At a glance
AともBとも means something cannot clearly be called A or B: "you can't say it's A, and you can't say it's B." It is usually followed by 言えない, つかない, or 取れる.
A とも B とも ＋ 言えない / つかない / 取れる
結果は成功とも失敗とも言えない。 The result can't be called either a success or a failure.
How to form it
Here とも is the quotative particle と (as in ～と言う) plus も "also". So Aとも言えない is "can't say it's A either", and AともBとも言えない is "can't say it's A, nor can one say it's B".
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Noun ＋ とも | 成功とも失敗とも |
| な-adjective | Stem ＋ とも | 好きとも嫌いとも |
| い-adjective | Plain form ＋ とも | 暑いとも寒いとも |
| Verb | Plain form ＋ とも | 行くとも行かないとも |
Common endings:
| Ending | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ～とも言えない | can't say it's A or B |
| ～ともつかない | hard to tell whether it's A or B |
| ～とも取れる | can be taken as either A or B |
| ～とも言わない | doesn't say (whether) A or B |