Although this won't be the last time that you learn about the particle mo も, this lesson will introduce you to its most important usages.
The adverbial particle mo も follows nouns to mean "also/too." Similarly to what happens when these two English words are used heavily in conversation, the particle mo も often helps soften the tone of a sentence.
This particle must never be used immediately after the particles ga が or wa は. Whenever it is after a noun that functions as a subject and/or topic, these particles are thought of as simply not being spoken. Usually, the particle mo もis not used after the particle wo either; however, you will see the combination “wo mo をも” in contexts such as older literature.
1. (お)天気もいいですね。
O-tenki mo ii desu ne.
The weather's good, too.
2. 僕もお腹が空いた。
Boku mo onaka ga suita.
I too am hungry.
3. 東京も京都も雨です。
Tōkyō mo Kyōto mo ame desu.
There's rain in Tokyo and in Kyoto.
4. 成功も成功、大成功だ。
Seikō mo seikō, daiseikō da.
What a success, it was a great success.
Similarly to the contrastive wa は, the particle mo も may also emphasize sheer lack in negative sentences, or sheer intensity in positive sentences.
5. あのコンピューターは5万円もかからない。
Ano kompyūtā wa goman’en mo kakaranai.
That computer doesn't even cost 50,000 yen.
6. 一センチも動かない。
Issenchi mo ugokanai.
To not move even a centimeter.
7. 五時間も待った。
Gojikan mo matta.
I waited at least/about five hours.
Particle Note: In Ex. 7, mo も here implies perhaps a much longer wait, that is, you've already waited "at least five hours" and the wait has become unreasonable. This same logic can also explain Ex. 5. Here, it's implied that the cost of such a computer doesn't even exceed 50,000 yen. Since this equates roughly to $500, we can imagine that any much higher than that would be an exuberant price without the quality of the PC being far higher than standard expectations. In both cases, mo も is seen after some counter phrase.
弘法にも筆の誤り。
Anyone can make a mistake. (Proverb)
Culture Note: 弘法 was an outstanding master at writing, but even he made mistakes.
老いも若きも感動した。
Everyone was moved.
Literally: Even the young and old were moved.