Two of the most useful things you can say about events are "this happened even though something worked against it" and "this happened in order to bring something about." Russian marks the first relation — concession — with conjunctions like хотя́ and несмотря́ на то что, and the second — purpose — with что́бы and its formal expansion для того́ что́бы. English speakers reliably trip on two points here: whether despite attaches to a noun or to a clause (different grammar in Russian), and the fact that что́бы behaves completely differently depending on whether the purpose-clause shares its subject with the main clause. This page sorts both out.
Concession: хотя and friends
A concessive clause grants a point that should have blocked the main event, then reports that the main event happened anyway. The workhorse is хотя́ ("although, though"). It introduces a full subordinate clause and is followed by a comma before the main clause.
Хотя́ бы́ло уже́ по́здно, мы реши́ли пойти́ погуля́ть.
Although it was already late, we decided to go for a walk. — the lateness should have stopped us; it didn't.
Он купи́л э́ту маши́ну, хотя́ де́нег у него́ почти́ не́ было.
He bought that car, although he had almost no money. — the concession can follow the main clause too.
The colloquial short form хоть means the same as хотя́ in speech, but stays out of careful writing:
Хоть и уста́л, я всё равно́ дочита́л главу́.
Even though I was tired, I still finished the chapter. — (informal) хоть with the common pairing хоть … и … всё равно́.
When the concession is a single noun rather than a whole clause, Russian uses несмотря́ на + the accusative case (literally "not looking at"). When it is a full clause, it expands to несмотря́ на то, что ("despite the fact that"). This split is the single most error-prone point on the page, so it gets its own section below.
Two more concessive signals work as parenthetical bridges between sentences rather than as subordinating conjunctions:
- всё равно́ — "anyway, all the same" (informal-to-neutral), placed inside the main clause.
- тем не ме́нее — "nevertheless, none the less" (formal), usually at the head of the second sentence.
Мне говори́ли, что э́то опа́сно. Я тем не ме́нее реши́л попро́бовать.
I was told it was dangerous. I nevertheless decided to try. — (formal) тем не ме́нее bridges two independent sentences.
несмотря на + accusative versus несмотря на то, что
Here is the rule, stated flatly because there is no way around it:
- A noun phrase → несмотря́ на
- accusative: несмотря́ на дождь (despite the rain), несмотря́ на уста́лость (despite the tiredness).
- A whole clause → несмотря́ на то, что
- clause: несмотря́ на то, что шёл дождь (despite the fact that it was raining).
English hides this distinction because despite and in spite of take a noun (despite the rain) and English switches to despite the fact that or even though for a clause almost as a stylistic choice. Russian makes the switch grammatically obligatory: you physically cannot put a clause directly after несмотря́ на — the то is the placeholder that lets a что-clause attach.
Несмотря́ на дождь, матч не отмени́ли.
Despite the rain, the match wasn't cancelled. — несмотря́ на + accusative noun (дождь).
Несмотря́ на то, что шёл си́льный дождь, матч не отмени́ли.
Despite the fact that it was raining hard, the match wasn't cancelled. — несмотря́ на то, что + a full clause.
Note the comma sitting before что, not before то — несмотря́ на то, что is a fixed frame and the comma falls inside it. (You will also see it written несмотря́ на то что with no internal comma; both are accepted by current Russian punctuation norms, but the comma-before-что version is the more common in print.)
Purpose: чтобы and для того чтобы
A purpose clause answers "what for?" — it states the goal the main action serves. The conjunction is что́бы ("in order to, so that"). Its grammar splits on one question: does the purpose clause have the same subject as the main clause, or a different one?
Same subject → чтобы + infinitive
If the person doing the main action is the same person who achieves the goal, что́бы is followed by the infinitive. There is no second subject because it would just repeat the first.
Я встал ра́но, что́бы успе́ть на по́езд.
I got up early in order to catch the train. — same subject (I get up / I catch), so что́бы + infinitive (успе́ть).
Что́бы вы́учить язы́к, ну́жно говори́ть на нём ка́ждый день.
In order to learn a language, you have to speak it every day. — the purpose clause leads; что́бы + infinitive.
Different subject → чтобы + past tense
If the goal is for someone else to do something, что́бы is followed by a verb in the past tense — regardless of when the action actually happens. This is the same что́бы you meet after verbs of wanting and demanding (see subordinate чтобы). The past-tense form here is not really "past" in meaning — it is the form Russian uses for an unreal, willed, not-yet-fact action.
Я закры́л окно́, что́бы де́ти не простуди́лись.
I closed the window so that the children wouldn't catch cold. — different subject (I close / children catch cold), so что́бы + past (простуди́лись).
Учи́тель говори́т ме́дленно, что́бы все его́ понима́ли.
The teacher speaks slowly so that everyone understands him. — different subject; что́бы + past (понима́ли), even though the meaning is present/ongoing.
This is why, in a purpose clause, you will never see что́бы followed by a future-tense verb: the "future-feeling" willed action is carried by the past-tense form. This is a frequent collision point with the rules on the future in subordinate clauses — after что́бы the future simply isn't an option.
для того чтобы — the formal expansion
Для того́, что́бы ("for the purpose that / in order that") is a heavier, more formal variant of что́бы. It is favoured in writing and official style, and it can lend emphasis ("for the express purpose of…"). It follows the same same-subject/different-subject split.
Для того́ что́бы получи́ть ви́зу, ну́жно собра́ть мно́го докуме́нтов.
In order to obtain a visa, you need to gather many documents. — (formal) для того́ что́бы + infinitive, same impersonal subject.
чтобы не — "lest, so as not to"
Что́бы … не expresses a negative purpose — acting in order to prevent an outcome. English uses "so as not to," "in order not to," or the bookish "lest."
Говори́ ти́ше, что́бы не разбуди́ть ребёнка.
Speak more quietly so as not to wake the baby. — negative purpose, same subject: что́бы не + infinitive.
The distinguishing insight: что́бы is a chameleon
The deep point about что́бы is that it is not really a purpose conjunction at all — it is Russian's all-purpose marker for an action that is wanted, willed, or aimed at rather than asserted as a fact. That single idea explains everything that confuses English speakers. After verbs of wishing (я хочу́, что́бы…), it takes the past tense because the wished-for action is not yet real. In a purpose clause with a different subject (что́бы де́ти не простуди́лись), it takes the past tense for the same reason — the children's not-catching-cold is the goal, not an established fact. And in a same-subject purpose clause it collapses to the infinitive precisely because there is no second person whose un-real action needs marking. Once you see что́бы as "the un-real, aimed-at mood" rather than "the word for in order to," the infinitive-versus-past split stops looking arbitrary: infinitive when there is no one new to attach the willed action to, past tense the moment a second subject appears.
Common Mistakes
❌ Несмотря́ на то, что дождь, матч не отмени́ли.
Wrong — дождь is a bare noun, so it needs несмотря́ на + accusative (несмотря́ на дождь), not the clause frame несмотря́ на то, что.
✅ Несмотря́ на дождь, матч не отмени́ли.
Despite the rain, the match wasn't cancelled.
❌ Несмотря́ на шёл дождь, матч не отмени́ли.
Wrong — a full clause (шёл дождь) cannot follow несмотря́ на directly; it needs the то placeholder: несмотря́ на то, что шёл дождь.
✅ Несмотря́ на то, что шёл дождь, матч не отмени́ли.
Despite the fact that it was raining, the match wasn't cancelled.
❌ Я закры́л окно́, что́бы де́ти не простуди́тся.
Wrong — with a different subject, что́бы takes the past tense (простуди́лись), never a present or future form.
✅ Я закры́л окно́, что́бы де́ти не простуди́лись.
I closed the window so that the children wouldn't catch cold.
❌ Я встал ра́но, что́бы я успе́л на по́езд.
Redundant — when the subject is the same, drop the repeated я and use что́бы + infinitive: что́бы успе́ть.
✅ Я встал ра́но, что́бы успе́ть на по́езд.
I got up early in order to catch the train.
❌ Хотя́ бы́ло по́здно, но мы пошли́ гуля́ть.
Over-marked — Russian does not pair хотя́ with a following но the way English can pair 'although' with nothing. Use хотя́ alone (or, more colloquially, the но without хотя́).
✅ Хотя́ бы́ло по́здно, мы пошли́ гуля́ть.
Although it was late, we went for a walk.
Key Takeaways
- Concession = "against expectation." Everyday: хотя́ (+ clause), colloquial хоть. Bridging: всё равно́ (informal), тем не ме́нее (formal).
- Despite a noun → несмотря́ на + accusative (несмотря́ на дождь). Despite a clause → несмотря́ на то, что
- clause. The то is an obligatory placeholder, not optional.
- Purpose = "in order to." Conjunction что́бы; formal expansion для того́ что́бы.
- что́бы splits by subject: same subject → infinitive (что́бы успе́ть), different subject → past tense (что́бы де́ти не простуди́лись). Never a future after что́бы.
- что́бы … не = negative purpose ("so as not to / lest").
- The unifying logic: что́бы marks a willed, aimed-at, not-yet-fact action — which is why it borrows the past-tense form for an event that hasn't happened.
Now practice Russian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Russian→Related Topics
- Subordinating: Что and ЧтобыA2 — Что and чтобы look alike but do opposite jobs. Что (that) reports a fact after verbs of speaking, thinking, and knowing — and, unlike English 'that', it can never be dropped. Чтобы (in order to / that) introduces a goal or a wish, taking an infinitive when the subject stays the same and the past tense when it changes. This page draws the factual/volitional line and nails the obligatory comma.
- Future Tense in Subordinate ClausesB1 — English says 'when I arrive [present], I'll call'. Russian puts BOTH clauses in the future: Когда́ я прие́ду, я тебе́ позвоню́. After когда́, е́сли, как то́лько, пока́ referring to a future event, the subordinate verb must be future — writing a present there (*Когда́ я приезжа́ю…*) is one of the most systematic English-transfer errors.
- Coordinating: И, А, НоA1 — Russian has three everyday coordinating conjunctions where English has only two. И joins (and), но contradicts (but), and а — the one with no clean English equivalent — links two things by contrast without contradiction (whereas / while / and-by-contrast), and builds the corrective 'not A but B'. This page draws the three-way line and shows the comma rules.
- Temporal Conjunctions: когда, пока, после того как, как толькоB1 — Conjunctions of time tell you when one event happens relative to another: когда́ (when), пока́ (while) and пока́…не (until), как то́лько (as soon as), and the compound after/before pairs по́сле того́ как, пе́ред тем как, до того́ как, с тех пор как. The headline rule for English speakers: когда́- and пока́-clauses about the future take the FUTURE tense, where English uses the present.