In a previous lesson, you saw how the preposition þrátt fyrir (despite) is used before a noun. To express that a situation happened "despite the fact that" something else occurred, you can use the conjunction þrátt fyrir að to connect two full clauses. This is particularly useful for discussing historical figures and how they dealt with adversity.
| despite the fact that | þrátt fyrir að |
Starting with the Subordinate Clause
When you start a sentence with þrátt fyrir að, the entire subordinate clause acts as the first block of information. Because of Icelandic's V2 (verb-second) rule, the main clause that follows must start immediately with its verb, swapping places with the subject.
Notice how the main verbs (hef and skrifaði) come directly after the subordinate clause:
| Despite the fact that the biography is long, I have read it twice. | Þrátt fyrir að ævisagan er löng hef ég lesið hana tvisvar. |
| Despite the fact that the poverty was severe, she wrote a famous biography. | Þrátt fyrir að fátæktin var mikil skrifaði hún fræga ævisögu. |
You will often use this structure with action verbs like yfirstíga (to overcome) when talking about historical struggles.
| Despite the fact that she was poor, she overcame the difficulty. | Þrátt fyrir að hún var fátæk yfirsteig hún erfiðleikann. |
| Despite the fact that the adversity was endless, they did not give up. | Þrátt fyrir að mótlætið var endalaust gáfust þau ekki upp. |
In the Middle of the Sentence
You can also place the þrátt fyrir að clause in the middle of the sentence. When you do this, the main clause comes first with its normal word order, and the subordinate clause simply follows it.
| She started to write about the injustice despite the fact that she was sick. | Hún byrjaði að skrifa um óréttlætið þrátt fyrir að hún var veik. |
| I lack nothing despite the fact that the poverty is severe. | Mig vantar ekkert þrátt fyrir að fátæktin er mikil. |
Struggle and Revolution
Discussing historical biographies often involves vocabulary about fighting against the odds. Here are a few common terms you will see:
- baráttan (the struggle)
- óréttlætið (the injustice)
- byltingin (the revolution)
- frelsa (to liberate)
| Despite the fact that they lost the battle, the revolution liberated the country. | Þrátt fyrir að þeir töpuðu bardaganum frelsaði byltingin landið. |