Несмотря на то, что дворники работают быстро, на большой скорости стекло всё равно становится грязным.

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Questions & Answers about Несмотря на то, что дворники работают быстро, на большой скорости стекло всё равно становится грязным.

What does Несмотря на то, что mean grammatically, and how is it different from just несмотря на?

Несмотря на то, что + clause is a fixed concessive conjunction meaning although / despite the fact that and it must be followed by a full clause (with a verb):

  • Несмотря на то, что дворники работают быстро… = Although the wipers work fast…

Несмотря на + noun/pronoun is used when what follows is a noun phrase, not a clause:

  • Несмотря на дождь… = Despite the rain…
  • Несмотря на это… = Despite that…

Why is there a comma in Несмотря на то, что (between то and что)?

Because что introduces a subordinate clause, and Russian normally separates the main clause and subordinate clause with a comma. In this set phrase, the comma is written as: несмотря на то, что … (it’s treated like a complex conjunction).


Why is there another comma after быстро?

The sentence starts with a subordinate concessive clause:
Несмотря на то, что дворники работают быстро, …
When that subordinate clause comes first, it’s separated from the main clause by a comma.


Does дворники here mean street sweepers or something else?

In everyday Russian, дворники can mean: 1) janitors / yard keepers (building staff), and
2) windshield wipers (car part)

In this sentence, it clearly means windshield wipers, because it talks about стекло getting dirty while moving at high speed.


Why is работают used (imperfective), not a perfective verb?

Работают (imperfective) describes an ongoing/repeated process: the wipers are functioning in general while you’re driving. Perfective would suggest a single completed action, which doesn’t fit well with the idea of continuous wiping.


How should I understand на большой скорости—why на, and what case is скорости?

На скорости is a common Russian pattern meaning at (a certain) speed / while moving at speed.
After на in this meaning, Russian uses the prepositional case:

  • скорость(на) скорости

So на большой скорости literally = at a high speed.


Why большой speed and not высокой? Which is more natural?

Both can be used, but they have slightly different “feel”:

  • на большой скорости is very common and idiomatic for “at a high speed / when driving fast”
  • на высокой скорости is also correct and may sound a bit more “technical” or neutral

In many contexts they’re interchangeable.


Why is стекло in the nominative? What is the subject of the second part?

The main clause is: стекло всё равно становится грязным.
Here стекло is the grammatical subject: the glass/windshield becomes dirty.
The wipers (дворники) are only in the subordinate clause.


Why does становится end in -ся? Is it reflexive?

In modern Russian, становиться is the normal verb for to become. The -ся form is basically standard here; it doesn’t mean the windshield “makes itself” dirty in a literal reflexive way. It’s just how Russian forms this intransitive “change of state” verb.


Why is it становится грязным (instrumental грязным) and not становится грязное/грязное?

After становиться (and many other “to become / to seem / to remain” type verbs), the complement is typically in the instrumental case:

  • становиться + instrumentalстановится грязным

This is the standard pattern for describing what something becomes.


What does всё равно add, and where can it go in the sentence?

Всё равно means anyway / all the same / still and emphasizes that the result happens despite the wipers working fast.
It’s flexible in position, for example:

  • стекло всё равно становится грязным (very natural)
  • стекло становится всё равно грязным (possible but less natural)
  • всё равно стекло становится грязным (also possible, more emphasis up front)

Is this word order fixed? Could I reorder it?

It’s not fixed. Russian word order is flexible and used for emphasis. For example:

  • Несмотря на то, что дворники работают быстро, стекло всё равно становится грязным на большой скорости. (moves the speed phrase later)
  • На большой скорости стекло всё равно становится грязным, несмотря на то, что дворники работают быстро. (puts the “high speed” condition first)

The original order is very natural: concession first, then the key condition (на большой скорости), then the outcome.