kad ir kas / kad ir kaip

Whatever and However with Kad Ir

Level 5

Kad ir + a question word means whatever, however, wherever and so on: Kad ir kas atsitiktų, būsiu šalia. (Whatever happens, I will be there.) The main clause stays true, no matter what happens.

How It Works

The question words

  • kad ir kas: whatever, whoever
  • kad ir kaip: however, no matter how
  • kad ir kur: wherever
  • kad ir kada: whenever
  • kad ir kiek: however much, however many
  • kad ir koks: whatever kind, however good or bad

Kas, koks and kiek take the case their own clause needs: Kad ir ką sakytum, aš neisiu. (Whatever you say, I am not going.) Here sakyti needs an object, so kas becomes ką. See Case Forms of Kas.

Conditional or ordinary tense?

  • Open possibility: Kad ir kur gyventum, rašyk man. (Wherever you live, write to me.)
  • Real fact: Kad ir kaip stengiausi, nepavyko. (However hard I tried, it did not work.)

See The Conditional Mood.

With be-
The conditional verb often adds the prefix be-, which can emphasize the open range of possibilities: kad ir kur bebūtum (wherever you may be). The same shape also works without kad ir: Ką bedarytum, daryk gerai. (Whatever you do, do it well.)

Kad ir before a single word
Before a single word or phrase, kad ir means even if or even: Užsuk, kad ir trumpam. (Drop by, even if only for a moment.)

Do not confuse
Bet kas means anyone or anything at all. It is a word inside a sentence: Tai gali padaryti bet kas. (Anyone can do that.) Kad ir kas starts a whole clause. For a single condition, use net jei (even if).

Examples (6)

  1. Kad ir kas atsitiktų, būsiu šalia.

    Whatever happens, I will be there for you.

    Word by Word: That and what would-happen, I-will-be nearby.

  2. Kad ir kaip stengiausi, nepavyko.

    However hard I tried, it did not work.

    Word by Word: That and how I-tried, not-succeeded.

  3. Kad ir kur gyventum, rašyk man.

    Wherever you live, write to me.

    Word by Word: That and where you-would-live, write to-me.

  4. Kad ir ką sakytum, aš neisiu.

    Whatever you say, I am not going.

    Word by Word: That and what you-would-say, I not-will-go.

    Sakyti needs an object, so kas becomes ką.

  5. Kad ir koks būtų oras, eisime į žygį.

    Whatever the weather, we will go hiking.

    Word by Word: That and what-kind would-be weather, we-will-go on hike.

  6. Užsuk, kad ir trumpam.

    Drop by, even if only for a moment.

    Word by Word: Drop-by, that and briefly.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out ir.

    Kad kas atsitiktų, būsiu šalia.
    Kad ir kas atsitiktų, būsiu šalia.

    The speaker means whatever happens. Without ir, kad kas atsitiktų reads like so that something happens, which is a different meaning.

  • Using bet kas to start a whatever clause.

    Bet kas atsitiktų, būsiu šalia.
    Kad ir kas atsitiktų, būsiu šalia.

    Bet kas is a pronoun meaning anything at all. It cannot start a clause of concession; kad ir kas does that job.

  • Keeping kas in the nominative when the verb needs an object.

    Kad ir kas sakytum, aš neisiu.
    Kad ir ką sakytum, aš neisiu.

    Sakyti takes an accusative object, so kas must become ką.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

kad ir kas / kad ir kaipLevel 5Whatever and However with Kad Ir

Learn This First

Kad ir with a question word expresses a concession over any possible value.

Words in This Pattern