いくら～ても

The pattern いくら～ても expresses "no matter how much…" or "no matter how…". It is used when the result does not change regardless of the degree or amount of effort, action, or quality described in the first clause. The second clause typically states an outcome that is contrary to what one might expect.

With verbs

Use いくら + verb て-form + も to express that no matter how much one does something, the result remains the same.

With い-adjectives

Replace the final い with くても.

With な-adjectives and nouns

Use でも after the な-adjective stem or noun.

Nuance

This pattern emphasizes that the action or state has no effect on the outcome. It often conveys a sense of frustration, resignation, or surprise. It is stronger than simply using ても alone – the addition of いくら intensifies the meaning by stressing "no matter how much" or "to whatever degree."

A closely related expression is どんなに～ても, which has a very similar meaning. While いくら tends to emphasize quantity or degree ("how much"), どんなに tends to emphasize manner or extent ("how"), though they are often interchangeable.