Using the French Phrase "Quand Même"

Quand même, pronounced ka(n) mehm, is a versatile adverbial expression, one of the most common in the French language, that means many things: "anyway," "even so," "all the same," "nevertheless," "really," "finally," "how about that!"

"Quand Même" and Its Synonyms

In France, you'd hear the useful adverbial phrase quand même several times a day, every day, and each time you might deduce a new meaning. "Even so" seems to be one of the most frequent meanings, one that quand même shares with tout de même, although you hear quand même more often.

A synonym in the sense of "all the same" or "even so" is the adverbial phrase malgré tout. That said, quand même is also a conjunction (along with quand bien même) meaning "even if" or "even though," as in: "We're coming even if we're late."  

Examples of 'Quand Même' as Adverbial Expression

• C'était quand même bien.
  "It was still good. / It was good all the same."
• Je pense qu'il ne viendra pas, mais je l'inviterai quand même.
  "I don't think he'll come, but I'll invite him all the same."
• Tu pourrais faire attention quand même !
  "You really should be more careful!"
• J'avais peur, mais je l'ai fait quand même.
  "I was afraid, but I did it anyway."
• Merci quand même.
  "Thanks anyway.
• C'est quand même difficile.
  "All the same / Even so / Actually / Still, it's really hard."
• Quand même !
  "Really! / Honestly!" (disbelief, outrage)
• Je suis enceinte.
  "I'm pregnant.​"
• Quand même !
  "How about that!"
• Oui, mais quand même !
  "Yes, but still!"
• Quel idiot, quand même !
  "Really, what an idiot!"
• Elle est polie, quand même.
  "At least she's polite."
• Quand même, tu aurais pu me prévenir !
  "Hey, you could have warned me!"
• Tu ne vas pas sécher les cours, quand même !
  "Come on, you're not really going to play hooky!"
• Il ne veut pas vivre seul quand même.
  "He doesn't want to live alone, does he?" (rhetorical)
• Tu as nettoyé ta chambre quand même.
  "You finally cleaned your room."
• Tu aurais dû quand même me consulter.
  "Even if I wouldn't have agreed, you should still have consulted me."
• Cela semble évident mais attention quand même.
  "This seems obvious, but be careful anyway."
• Pas trop quand même, grâce à toi.
  "Not too much though, thanks to you."