How to Use だって

みなさん、こんにちは。

I uploaded a short video on YouTube today, which is about how to use だって at the beginning of a sentence.

https://youtube.com/shorts/sITD7YHxseI

だって at the beginning shows the reason. And it is only used when responding.

またその色の服買ったの？（Did you buy clothes in that color again?）

だって、半額だったんだよ。(It was half price, so.)

Sometimes, using だって at the beginning can sound childish, especially when used with だもん because it sounds like an excuse or justification.

またYouTube見てるの？ (Are you watching YouTube again?)

だって私、YouTuberだから研究しなくちゃなんだもん。 (I’m a YouTuber, so I need to research.)

Using 'だって' too much can make you come across as the type of person who always makes excuses.

However, when だって is used at the end of a sentence, it has a different meaning.

「田中さん、まだ来てない？」(Hasn’t Tanaka-san arrived yet?)

「田中さん、今日これないんだって。」 (I hear that she can't come today.)

This use of だって is a casual version of んですって and it expresses hearsay.

Another way of using だって is adding it right after a noun. And it means “even” or “too”.

私だってやりたくないよ。（I don’t want to do it either.）

先生だってまちがえることはあるよ。

(Even teachers make mistakes.）

Have a great day!