はもちろん (wa mochiron)
~はもちろん — “not to mention ~ / of course ~”
Pattern
-
名詞A+はもちろん、名詞B+もA of course, and B as well -
名詞A+はもちろん(のこと)、…A is a given (also written Aはもちろんのこと)
Obvious first, then more
A is what everyone would expect; B is the surprising or wider addition. 英語はもちろん、フランス語も話せる: English is natural, and French too.
Connection and point of view
A is a noun (a verb needs の or こと). B usually has も or まで after it. The speaker stresses that the range reaches B as well, so both A and B are true.
Difference from だけでなく
~だけでなく~も is neutral. ~はもちろん treats A as too obvious to explain and so sounds more emphatic. Write it with the hiragana もちろん; it is the same word as the adverb “of course”.
Examples
-
彼(かれ)は英語(えいご)はもちろん、フランス語(ご)も話(はな)せる。
Kare wa eigo wa mochiron, furansugo mo hanaseru.
He can speak French, not to mention English.
English is the given; French is the added surprise.
-
この公園(こうえん)は、子(こ)どもはもちろん、大人(おとな)にも人気(にんき)がある。
Kono kouen wa, kodomo wa mochiron, otona ni mo ninki ga aru.
This park is popular with adults, not to mention children.
-
週末(しゅうまつ)はもちろん、平日(へいじつ)もこの店(みせ)は混(こ)んでいる。
Shuumatsu wa mochiron, heijitsu mo kono mise wa konde iru.
This shop is crowded on weekdays too, not to mention weekends.
Common mistakes
- A should really be the obvious one. Putting the surprising item first sounds wrong.
- B normally needs も or まで. Dropping it makes the sentence feel unfinished.
More grammar points
- ばよかった ~ばよかった — I should have ~, if only I had ~
- ばかりで ~ばかりで — only ~ (and nothing else, with a negative feeling)
- ばかりでなく ~ばかりでなく — not only ~ but also ~
- だけでなく ~だけでなく — not only ~ but also ~
- だけど だけど — but, however (casual)
- ふりをする ~ふりをする — pretending to ~
- 一方(いっぽう)だ ~一方だ — keeps ~ing in one direction
- 一体(いったい) 一体 — what on earth ~ (emphasizing a question)
- じゃない ~じゃない — isn't it ~! (surprise or confirmation)
- か何(なに)か ~か何か — ~ or something
- 代(か)わりに ~代わりに — instead of ~, in return for ~
- 結局(けっきょく) 結局 — in the end, after all
- きり ~きり — only ~; ever since ~
- っけ ~っけ — was it ~? (recalling)
- ことになっている ~ことになっている — it is the rule or plan that ~
- ことは~が ~ことは~が — it is true that ~, but ~
- くせに ~くせに — even though ~ (with reproach)
- も~ば~も A も ~ば B も ~ — both A and B
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