Breakdown of Bez obzira na to što sam umoran, večeras ću ponoviti nove riječi.
Questions & Answers about Bez obzira na to što sam umoran, večeras ću ponoviti nove riječi.
As a fixed expression, bez obzira na to što means regardless of the fact that, even though, or despite the fact that.
It introduces a contrast:
- I am tired
- but I will still review the new words tonight
So the sentence structure is roughly:
- Bez obzira na to što sam umoran = regardless of the fact that I am tired
- večeras ću ponoviti nove riječi = tonight I will review/repeat the new words
In everyday Croatian, learners will also often see simpler alternatives like iako or premda:
- Iako sam umoran, večeras ću ponoviti nove riječi.
This is a very common learner question because the expression looks longer than English.
Here is the breakdown:
- bez obzira = regardless / without regard
- na to = to that
- što = that / the fact that / what, depending on context
Together, bez obzira na to što... is a set phrase meaning regardless of the fact that...
So although it may feel word-for-word unusual in English, in Croatian this is a normal structure.
You can think of it like this:
- bez obzira na to = regardless of that
- što sam umoran = that I am tired
It is best learned as one chunk.
Yes. A native English speaker will often find iako much easier.
For example:
- Iako sam umoran, večeras ću ponoviti nove riječi.
That means essentially the same thing: Although I am tired, tonight I will review the new words.
Other possibilities:
- premda sam umoran
- mada sam umoran
The original sentence is perfectly natural, but iako is shorter and often easier for learners to use.
Both are possible in Croatian, but they sound slightly different in emphasis.
- sam umoran is the neutral order here because sam is a clitic and usually comes in the second position of its clause.
- umoran sam is also correct, but it puts a bit more emphasis on umoran.
In the sentence:
- što sam umoran
the clause begins with što, and the clitic sam naturally comes right after it.
This is a very typical Croatian pattern:
- Znam da sam spreman.
- Mislim da sam u pravu.
- Bez obzira na to što sam umoran...
Yes. Umoran is an adjective and it changes for gender and number.
Here it is umoran because the speaker is understood to be:
- masculine singular
Forms:
- umoran = masculine singular
- umorna = feminine singular
- umorno = neuter singular
So:
- If a man says it: što sam umoran
- If a woman says it: što sam umorna
This is very important in Croatian because adjectives often agree with the subject.
This is the future tense.
Croatian future I is formed with:
- a present form of htjeti used as an auxiliary
- plus the infinitive of the main verb
Here:
- ću = I will
- ponoviti = to review / to repeat
So:
- ću ponoviti = I will review / I will repeat
Other forms:
- ćeš ponoviti = you will review
- će ponoviti = he/she/it will review
- ćemo ponoviti = we will review
- ćete ponoviti = you all will review
- će ponoviti = they will review
Both are correct.
Croatian allows two common ways to form the future with many infinitives:
- ću ponoviti
- ponovit ću
The difference is mostly stylistic and positional.
A helpful rule for learners:
- If the auxiliary comes first, use the full infinitive: ću ponoviti
- If the infinitive comes first, its final -i is usually dropped: ponovit ću
So both mean the same thing:
- Večeras ću ponoviti nove riječi.
- Večeras ponovit ću nove riječi.
This one is grammatical, but less natural than: - Ponovit ću nove riječi večeras.
In your sentence, večeras ću ponoviti is a very normal, neutral word order.
Literally, ponoviti often means to repeat. But in learning contexts, it often means:
- review
- go over again
- revise
So in this sentence, ponoviti nove riječi most naturally means:
- review the new words
- go over the new vocabulary again
It does not necessarily mean saying them twice only once; it usually means studying them again.
This is about aspect, which is very important in Croatian.
- ponoviti = perfective
- ponavljati = imperfective
Ponoviti presents the action as a complete whole:
- I will review them once
- I will get the review done
That fits well with a sentence about one planned action tonight.
By contrast, ponavljati would suggest an ongoing, repeated, or habitual action:
- Večeras ću ponavljati nove riječi. This sounds more like:
- I will be spending time repeating/reviewing the new words
- I will be doing that activity for a while
So:
- ponoviti = complete review
- ponavljati = process of repeating/reviewing
Nove riječi is in the accusative plural because it is the direct object of ponoviti.
The verb asks: ponoviti što? = review/repeat what? Answer: nove riječi
Now the useful part for learners: for many feminine plural nouns, the accusative plural looks the same as the nominative plural.
Here:
- nove riječi = nominative plural
- nove riječi = accusative plural
So even though the form does not change visibly, the function is different.
Breakdown:
- nove = new, feminine plural
- riječi = words, feminine plural
The noun riječ means word and it is a feminine noun.
Singular:
- riječ = word
Plural:
- riječi = words
Because the noun is feminine plural, the adjective has to agree with it:
- nova riječ = a new word
- nove riječi = new words
This kind of adjective-noun agreement is one of the core grammar patterns in Croatian.
Večeras means tonight and here it is an adverb of time.
It tells you when the action will happen:
- večeras ću ponoviti = I will review tonight
Compare:
- večer = evening
- ove večeri = this evening
- večeras = tonight
For learners, večeras is best memorized as a time adverb, like:
- danas = today
- sutra = tomorrow
- jučer = yesterday
- večeras = tonight
The comma separates the introductory subordinate clause from the main clause.
Structure:
- Bez obzira na to što sam umoran = subordinate clause
- večeras ću ponoviti nove riječi = main clause
Croatian uses commas quite regularly with this kind of clause, especially when the sentence begins with a phrase like bez obzira na to što, iako, premda, and so on.
So the comma here is standard and expected.
Yes. Croatian word order is flexible, although not completely free.
Your sentence has a very natural neutral order:
- Bez obzira na to što sam umoran, večeras ću ponoviti nove riječi.
Other possible orders include:
- Bez obzira na to što sam umoran, ponovit ću nove riječi večeras.
- Večeras ću, bez obzira na to što sam umoran, ponoviti nove riječi.
These versions can shift emphasis slightly:
- večeras emphasized more if moved forward
- nove riječi emphasized more if placed later with stronger stress
For learners, the original order is an excellent model to imitate.
You may hear shorter versions in speech, but for learners the safest and most standard form is:
- bez obzira na to što sam umoran
That is the full, clear version.
If you want a shorter and simpler option, it is usually better to switch to:
- iako sam umoran
So for active use:
- safest formal/full version: bez obzira na to što...
- easiest natural alternative: iako...
It is natural Croatian.
That said, it sounds a bit more careful or formal-neutral because bez obzira na to što is a fuller expression.
In everyday conversation, many speakers might prefer:
- Iako sam umoran, večeras ću ponoviti nove riječi.
But the original sentence is absolutely normal and correct. It does not sound wrong or unnatural.
Only the adjective changes:
- Bez obzira na to što sam umorna, večeras ću ponoviti nove riječi.
Everything else stays the same.
Why? Because umoran agrees with the speaker’s gender:
- male speaker: umoran
- female speaker: umorna
This is one of the first agreement patterns learners need to get comfortable with in Croatian.