と言(い)ってもいいYou could say, You might say

Structure

Verb + といってもいい
［い］Adjective + といってもいい
［な］Adjective + （だ） + といってもいい
Noun + （だ） + といってもいい

Details

About といってもいい

と言(い)ってもいい is a common expression in Japanese which literally means 'even if you say (A), it is good/ok'. This is translated more naturally as 'you could say (A)', or 'you might say (A)'.

As the と at the beginning of the phrase is the 'quotation' use of the と particle, と言(い)ってもいい may be used after almost any statement that the speaker wants to quote.

Fun Fact

Most grammatical structures in Japanese that use 言(い)う will often appear without kanji. This is simply to make them easier to recognize as a grammar pattern, rather than a standard word in a sentence. This is also true for patterns that include 行(い)く, or 来(く)る.

Synonyms

Examples

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このワインは飲(の)みやすいといってもいい。

One might say that this is a palatable wine.

彼(かれ)はとてもいい人(ひと)だといってもいいです。

You might say that he is a very good person.

あの子(こ)は、魚(さかな)のように泳(およ)げるといってもいいです。

You might say that that kid can swim like a fish.

彼(かれ)は全然(ぜんぜん)日本語(にほんご)が出来(でき)ないといってもいい。

You could say that he can't speak a word of Japanese.

あの二人(ふたり)が付(つ)き合(あ)っているといってもいいだろう。

You might say that they are together. (Dating)

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といってもいい – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (3 in total)

deltacat3
In this example sentence has me a little stumped…

彼は早くて、ウサイン・ボルトに勝てると言ってもいい。
You could say that he is fast enough to beat Usain Bolt.

Why is Usain Bolt marked by the particle に, and why is 勝つ “to win” in the progressive tense?
Before enabling translation I read this as “You could say he is fast and beating Usain Bolt”.

I hope I am not asking to many questions, thank you in advance!
Pushindawood
@deltacat3 「だれだれに勝つ」 means “to beat someone” or “win against someone.” “勝てる” is not the progressive tense but the potential form of 勝つ. So, 「ウサイン・ボルトに勝つ」 means “to beat Usain Bolt” or “to win against Usain Bolt.” 「ウサイン・ボルトに勝てる」therefore means “to be able to win against Usain Bolt” or “to be able to beat Usain Bolt.” Cheers!

P.S. に負ける means “to lose against.” So, 「ウサイン・ボルトに負けない」 could also work, as it means “to not lose to Usain Bolt.”
kariforuniajin
Great breakdown!