Bez obzira na to što je prošlost ponekad tužna, ne možemo je promijeniti.

to be

Breakdown of Bez obzira na to što je prošlost ponekad tužna, ne možemo je promijeniti.

• ne: not
• moći: to be able to
• ponekad: sometimes

Questions & Answers about Bez obzira na to što je prošlost ponekad tužna, ne možemo je promijeniti.

What does Bez obzira na to literally mean, and how is this phrase used in Croatian?

Bez obzira na to literally means without regard to that or regardless of that.

In practice it works like English “even though / regardless of the fact that …” and is very often followed by što plus a clause:

• Bez obzira na to što je prošlost ponekad tužna…
  = Regardless of the fact that the past is sometimes sad…

Some patterns:

• Bez obzira na to što… = regardless of the fact that…
• Bez obzira na… + noun = regardless of …
  e.g. Bez obzira na vrijeme = Regardless of the weather

It typically introduces a subordinate clause that presents a contrast or concession, just like even though or although in English.

Why do we need na to here? Could we just say Bez obzira što je prošlost ponekad tužna?

The most common and stylistically neutral version is:

• Bez obzira na to što…

Here:

• bez obzira = regardless
• na = preposition that requires the accusative
• to = a dummy/anticipatory pronoun in the accusative (like that in “regardless of that”)
• što = introduces the subordinate clause (what / that)

So the structure is literally: regardless of that, that the past is sometimes sad…

You can hear/see in real life, but: