90501
I came across this sentence watching March Comes In Like a Lion. I'll
transcribe it to the best of my ability: ([here's the episode
though](https://www.crunchyroll.com/march-comes-in-like-a-
lion/episode-16-chapter-32-running-through-the-night-chapter-33-middle-of-the-
slope-728011), and the quote happens at 5:46)

> 僕【ぼく】は遠慮【えんりょ】することにばかり気【き】をつけて、実【じつ】は彼女【かのじょ】たちに頼【たよ】られたことって **一回【いっかい】だって**
> 。そうだ。 **一回【いっかい】だって** 。

This is the translation in the subtitles:

> I'd been careful not to presume on their kindness, but actually, they've
> **never** depended on me for anything. That's right. **Not even once**.

My best guess is that it's basically an incomplete sentence, with some implied
conclusion that makes so much sense / is so common that it just gets dropped?
If that's not the case, I just don't get where the "not" and "never" would
come from. Any help would be appreciated!
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2021-09-25T04:15:17.813
90499
2021-09-25T06:27:01.993
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question
translation negation polarity-items
How does 一回だって in this sentence mean "not even once" when there's no negative?
See
[デジタル大辞泉（小学館）](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E3%81%A0%E3%81%A3%E3%81%A6/)

> ［係助］《断定の助動詞「だ」に係助詞「とて」の付いた「だとて」の音変化という》名詞・副詞、一部の助詞に付く。「でも」に似るが、語調がより強い。
>
> 疑問・不定を表す語、または、数量・程度を表す語に付いて、例外なくそうである意を表す。…でも。…も。「だれだって知っている」「一度だって姿を見せない」

だって has multiple meanings. In this usage, there is a strong sense of "even
that" where that could refer to an amount, a degree, or anything along those
lines. 「一度だってないのだ！」= (literally) there is not even once = Not even once
(something has happened)

ない is omitted in that line from the anime, but I am not sure how commonly this
kind of omission occurs.
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2021-09-25T05:45:34.627
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answer
The だって in your example means:

> だって 〘副助〙  
>  ❹《最小を表す語に付いて、下に打ち消しの語を伴って》全面的否定を表す。…も。  
>  「こんな会社は一日 **だって** 我慢でき **ない** 」 「わずか **だって** ミスは許され **ない** 」  
>  (明鏡国語辞典)

Used in this sense, だって(≈も) is always followed by negation. eg

> 「一回 **だってない** 。」「一度 **もない** 。」  
>  （*「一回だってある。」 *「一度もある。」 ← incorrect)

And you can see 一回だって/一度も "even once" as a [negative polarity
item](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/16060/9831). From the linked
answer:

> Unlike English, Japanese is verb-final, and negation usually comes toward
> the end of a sentence. Many Japanese NPIs appear early, and they're often
> signals that a negative predicate is coming up:
>

>> ​ 7a. ​ 決して忘れたりしない。  
>  ​ 7b. *決して忘れたりする。
>
> In many cases, this signal is strong enough that you can leave out the
> actual part of the predicate containing the negation (as long as it can be
> inferred from context): ​
>

>> 8a. ちっとも変わらない。  
>  ​8b. ちっとも。

Similarly, with 一回だって/一度も the predicate containing the negation can often be
left out:

> 「行ったことあったっけ？」 -- 「一度も。」/「一回も。」  
>  "Have you been there before?" -- "No, not even once."  
>  「疑ったことなど、これまでに一度だって！」  
>  "I have never doubted even once!"
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answer