To express that an action or situation occurs regardless of a specific fact, you can use a concessive clause. This is especially useful when talking about overcoming challenges, such as maintaining a long-distance relationship.
The Conjunction "Bez obzira na to što"
The phrase bez obzira na to što translates to "regardless of the fact that" or "no matter that". It introduces a factual condition that does not stop the main action from happening.
| Regardless of the fact that we are separated, our relationship functions. | Bez obzira na to što smo razdvojeni, naša veza funkcionira. |
| Regardless of the fact that we don't see each other, we feel closeness. | Bez obzira na to što se ne viđamo, osjećamo bliskost. |
Clause Order and Punctuation
You can place the concessive clause at the beginning or in the middle of your sentence.
When starting the sentence with bez obzira na to što, always place a comma at the end of the concessive clause, right before the main clause begins.
| Regardless of the fact that you live in another city, our closeness grows. | Bez obzira na to što živiš u drugom gradu, naša bliskost raste. |
When the concessive clause comes after the main clause, the comma is typically omitted.
| They nurture fidelity regardless of the fact that they live abroad. | Njeguju vjernost bez obzira na to što žive u inozemstvu. |
Using the Indicative Mood
Unlike some languages that require a special grammatical mood (like the subjunctive) for concessive clauses, Croatian keeps it simple. You just use the standard indicative mood (normal present, past, or future tenses) directly after bez obzira na to što.
Here is an example using the present tense in the concessive clause and the future tense in the main clause to express overcoming disagreements:
| Regardless of the fact that they have disagreements, they will overcome them. | Bez obzira na to što imaju nesuglasice, prevladat će ih. |
