42979
[This Q&A](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/34564/what-is-the-
meaning-of-%E8%AA%AD%E3%82%80%E3%81%AB%E3%81%AF%E8%AA%AD%E3%82%93%E3%81%A0),
explains the form vるにはvた. However, when speaking with some Japanese friends I
noticed that they are more likely to use 読んだには読んだ instead of 読むには読んだ. Is that
a spoken-language usage?

By the way, they perfectly understand what I want to mean if I use 読むには読んだ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2017-01-29T01:56:34.393
42976
2022-03-16T05:40:03.683
2022-03-16T05:40:03.683
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question
grammar word-choice
VたにはVた　VS　VるにはVた
読んだには読んだ and 読むには読んだ feel exactly the same to me. I personally feel the latter
form is a bit more common, but they're both perfectly natural. Note that the
first verb never takes ます when you are speaking politely.

  * 見るには見た。
  * 見たには見た。
  * 見るには見ました。
  * 見たには見ました。
  * [×] 見ますには見ました。
  * [×] 見ましたには見ました。

Regarding formality, this には sounds a bit stiff. When talking with friends,
読むには読んだ is okay, but more casual wordings such as "読みはした" and
"読む[っちゃ](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/39630/5010)読んだ" tend to be
preferred.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-29T02:14:24.437
42979
2017-01-29T02:14:24.437
2017-04-13T12:43:44.397
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answer