Learn Hardcore Turkish: Hastalık olmasına rağmen, takım çalışmasına devam ettik. - Despite the illness, we continued working as a team.

Olmasına rağmen means "despite" or "in spite of." In the sentence, it introduces a concessive clause that shows that even though there was illness, the main action (continuing teamwork) still happened. The construction combines the nominalized form of olmak ("to be") with rağmen ("despite"), effectively setting up a contrast between the condition and the action.

Why is takım çalışması modified to takım çalışmasına in this sentence?

In Turkish, the verb devam etmek (to continue) typically requires its object or complement to be in the dative case. Adding the suffix -na (a variation of -e attuned to vowel harmony) to takım çalışması makes it takım çalışmasına, indicating that "teamwork" is the activity that was continued.

How is devam ettik formed, and what does it indicate in this context?

Devam ettik is the simple past tense form of devam etmek. The ending -tik marks the first-person plural past tense, translating to "we continued." In this sentence, it tells us that despite the adverse condition expressed earlier, the team persisted in their teamwork.

Why is there no article before hastalık, unlike in English where we might say "the illness"?

Turkish does not use articles like "a" or "the." Therefore, hastalık appears without any article. Its meaning is understood from context, and learners should note that the absence of an article is a common feature of Turkish grammar.

Why does the sentence begin with the phrase Hastalık olmasına rağmen instead of placing it at the end?

Placing Hastalık olmasına rağmen at the start of the sentence immediately sets up the contrasting circumstance. This word order emphasizes that, even though there was illness, the main action—continuing teamwork—occurred regardless. It is typical in Turkish to front such adverbial or concessive clauses to frame the overall context before introducing the main clause.