as a conjunction.
| |
Even though it was cloudy, we went to the beach.
|
| |
Even if I study a lot, I will never understand chemistry.
|
| |
He knew it was a bad idea. Even so, he drove home after having several drinks.
|
| |
Even when things seemed the worse, she was still optimistic.
|
Note: “Even so” is used in much the same way as “but” or “however”, though in using “even so” we are emphasizing the the fact that something is surprising, unusual or unexpected.
“Even” se puede utilizar como adjetivo o como adverbio, teniendo en cuenta que el significado es diferente. Como adjetivo, “even” tiene varios significados incluyendo “uniforme”, “plano”, “justo” o “igual”, entre otros. Aquí hablaremos de los significados y usos de “even” como adverbio. Generalmente se traduce como “incluso” o “hasta”. Cuando se utiliza como adverbio en inglés, “even” expresa sorpresa y puede utilizarse para enfatizar diferencias cuando hacemos comparaciones.
Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)
1. “Even” se encuentra generalmente antes del verbo al que modifica.
Ejemplos:
| |
My son loves to learn. He even studies on weekends and holidays.(A mi hijo le encanta aprender. Incluso estudia durante los fines de semana y fiestas.)
|
| |
Even working 12 hour days, I wasn’t able to finish the project on time.(Incluso trabajando 12 horas al día, no pude terminar el proyecto a tiempo.)
|
2. Cuando se encuentra al principio de una frase, “even” se refiere al sujeto.
Ejemplos:
| |
Even I know better than to try to change his mind.(Ni siquiera yo sé mejor que intentar cambiar su mente.)
|
| |
Even the best athletes can have bad days.(Incluso los mejores atletas pueden tener días malos.)
|
3. Podemos colocar “even” antes de otras palabras que queremos enfatizar.
Ejemplos:
| |
I love their music, even the later albums which didn’t receive good reviews.(Me encanta su música, hasta los álbumes que no recibieron buenas críticas.)
|
| |
He loves food. He’ll eat anything, even our mother’s cooking!(Le encanta la comida. Comerá cualquier cosa, ¡incluso la comida que hace nuestra madre!)
|
4. “Even” se utiliza en frases negativas para expresar extremos negativos.
Ejemplos:
| |
I can’t even imagine what you must have thought when he told you the news.(Ni puedo imaginar lo que debe haber pensado cuando te dijo la noticia.)
|
| |
She’s very clumsy. She can’t even walk without tripping.(Es muy torpe. No puede ni caminar sin tropezar.)
|
5. “Even” se usa en comparaciones para dar énfasis. El uso de “even” añade énfasis a la diferencia entre objetos comparados. En estos casos de comparaciones, “even” se encuentra antes del adjetivo o adverbio.
Ejemplos:
| |
My brother is very tall. He is even taller than my father.(Mi hermano es muy alto. Es incluso más alto que mi padre.)
|
| |
I know I talk a lot, but Andrew talks even more than me.(Sé que hablo mucho, pero Andrew habla incluso más que yo.)
|
6. Cuando se utiliza con otras palabras como “though”, “if”, “so” o “when”, “even” funciona como una conjunción.
Ejemplos:
| |
Even though it was cloudy, we went to the beach.(Aunque estaba nublado, fuimos a la playa.)
|
| |
Even if I study a lot, I will never understand chemistry.(Incluso si estudio mucho, nunca entenderé química.)
|
| |
He knew it was a bad idea. Even so, he drove home after having several drinks.(Él sabía que era una mala idea. Aún así, él condujo después de haber tomado varias copas.)
|
| |
Even when things seemed the worse, she was still optimistic.(Aun cuando las cosas parecían lo peor, todavía era optimista.)
|
Nota: “Even so” se usa de un modo más o menos igual que “but” o “however”, aunque en la utilización de “even so” enfaticemos el hecho de que algo es sorprendente, extraño o inesperado.
