いくら〜ても means "no matter how": however far the first part goes, the outcome stays the same. いくら comes first, and the word it covers takes ても: a verb's て-form plus , an い-adjective in くても, a な-adjective or a noun with でも.
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No matter how much I eat, I don't gain weight.
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No matter how expensive it is, I want to buy it.
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No matter how much you like it, you'd get tired of curry every day.
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No matter how rich someone is, it doesn't mean they're happy.
The second half is what you wouldn't expect after the first: effort with no result, a price that doesn't put you off. ても doesn't change for tense. The past goes on the end of the sentence.
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No matter how long I waited, the bus didn't come.
でも after a な-adjective or a noun
A な-adjective or a noun takes でも straight after it, with no な and no だ. An い-adjective never takes でも; it changes to くても.
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No matter how quiet it is, I can't relax in this room.
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No matter how famous you are, you won't be respected if your attitude is bad.
- × いくら静かなでも → いくら静かでも
- × いくら安いでも → いくら安くても
いくら, どんなに and たとえ
〜ても means the same and swaps freely with いくら. いくら leans towards amount and repetition: "however much", "however many times".
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No matter how expensive they are, I want these shoes.
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No matter how many times I ask, he won't help me.
〜ても is "even if": the first part is a supposition, not a degree.
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Even if it rains, I'll go.
Usage notes
These go beyond "no matter how".
いくらでも, "as much as you like"
With nothing between いくら and でも, いくらでも is a different expression: "any amount", "as much as you want".
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Have as many refills as you like.
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If it's time you need, I have plenty.
いくらなんでも
is a set phrase: "even allowing for everything". It comes before a complaint that something has gone past what is reasonable.
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That's going too far, whatever the circumstances.
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Three hours late is just too much.
Lingaku