When I read Japanese, I always instinctively translate “ても” as “even if” in my head, as this was the first translation I learned for the phrase.
An example would be 「何時間も勉強してもなかなかわからない。」- “Even if I study for hours, I can’t understand it.”
However, I know not all sentences that use this grammar would be translated this way.
An example I found is 「親友と言えるのは多くても五人くらいだ」- “Those I can call best friends are at most five people.”
Can someone explain the mechanics of “ても” that makes it fit into both of these sentences?
Or does anyone have a more general way of translating “ても” that they have found especially useful?